Columbia India Hour in August
Columbia India Hour's inaugural sessions in August brought together Columbia leaders and alumni on two fronts: CBS Dean Costis Maglaras and Godrej Industries' Pirojsha Godrej discussed AI's disruption of business and education, spreading “faster than electricity or the internet” and the urgent need to reskill; while two-time alumnus and chef Rahul Akerkar in conversation with Anindita Ghose reflected on his path from biochemical engineering to the culinary world, and the value of curiosity and learning from setbacks. Read more about the sessions below:
What does the rapid rise of artificial intelligence mean for businesses, educators, and the next generation of leaders? This was the focus of the inaugural Columbia India Hour, which brought together Costis Maglaras, Dean of Columbia Business School, and Pirojsha Godrej, Chairman Designate of Godrej Industries Group, for a wide-ranging conversation on AI, education, business, and the future of work.
Maglaras described the current AI moment as a genuine break from the past, comparing its potential impact to the invention of electricity. Unlike earlier technological shifts, AI capabilities are spreading at extraordinary speed: an innovation developed in San Francisco, he noted, could be in use at a Mumbai startup within 12 hours. Yet organizations will adapt more slowly. People and institutions need time to absorb change, meaning that even as AI capabilities improve exponentially, organizational transformation may unfold over five to ten years.
What happens when a biochemical engineer leaves a PhD to work in restaurant kitchens and eventually becomes one of the pioneers of modern dining in India? For Rahul Akerkar, the answer is a career shaped less by a fixed plan than by curiosity, experimentation, and the willingness to follow what continued to hold his interest.
In the second session of Columbia India Hour, Akerkar opened up candidly about his unconventional journey—from studying chemical and biochemical engineering at Columbia to working in New York kitchens, returning to India, and building a career in food and hospitality. A two-time Columbia alumnus, Akerkar spoke about the unexpected turns, setbacks, and difficult decisions that shaped his path.