BS People: Rajendra S Pawar

The man who saw tomorrow

Considered a visionary, Rajendra S Pawar was years ahead of his time in realising the importance of IT (information technology) education in India. He left a comfortable job at HCL Technologies to start NIIT in 1981. In the process he revolutionised the computer education market in India, thereby creating a completely new industry segment.

All along, Pawar has played the leadership role in nurturing NIIT and building a leading global talent development corporation. NIIT’s franchise model enabled it to unleash a wave of entrepreneurship across the globe, providing young people with the opportunity to create viable businesses centred on IT learning.

Again, when the software boom was taking place, Pawar took the plunge and forayed into the software and services market, creating NIIT Technologies in 2004, now a Rs 1,000-crore company.

Known for promoting industry-academia alliances, Pawar has been working closely with India’s well-known educational institutions. He is on the Board of IIT Delhi, IIM Bangalore, Indian School of Business, Scindia School and Indira Gandhi National Open University.

A firm believer in the need for industry participation to shape the education sector, he went on to establish the NIIT University, a not-for-profit institution at Neemrana in 2009.

Pawar is a member of the Prime Minister’s National Council and the Planning Commission’s Task Force on Skill Development. He is also helping the Government of South Africa to develop a growth strategy for its ICT industry.

He has been a founder member of Nasscom (National Association of Software and Services Companies) and will lead the industry body as the chairman for 2011-12.

Born in Jammu, Pawar holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from IIT-Delhi and likes listening to music during leisure time. For his contribution to IT and the education sector he was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2011.