For their contributions to Singapore’s progress, graduates from the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), along with other professional talents from India, have received praise from Senior Minister Lee Hisen Loong, who, before stepping down as Prime Minister on May 15, told local media: “If I can get such a pool, come here and work here, it is a tremendous plus for us”.
He added that they are talented individuals who are very valuable to Singapore, and “we should welcome them as we manage the flow”.
Around 3,500 IIT graduates work in Singapore, according to Mr Dhruv Jain, president of the IIT Alumni Association Singapore (IITAAS). It is the biggest group of IIT graduates in a country after India and the United States.
“We are pretty much in every field, be it government, private, education, entrepreneurship or start-ups,” he said. “We are much sought after around the world because of our technical abilities and problem-solving skills.
“Obviously, intelligence is there. But the big pluses are the attitude of taking risk, going beyond the comfort level and constantly challenging ourselves,” added the 44-year-old Citi employee, who is a graduate of IIT Roorkee and has been living in Singapore since 2008.
India’s 23 IITs have earned a reputation for producing highly skilled and talented graduates, and securing a place in one of them is akin to getting into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology or Harvard University. About 185,000 wannabes applied for selection this year. Just about one per cent got through.
“Importantly, we are not designed to follow a certain process,” said Mr Amit Gupta, 46, an IIT Kanpur graduate who works with the World Bank Group and has been living in Singapore since 2012. “We will probably try different ways before achieving a solution. We are taught to use more lateral thinking. That is why graduates from IIT are successful.”
Some of the prominent IITians in the US and India are Mr Sundar Pichai, chairman and CEO of Alphabet and its subsidiary Google; Mr N.R. Narayana Murthy, co-founder of IT giant Infosys; and Mr Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister of Delhi.
The famous ones in Singapore are Mr Balwant Jain, CEO and founder of Optimum Solutions; Mr Vijay Iyengar, chairman and managing director of Agrocorp International; Mr Rohet Tolani, managing director at Tolani Shipping; and Mr Saurabh Mittal, founder and chairman of private investment company Mission Holdings.
“Singapore is near India, and this is why IIT graduates like to come and work here,” said Mr Srinivasan Thirumalai, 59, who graduated from IIT Bombay in 1989 and came to Singapore in 1992. “They have been coming here since the 80s, but the increase in numbers started from the early 90s.
“What we like about this place is the racial harmony,” added the deputy director at NTUitive, the innovation and enterprise company of Nanyang Technological University. “We don’t feel much different. The Indian and Chinese traditions are pretty much similar, and the government gives importance to all the cultures.”
The IIT graduates are comfortable with the working culture in Singapore too.
“The people are thoroughly professional in Singapore, and they respect you for your work, rather than for your political leaning or race,” said gaming and finance entrepreneur Amit Raina, 45, who graduated from IIT Delhi and has been living in Singapore since 2001. “I would say Singapore is a very creative society. While some people may complain that we are taking away their jobs, the majority value the talent we bring.”
The IIT alumni, of whom many have taken up Singapore citizenship, believe they have contributed significantly to Singapore’s economy.
“It is difficult to quantify. There’s definitely talent and we bring an exchange of ideas,” said Ms Priya Asthana, 42, a graduate from IIT Kanpur who runs the social enterprise Maths to Art in Singapore.
“Socially too we have contributed. We hail from different states with their own value and belief systems. Bringing that culture here opens up society.”
The IITAAS, formed in 1995, too has been giving back to Singapore society through social and welfare projects. It has worked with government agencies and the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s ComLink+ to uplift lower-income families and provide them stability and social mobility.
Currently, IITAAS is exploring avenues with the Singapore Indian Development Association and Mendaki to participate in projects that will benefit the community at large.
“We at IITAAS believe it is our responsibility, as foreigners who come to Singapore, to give back to society,” said Mr Jain. “Our welfare and social development projects have been guided by Singapore leaders such as the late former President S.R. Nathan, who was our patron when we held the PanIIT Asia Pacific conference at the Suntec Convention Centre in April 2012, and current President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who also attended the event.”
In recent years, given Singapore’s strict rules on employment passes and in granting permanent residency, many IIT graduates have preferred to seek employment in Dubai, Australia, US and UK where the cost of living is also much less. However, according to Mr Thirumalai, Singapore will always remain an attractive destination for them.
“I told my professors, let me try Singapore for a few years as I wanted to do research,” he said. “Everything was so good that, after three years, I started working. Then I truly integrated with the Singaporean society. It was so smooth.
“I got married when I was here and now I have three kids. There’s no reason for me to think anything is better than this. I had the chance of going back to India or staying here. I chose to stay here – and it’s been 32 years.”
