Indian Bosses-II

I can certainly vouch for the graciousness of Mrs. Murthy and Mrs Nilekani. As you all know, Mr. Nilakeni decided to leave his stratospheric career for the relative obscurity of an unpaid government job a few months ago. His send-off was a public affair in the sense that all of us employees were part of the farewell ceremony. It was a poignant moment, where this person who has shaped Infosys for all his professional life and knew no other company was leaving.

On stage was the Nilakeni family, including his aged mother. When Mrs Murthy was invited on stage to give a memento to Nandan, she first went up to the mother and touched her feet. And it was not a cursory gesture either- it was a Sashtanga Namaskara, on her knees. She herself is no sprightly kid, after all. And as she came up to Nandan, his wife Rohini, a much younger lady, repeated the same sign of respect to Mrs Murthy.

It was quite something to see that their unimaginable wealth had not diluted their basic Indian values- the public nature of the occasion did not deter them either. It was a good example to give to the Youngisthan generation.

And Mr. Murthy, on the rare occasions that he takes the stage, inevitably receives a rousing reception from the employees- he is ever popular with his troops. Nandan revealed in his speech that it was in fact Mr Murthy who urged him to take up this government role, even though it meant that the company was losing an able leader.

Although Infosys is somewhat embattled nowadays, these leaders will always continue to inspire.