TNN | Aug 8, 2012, 03.14AM IST

KOLKATA: At 22, Maharshi Patel authored a novel that took even his two publishers by surprise by selling 5,000 copies and counting. A year later, he decided to trace the footsteps of his protagonist and return to India, the country of his forefathers, live and study here. So here he is, at IIM Calcutta, to do his MBA. The breaks that he gets over the next two years will be spent in Ahmedabad, the place of his origin, though he spent most of his life in the UK and US.

Patel is one of the few interesting students who have joined the prestigious institute’s flagship postgraduate programme this time after long stints abroad. They are all driven by the love for the country of their roots. They feel that it is time to give back. These students are islands in a sea of engineers who have made a beeline for the MBA programme here, just like other years. The institute is especially happy because this is perhaps the first time that a promising author has decided to come to the campus for an MBA programme.

Patel’s novel, ‘A Tale of Two Indians’, was published by Harper Collins and Vantage in India and abroad. It is the story of an India-born NRI who is an alcoholic and suicidal but comes to India to meet his grandfather. This turns out to be a life-changing experience for him. “I did my schooling in the UK and my graduation from Duke University, US. After spending so many years abroad, I felt that something was missing from my life, perhaps the depth of knowledge and culture that only India can provide. So I decided to take up an MBA programme here to help me connect with my roots,” Maharshi said.

He hopes to continue writing, alongside his MBA programme. However, since he will have a strong grounding in finance in the MBA programme here, he might also take up investment banking as a profession. “However, writing will remain my passion, though I would not want to bank on it solely as a career at this point of time,” he said.

Teachers are also happy to get Anusha Bhushan in their class. She is an extremely bright student who has completed her graduation in economics from the London School of Economics. Anusha, too, has had a chequered academic career. She attended school till Class X in Londonand returned to complete her plus-two in Bangalore from where she hails, only to go back and complete her graduation from LSE.

Any B-school abroad would have loved to take her, but she chose IIMC because she too wishes to spend a few years in India. “I have worked in Deutsche Bank in London. After having studied, lived and worked abroad for so many years, it is like homecoming here. I not only wanted to do my MBA in India, but would also love to get placed here. India is a difficult market and it would be challenging to work here,” says the sprightly young student.

There are at least 20 such students who have studied and worked abroad and have joined the PGP programme at IIMC after scoring well in GMAT. They are all driven by the same reason. Another example is Siddhant Singh who has come from Harvard. He could not be contacted, but this young man from Mumbai, too, has a dream firmly entrenched in India.

Read the original article at: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/Best-brains-choose-IIM-Calcutta-to-return-home/articleshow/15396985.cms