Fired By New York Museum, Indian-American Is City's Chief Digital Officer

Chennai: When Sree Srinivasan was fired by New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art in June, he used Facebook to turn it into a sensational moment in his career, announcing to the world his plans for a speaking tour and a family vacation.

In India for the promised tour, Mr Srinivasan, 46, aims to inspire more and more people to get digital.

"I found it very difficult, I had no choice. The last people I told were my children and my parents. I was using Facebook to get some help but so many people around the word told me they benefited seeing it," shares Mr Sreenivasan.

Not long after his Facebook announcement, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio was tweeting that he would be the new Chief Digital Officer of the city.

The former Columbia Professor sees reducing the digital divide in India a major challenge.

"It's all over the world. Economy, race, aptitude, attitude and age contribute towards this and it's important to make these services available in platforms poor people are using," he said, adding: "I'm excited looking at Twitter Sewa addressing railway complaints in India and Google's WiFi at railway platforms. My job is to tell people why they should use these services."

The social media expert believes that people in India are not adequately making use of LinkedIn, the professional network. "It's the most underappreciated of all in the social network. The only Indian who has understood is Satya Nadella who bought it for 26 billion dollars," he says.

He also has an antidote for addiction to devices. "At home no phones at dining table so we are forced to talk to each other. Another game I learnt in Wall Street is while going for dinner all put down their phones. We order expensive food and whoever touches the phone first pays for all."

A graduate of St Stephen's College in Delhi, Mr Sreenivasan is Chennai's son-in-law; his wife, Arjuna Awardee Roopa Unnikrishnan, is from the city.