'India is a part of me.' Google CEO Sundar Pichai pays homage to his Indian roots after receiving Padma Bhushan award

Pichai thanked his parents and Indian govt after receiving the award.

By ET Online | Dec 03, 2022, 10.06 AM IST

The Indian-origin entrepreneur was recently awarded with Padma Bhushan in the Trade and Industry category.

Sundar Pichai reminisced about his Indian heritage as he was handed the prestigious Padma Bhushan award. “India is a part of me and I carry it with me wherever I go," said the Google and Alphabet CEO, as he received the award.

The entrepreneur was honoured with the third-highest award for civilians, in the Trade and Industry category on Friday (December 2), in the presence of his family members in San Francisco.

Pichai went on to express his gratitude to the government of India and said that it was “incredibly meaningful” to be honoured by the country which shaped his values and work ethic.

Like the TrueBlue desi boy he still is at heart, Pichai didn’t forget to include his parents in his thank you speech. He said that he was “fortunate” to be born to parents who valued knowledge and learning and sacrificed a lot to enable him to pursue his dream career.

“Delighted to hand over Padma Bhushan to Google CEO Sundar Pichai in San Francisco. His inspirational journey from Madurai to Mountain View, strengthening India-America economic and tech ties, reaffirms Indian talent’s contribution to global innovation,” wrote Taranjit Singh Sandhu, who handed over the award to the entrepreneur.

Delighted to hand over Padma Bhushan to CEO @Google & Alphabet @sundarpichai in San Francisco. Sundar’s inspirati… https://t.co/q0cetLnzSK
— Taranjit Singh Sandhu (@SandhuTaranjitS) 1670021041000

Pichai also revealed that Google will be investing $10 billion dollars to make internet access more accessible as well as affordable. "I look forward to continuing the great partnership between Google and India, as we work together to bring the benefits of technology to more people,” he was quoted as saying in his speech.

Pichai’s rise to success has undoubtedly been one of the most inspirational stories of the 21st century. Born to middle-class parents in Chennai, Pichai grew up in a humble two-bedroom apartment. He completed his BTech from IIT Kharagpur with flying colours, followed by an MS at Stanford and an MBA from Wharton (Pennsylvania).

Pichai has enjoyed an illustrious career. Prior to joining Google, he worked with some of the most well-known names in finance. He worked with McKinsey before joining Google in 2004 as a product manager. From therein he was promoted to VP of Chrome and apps before becoming the CEO in 2015.

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Professional Managers in the list consist of individuals who joined business after it has been founded, helped it grow and these managers were given stock options from which they have created their wealth. “These Indian executives have been the cornerstones in wealth creation of some of the most valuable and respectable companies in the world. Their stories are truly inspirational for young Indian professionals, India being home to the youngest professional work force in the world”, said Anas Rahman Junaid, MD and Chief Researcher, Hurun India.