Saurabh Rai is a fighter. He fights back well when pushed to the wall. That’s not a model one should emulate, but he has gained strength from multiple crises that crisscrossed his life. A quality in him that I admire the most. He has done well for himself.
Saurabh thinks differently, thinks of the future, bit of a visionary: how the state-of-art technologies can be harnessed for the good of nature, promoting sustainability, addressing environmental challenges by advanced geospatial solutions.
Currently, as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Arahas Technologies, he is trying something novel, to wed the AI technology to environmental causes. ‘AI is well suited to meet ecological goals,’ he tells me.
But before we get into what he is doing, it is important to mention why he is the right change agent needed in tech-leadership positions. Because he understands politics, society, the environment, how government functions, how best to cajole and propel government into new frontiers, how society absorbs change, and a host of such issues. Simply said, he understands the pulse of the masses, and how the monolith of bureaucracy can be spurred into action. I often tell him he’d be a good politician. He doesn’t take it as a compliment.
Unlike many in his shoes, he’s so open to discussing his ideas and vision. A globetrotter, many nights are spent flying across the Atlantic Ocean ever year. He’s an international citizen with deep roots in his own cultural milieus. Curiosity takes him to places; his people-friendly approach blends him well with denizens of varied cultures. The best of the two worlds.
Over the years, he has leveraged an extensive network, more importantly, maintains strategic partnerships with various stakeholders, and has an acumen to get things done. His strategic foresight and innovative approach help transform emerging technologies into robust business models.
India, and the Indian philosophy has for long described the world a global village, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. Saurabh lives this ancient concept of modern living. He concentrates on complementarities and not roadblocks to successfully integrate technology into the day-to-day lives of people, for that to happen the technology has to be in sync with the ground realities. Democratisation of AI, digitisation in general, if I may say so, is what excites Saurabh, he’s the right person to do it.
He belongs to an illustrious family of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Father of two talented children—daughter Mansi and son Tanmay—with distinctive world views, are blessed with initiative and drive. His wife Vandana is ‘better than me at everything’ according to him. She is the reason that he keeps going and doing things he loves, out of passion and beyond the call of duty. His eco-consciousness has an element of spirituality.
Saurabh stands out because of his risk-taking abilities. People are fearful of change that brings uncertainty, Saurabh, however, is not driven by fear. He sees challenges as opportunities, thinks harder, work even harder, and all this while, is driven by love. Don’t get me wrong, he’s very pragmatic. But this pragmatism is borne out of the sense of responsibility.
Saurabh has a good sense of socio-political realities at a local, national and global levels. His global perspective has local moorings. In this interconnected world, nothing exists in isolation. In journalism, we call certain kinds of stories as ‘glocal’ reflecting both local and global considerations. This may seem paradoxical but is true.
A vague example of what I’m trying to say is Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerberg who visited a renowned guru in an ashram nestled in isolated seraphic green hills of Uttarakhand. When they went back to America inspired enough, created the tech-companies that changed the way people live, work, love, communicate….
This can only be done by people like Saurabh who thinks differently, and are not conditioned in the way the world ought to function, and are not bogged down by the constraints of the present but are driven by the desire to shape a better future. They innovate and sow the seeds of change. Logically so, Saurabh holds a US patent for his brand of geospatial technology that has provided cutting-edge solutions, a break from the past, a passage to a bright future.
I have to say with due emphasis, being a trendsetter is a risky affair. Saurabh stands out because of his risk-taking abilities. People are fearful of change that brings uncertainty, sometimes unintended changes. Saurabh, however, is not driven by fear. At the risk of it sounding a cliché, I’d say he sees challenges as opportunities, thinks harder, work even harder, and all this while, is driven by love. Don’t get me wrong, he’s very pragmatic. But this pragmatism is borne out of the sense of responsibility.
Not just that, he’s an exceptional storyteller, engaging listeners with his compelling narratives, ideas, contours of his vision. He illustrates complex ideas lucidly; clarity leads to collaboration.
Saurabh has held positions of leadership at Tech Mahindra, Accenture, Tata Power to name a few. Thanks to his openness and inclusivity, has created a cadre of empowered entrepreneurs and a culture of learning and collaboration. They are innovating, excelling and growing together in their respective fields.
Under his leadership, Arahas is expanding fast, and has come to be known as a provider of robust and scalable geospatial solutions, ensuring sustainability and green growth. Initially the focus is in the Middle East where all the action is, he’s undertaking projects to promote renewable energy, smart agriculture, and e-mobility, significantly contributing to reducing carbon emissions and enhancing resource efficiency.
One evening over a beer, we had a heartfelt conversation, where, obviously, he did most of the talking. I know better where the world is heading thanks to Saurabh. And thank Saurabh for what he's doing to make this world a better place to live.
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