My student days in PSG saw three Prime Ministers, two wars, taught us courage, resilience, leadership and optimism.

I was a very good student. But I didn't have the latitude to study more. I was never allowed to do anything cross-disciplinary. Why can't an engineering student learn physics?

The younger you are, the more courage and audacity you will have to set long-term goals and be there to personally work towards your vision. You will have the confidence to take risks because you have time by your side. You can bring innovation into everything you do and constantly reinvent yourself.

I was the seventh child in a family of eight siblings. We lost our father very young, and my mother had pretty much single-handedly brought us up.

Headmasters have powers at their disposal with which Prime Ministers have never yet been invested

Great leaders are pragmatists who can deal with difficult realities but still have the optimism and courage to act.