The Hindu

Age is not a factor for students of Bangalore 

Bangalore, Jul 3: Not just Bollywood stars, but others too are making these days to the "Youth Idol" scene. The fact that some of these icons are old enough to be their parents or grandparents is no longer relevant.

Youth Icons: Vijay Mallya, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and Narayana Murthy

Among the young in Bangalore, Infosys founder N.R Narayana Murthy is among the top on the list; admired for starting a globally recognised organisation from scratch. "The fact that he is willing to step down now to leave it the younger generation to lead Infosys while he quietly mentors its progress from the sidelines shows character," says Sudeep, an engineering student. Sudha Murthy is also much admired for the way she helps those in need through the Infosys Foundation and also for her writing. "There is something very unassuming and positive about her that comes out in her writing,'' says Priyanka, a college student, who met her at a book release event. Also very popular among young women is Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw of Biocon for the way she has placed Bangalore on the global biotechnology map, and the way she built up her company.

The UB Group chairman and member of Parliament Vijay Mallya has his share of admirers. Behind his flamboyant exterior is a business brain, many young MBA students such as Rahul say. Actor Ramesh Arvind, whom many youth find to be actively involved in some good causes has his share too. His down-to-earth way about character building is admired by young people. Another actor who gets good ratings is Tara.

Bangalore's students are not parochial when it comes to people they admire; Amitabh Bachchan is still popular.