My first memories of Independence Day are getting up early in the morning, wearing the cleanest uniform and participating in the march past.

Then, of course, watching the film Roja on television. I became aware of what August 15 meant to India and all Indians only after I started reading books on Mahatma Gandhi, especially the one by Louis Fisher.

My perception of India as a nation and what India could become changed with this awareness, and from then on, I felt proud to be an Indian.

When I was in college, I had decided that I would not leave India to study abroad while all my friends chose to do so. My mother was a big influence in taking that decision because she believed that if we had to achieve something, there was no reason why we could not do so in India itself.

So, I started a company of my own soon after college. It was a big challenge but everything worked out well.

I feel we Indians should never let go of our vision of making India the most developed nation in the world. I must thank President Kalam who is my idol in making all of us dream. But I do not want India to develop in the same manner that the other developed countries have done forgetting human values which I feel is our strength.

My ambition is to contribute in whatever way I can to the economic growth of the nation, and the route I chose was to set up multiple ventures and companies in India taking into consideration our strength in fundamental mathematics and concepts.

I feel so proud when at international conferences, people look at you in awe and say, 'Oh, you are Indian, you must be really good in software.' I feel proud as an Indian to be a small part of the software industry.

Arvind Thiagarajan spoke to Shobha Warrier