Why I rarely speak at colleges—and this time I did

I rarely speak at colleges these days. Most campuses are far from the city, and a single talk takes away almost an entire workday. Besides, students today are far more up‑to‑date on technology and business than ever before—they have YouTube and endless resources at their fingertips.

But when Prof S Sitaram from RKM Vivekananda College, Chennai, invited me, I couldn’t say no. He had read my book “The Founder Catalyst” and felt its ideas would be useful for his “B Com Corporate Secretaryship” students, especially those dreaming of starting their own ventures. So, I spent a quiet Saturday morning at the campus for a 30‑minute recorded conversation, which will soon become a podcast episode in their student‑run e‑zine. I liked this format—students learn not just the ideas, but also how to present and share content professionally, a skill that is vital in any career today.

After the session, I got a brief tour of the campus—hard to believe such greenery exists in the middle of the city! I also met Swami Dhyanagamyanandaji Maharaj, the college secretary, and we ended up having an engaging discussion on AI, as he is a Computer Science engineer himself. We exchanged books: he gifted me the complete works of Swami Vivekananda, and I gave him a copy of “The Founder Catalyst“.

It was a simple and refreshing way to spend a weekend morning, and a reminder that these rare interactions with students can be as energising for me as I hope they are for them. I’ll share the podcast link once it is live.