Page 24 - The Indian EYE 081823

The Indian Eye
NORTH AMERICAN Newsline AUGUST 18, 2023 24

INTERVIEW WITH ASHISH CHAUHAN

“Destiny has been designed for India

to rise now with all the parameters in

place…the future lies ahead”

ndia is on the most-anticipated
and awaited way to become the
I3rd largest economy in the world.
One man who has been contribut-
ing significantly is Ashish Chauhan,
MD and CEO of National Stock Ex-
change of India and honorary chan-
cellor of Allahabad University. Re-
cently, he interacted with Sunil Hali,
promoter and publisher of the Indian
Eye group, Worldwide Media & En-
tertainment Group in a live session
for Radio Zindagi Network. Chauhan
was a guiding light who shone through
the pandemic when every institution
was struggling.
The only index that was going up
in India was the stock market index.
In this enlightening and lively chat,
Chauhan describes in detail his inspir-
ing story from a village in Gujarat to
IIT-Bombay to working for Reliance,
the largest corporate group of India,
and finally leading the NSE. Excerpts
from the insightful and motivating
interaction about hard work, knowl-
edge and a will to make way ahead.

Tell us about your early childhood and
how you made way to the top institu-
tions of India, even after coming from Ashish Chauhan, M.D. & CEO of National Stock Exchange, India & Chancellor Allahabad Uniiversity (left)
the vernacular medium. What were the
challenges? with Indian Consul General in New York, Randhir Jaiswal (center) and Sunil Hali
I was born to highly-educated
parents. My mother was a gold med- organizers of Mood Indigo, which doing clearing settlements. computers, and only used for kind of
allist in economics in the 1960s and is the largest sports festival in India. Within 1 year, NSE became free batch activities like in university
a working woman since then. My I joined IDBI and during larger than Bombay Stock Exchange campuses. They were very large and
father was an engineer. I was born Harshad Mehta scandal, it was told which was the oldest exchange in the programming the way we know
and studied in Bavla, 30 kms from to set up a new exchange. NSE was Asia. This was the original fintech in now, was not that prevalent. India
Ahmedabad. I studied in a Gujara- established which was the first auto- early 90s, when few Indians had not was then a poor country in terms of
ti-medium school till class 12th and mated trading exchange in the world. even heard of computers. We were the capital available.
then got admission to IIT Bombay. Even New York Stock exchange was actually trading nation-wide. This was There were many sanctions
As the medium of instruction was phone-based at the time. India with- the first success in financial markets against India by the western block.
English, it was very tough but I could out much money or automation be- with complete automation. India was sending many satellites for
complete the course within the speci- came harbinger of things to come by We fellow IITians, if you agree or weather forecast, etc. I was not well-
fied time of 4 years. I joined IIM Cal- setting up this nationwide exchange disagree, called you the fintech guru versed with English but I worked hard
cutta to do my MBA. To my surprise, using satellite telecom network. I was in India. While the computers had not to learn it by reading through lot of
when I gave exams for the higher the youngest member of the team. So, entered India, you were engineering manuals and books to enhance my
studies, I was also in the top few of I had to do lot of work including in- these solutions on how to implement understanding. In my 4th year of IIT,
engineering students. I thought I will struction to satellite communications, it here in a better way, at such a young new computers were available to help
do better in management because design to buying of equipment and age. Please tell us more about it. in doing real-time activities.
I started organizing events during doing screen designs for trading algo- The world was just trying to use
my IIT days. I was one of the main rithm designs for matching and finally computers. They were mainframe Continued on next page... >>

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