Nandan Nilekani is the author of "Imagining India," a radical re-thinking of one of the world’s great economies. The co-founder of Infosys, he helped move India into the age of IT.

Why you should listen

Nandan Nilekani co-founded Infosys, one of India's leading information technology companies, back in 1981. After serving as its president and then CEO, he's now joined the Indian government to help lead a massive new IT project: providing every Indian with a unique identity card. to concentrate on his next great endeavor: re-imagining India in the new millennium.

His book Imagining India asks big questions: How can India -- which made such leaps in the past two decades -- maintain its demographic advantage? How can democracy and education be promoted? How, in the midst of such growth, can the environment be protected for the next generations?

What others say

“Seattle has Bill. Bangalore has Nandan. What makes Nilekani unique? For me it comes down to one phrase: great explainer.” — Thomas Friedman

Nandan Nilekani’s TED talk

More news and ideas from Nandan Nilekani

Nandan Nilekani joins Indian government

June 29, 2009

TED2009 speaker Nandan Nilekani has stepped down from the company he co-founded, Infosys, to take a cabinet-level role in the Indian government. It’s a rare step in Indian politics — in fact, the Times of India calls Nilekani’s move “the biggest movement from private sector to government in India in recallable memory.” Nilekani will head […]

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Live from TED

4 chances to see TED speakers live, this week and next

March 17, 2009

TEDIndia’s Lakshmi Pratury will be interviewing two TED speakers next week in the Bay Area: + March 30, 2009, hear TED2009 speaker Nandan Nilekani, the founder of Infosys and the author of Imagining India, at the Crowne Plaza Cabana in Palo Alto, 6:30-8pm. Tickets: $15 members, $25 nonmembers. Premium tickets (includes reception, book and priority […]

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