Building Institutions

I have had the privilege of

watching Narayana Murthy's journey over the last couple of decades. Though we

have met only on a couple of occasions I do have a few interesting insights to

share on what made the IT industry, Infosys, and him a phenomenon of our times.

I feel a sense of kinship in our shared journey of participation in the IT

industry's transformational global impact, which has raised India's stature

in such a short span of time.

I first heard of Narayana Murthy during a meeting with CK Prahalad at the CII

office in Delhi in 1988. CK Prahlad, who has been a mentor to several Indian

entrepreneurs and stoked our global ambitions during the late 80s-early 90s told

me, “Narayana Murthy-watch him, he will go places. He has vision, drive, and

ambition. He wants to build a global organization”. Being a dreamer myself

CK's description of him aroused a great deal of curiosity



in me.

The first time I met Narayana Murthy was when I led the Dataquest “IT man

of the year” panel in 1996, having won the award the previous year. As I

handed him the award I said to him, “You have built your organization with a

lot of passion and great dreams. May God be with you.” The seeds of the future

had been sown. The second time I met Narayana Murthy was during a 1997

brainstorming session with CK Prahalad where Azim Premji too was present. CK had

by then fired our collective imagination with his vision for Indian business'

globalization. CK once again told me, “Watch him take Infosys places”.

Two years later in 1999 Infosys became the first Indian company to be listed

on the NASDAQ.  The significance of

this goes beyond the listing itself. It signifies not only the arrival of what

was then an emerging Indian company but of Indian business itself. A NASDAQ

listing requires serious planning, processes in place, governance mechanisms,

etc. Narayana Murthy had obviously worked tirelessly to make this happen.

Narayana Murthy's contribution in my view must be measured beyond the

confines of the IT industry.  An

entrepreneur and a visionary not only builds lasting durable institutions but,

importantly, he builds edifices for its success.

This in turn has a ripple effect on the social, economic, and political

landscape we live in.  I have admired his integrity and courage in confronting the

many adversaries of progress, sometimes stridently. That takes real courage.

He has got away unscathed not only due to the courage of his convictions

but also because of his integrity. This has enhanced his personal and

professional reputation.

There are certainly some things I feel we have in common beyond the shared

journey in India's IT success.  We are first generation entrepreneurs emerging out of

India's educated middle class of the 60s and 70s, where fearlessness and

courage of convictions characterize our styles.

We are both roughly the same age and have the passion for creating

respected global institutions for the future. After all when a group ventured

out to create this industry in the 70s and 80s, the immensity of the opportunity

was not apparent to all. It takes fortitude to envision a fledgling space, stay

the course, build, and ensure enduring legacies, which outlive individuals. And

for that we have to acknowledge Narayana Murthy's legacy.

For me this is not Narayana Murthy's retirement. It is his resurgence as a

new avatar.

Shiv Nadar



The author is founder of HCL and chairman & CEO, HCL

Technologies. He can be reached at maildqindia@cybermedia.co.in