What does it take to dream so boldly that people laugh at you, and then you prove them wrong?

This question set the tone as Jio Institute welcomed Mr. Rahul Mittal, Chairman and Managing Director of RITES Limited, for a guest lecture that pushed students to rethink what is possible. Speaking on “The Audacity to Dream,” he went beyond talking about ambition and brought it to life through his journey.

Drawing from 36 years of experience in railway and transport infrastructure, Mr. Mittal shared stories of courage, failure, and conviction. He spoke about the kind of dreams that refuse to stay quiet and the persistence it takes to turn them into reality.

Mr. Mittal brings over three decades of experience in senior leadership roles across railway infrastructure, multimodal logistics, and warehousing. Prior to RITES, he helped develop over 20 multimodal logistic parks at Container Corporation of India.

The session opened with Mr. Mittal recounting his 1978 mid-session admission to Birla High School in Calcutta. After his parents fought for his entry, young Mittal set an audacious goal: to become topper across eight sections within two years so his parents could be chief guests at the annual day. 'God is kind, it happened,' he recalled, emphasizing his central message—it's better to be laughed at for your dreams than to be ignored.

Throughout the session, Mr. Mittal shared career-defining moments. At Mumbai's VT station as a 22-year-old officer, he was physically attacked by an angry mob while managing a delayed CRPF train. The organization's unwavering support—including a formal apology from the GOC Western Command—taught him that organizations stand by those who take principled stands.

Perhaps the most powerful lesson came from the Matunga Workshop recruitment incident. After discovering a calculation error in already-posted results for 200 apprentice positions, Mr. Mittal chose transparency over quiet correction. He publicly acknowledged the mistake at the workshop gates with his team. 'For about five minutes, there was silence,' he recalled. 'When they see you, look into your eyes and say "Yes, I have done a mistake," your eyes tell everything. Nothing happened.' This courage of conviction, he emphasized, wins more respect than popularity.

On leadership, Mr. Mittal was unequivocal: 'Each one of you has leadership qualities. It's a question of tapping into it.' He stressed that true leadership requires moving from domain expertise to broader vision. 'Don't get lost in the expertise trap,' he advised. 'If you want to lead, you must graduate from being efficient to enabling growth.'

In a touching moment, he shared how a young employee once threw a paperweight at him in anger. Rather than reacting aggressively, he listened, discovering deep family troubles. 'Leadership is also sometimes having the ability to cry,' he said emotionally. 'You can be tough, aggressive, but don't forget to cry.'

Mr. Mittal introduced students to RITES, a 52-year-old government infrastructure consultancy executing over 700 projects across India and internationally—from the Ahmedabad Metro to the Jammu-Kashmir rail link. The company maintains a 95% dividend payout ratio and secures one new order every calendar day.

He posed a thought-provoking ethical dilemma: would you stop at a red light at 2:30 AM when rushing to catch a flight, with no cameras or traffic? The varied student responses illustrated his point—ethical decisions don't have perfect answers but demand honest reflection. 'There's no perfect decision,' he noted, 'but not taking a decision is definitely the wrong one.'

For Jio Institute students, the session offered invaluable insights: dare to dream audaciously, embrace transparency and courage, lead with emotional intelligence, and remember that true leadership means developing the next generation. As Mr. Mittal concluded, 'If there's a vacuum after you, you've failed. What kind of leader are you if you haven't developed a leader behind you?'

The session concluded with Mr. Mittal presenting awards to the institute's case study competition winners, followed by a heartfelt vote of thanks for his inspiring contribution to shaping future leaders.