Ajay Prasad would like to be addressed as a proud son of Thiruvananthapuram. He has been an active member of Thiruvananthapuram Development Front (TDF), an association that aims to promote the economic development of the city. He continues to be active in the group after migrating to Boston to do his masters in real estate development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
It was his report on the Vizhinjam port project on a web portal that drew the attention of the TDF founders. Since then, he works with the TDF in helping the government on major projects like Vizhinjam and Technocity and promote Thiruvananthapuram as a global investment destination.
Cambridge holds a lot of similarities to Thiruvananthapuram, he observes. “They are both hubs of intellectual activity — While Cambridge has MIT and Harvard, Thiruvananthapuram has a dozen world class educational and research institutions. Both cities shy away from the mad rush of a Mumbai or New York but are vibrant in their own ways, offering all the urban amenities one expects. For a seasoned real estate professional, the predominantly low rise buildings and a recent spurt in high rise structures seem similar. However, it is true that Cambridge has more developed infrastructure — especially public transport. Sometimes i feel that the two cities could be twins separated at birth!” he says.
“Today, Cambridge is one of the most important centres of cutting-edge technology and home to the world’s two most prestigious educational institutions — MIT and Harvard. The government of Kerala should build on Thiruvananthapuram as a global knowledge hub. This calls for a single minded focus on investment in infrastructure, both urban and social.”
For Ajay who has lived outside India before, life in the USA did not give him any culture shock. He says, “There were some initial difficulties in finding an Indian store. Also, I tend to work on IST — “Indian Stretchable Time”. My classmates took some time getting used to it!” Folks at MIT are pretty excited about India’s economic success story, beams Ajay. “People here see a lot of opportunity in our country’s growth when compared to the US economy which seems to have plateaued out. My classmates are always eager to know more about our nation’s growth story. Indians are the fastest growing and increasingly influencial demographic in the US over the last decade because most Indians work in professional capacities in academia, technology, financial services and healthcare.”says Ajay.
He lives with his wife Viji who also pursues her studies at the University of Massachusetts. The happy couple take part in assorted dinners and other activities with the Indian community at MIT.
