Ankur Prakash: Futurescape

Ankur Prakash is going places. The IIM-C student has won The University Challenge that saw contestants from campuses around Asia write on the World in Motion.

The contest was organised in the Asia Pacific region under the umbrella of the CNN Future Summit. The summit, to be held in Singapore on Wednesday and beamed the next afternoon, will discuss the implications of developments for the future of mankind. This means Ankur gets to meet up with the panelists who include the second man on the moon Dr Buzz Aldrin and the world’s first female space tourist Anousheh Ansari.

Ankur is now in Belgium, where he is completing a semester at the Catholic University under an exchange programme with IIM-C. “I had to submit a 300-word essay on the way we see ourselves travelling in 2030,” the 25-year-old says over telephone from Leuven, 25 km from Brussels.

In his 2030 futurescape, an MNC chief would zip around in a car fitted with wings, while a supersonic jet would take him to trans-Atlantic meetings. “Time would be of essence, so would concerns about pollution and safety,” he explains.

The best bit about Ankur’s idea is he has thought about everyone. The farmer would not till with his plough. He would have a multi-utility convertible in which he would travel as well. For the common man, Ankur envisages a two-wheeler running on hydrogen fuel or pedalled like a bicycle (“space would be a constraint and oil a scarcity”).

According to CNN sources, Ankur’s was among 576 entries received from across the region. He was tied at the top with a girl from Singapore but was preferred by veteran CNN anchor Richard Quest, who would be hosting the summit.

This is not Ankur’s first taste of international success, though. Last year, he was among the top eight participants to make it to the St Gallen Symposium in Switzerland. But, as he says, “recognition from a global brand like CNN makes this honour extra special”.

Admitting how thrilling it is to be on the global platform, Ankur rues that information about such contests rarely reach Indian students. “We are too laid back. Nor are our universities well-known abroad. The IIMs and IITs are a small percentage which stay in the loop. Otherwise, with the talent we have, Indians can do well if more people can participate,” he argues.

The trip allows Ankur to take a partner along free. So, while his mother would be coming with him, his father comes at his own cost. “It’s their first flight abroad,” says the son, flush with pleasure.

Where does he see himself in 2030? “As a decision-maker, doing something for the country and shaping the future,” he responds promptly. After all, he has proved he has a keen eye for the future.