‘At 18, you’re a rebel’: Nandan Nilekani shares ’rebellious’ choice of IIT Bombay over father’s wishes

Nandan Nilekani, the co-founder of Infosys and a key figure in India's digital and economic transformation, shared a personal story of defying his father's wishes by choosing to attend IIT Bombay, during a conversation with LinkedIn’s global CEO, Ryan Roslansky.

In his conversation with Roslansky, Nandan Nilekani shared that his father had a job that made him feel insecure, so he emphasised the importance of obtaining a solid education and securing a stable career.

Also Read: ‘This’ story of Swami Vivekananda will change your life. Read here

Born in Bengaluru in the 1950s, Nilekani explained that during that time, children in India were typically expected to choose between engineering or medicine. Since he had no interest in becoming a doctor, he decided to pursue engineering.

"If I was going to study engineering, it had to be at a top institution, and IIT Bombay was the best option," he stated.

Also Read: ‘Let Silicon Valley build LLMs; India should lead in AI use cases,’ says, Infosys Chairman Nandan Nilekani

IIT Bombay

In 2023, Outlook India ranked IIT Bombay 3rd among government engineering colleges. In 2024, India Today ranked it 2nd for best engineering colleges. In 2025, QS India ranked it 1st. Moreover, 72 of the top 100 JEE (Advanced) rankers chose IIT Bombay, with all the top 10 choosing computer science.

Nandan Nilekani, the co-founder of Infosys and a key figure in India's digital and economic transformation, shared a personal story of defying his father's wishes by choosing to attend IIT Bombay, during a conversation with LinkedIn’s global CEO, Ryan Roslansky.

Also Read: 8,000 IITians remain unemployed; IIT Bombay graduates’ minimum pay drops to ₹4 LPA

When asked about his father’s opposition to his choice of IIT Bombay, Nilekani responded, “At 18, you’re a rebel. My father sent me a telegram that said, ‘Join IIT Madras, chemical engineering.’”

He continued, “I told him, ‘I’m not going to listen to you.’ Instead, I decided to join electrical engineering at IIT Bombay. It was a small act of rebellion,” he explained.

IIT Bombay (Indian Institute of Technology Bombay) is one of India's premier institutions for higher education in engineering, technology, and research. Established in 1958, it is located in Powai, Mumbai. IIT Bombay is recognized globally for its academic excellence, cutting-edge research, and contribution to technological innovations.

It consistently ranks among the top engineering institutes in India and is known for its world-class faculty, state-of-the-art infrastructure, and strong alumni network.

Also Read: IIT Bombay’s batch of 2024 average salary increases 7.7%; 22 students accept ₹1 crore-plus offers

The institute offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs across various disciplines of engineering, science, design, and management.