S Ramadorai, vice chairman, TCS: Lifetime Achievement Award 2012

Dataquest's ‘Lifetime Achievement Award 2012 for Subramanian Ramadorai should not come as a surprise to anybody. This award will now share shelf-space with the many others which are all special to the humble receiver.

He never refrains from reminding you though that these awards are not personal achievements but a result of his support systems who made them all possible - wife Mala, son Tarun, team, and other inspirations. Inspirations in the form of FC Kohli, Max Meth, Frank Susino, Nani Palkhivala, Naval Mody, DN Malsute and Ratan Tata.

A lesson that also seemed to have left a deep mark in the mind of the young boy who was very fond of flying kites was the one given by his father: "When my cousins came over to our place, we were at our mischievous best. Once we tried to test our skills on the body of a shiny new car. My father was angry when he came to know this and ran his fingernail sharply across my cheek. Defying my shrill cries he said this is how the car must have felt." 

At a Glance

• Joined TCS in 1972 as a programmer
• Took over as the CEO and MD in 1996
• Was awarded Padma Bhushan in 2006, in recognition of his commitment & dedication to the IT industry
• In 2009, Ramadorai stepped down as CEO leaving behind a $6 bn global IT services company
• In 2009, was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his contribution to Indo-British economic relations
• In 2011, appointed as Advisor to the Prime Minister in the National Skill Development Council, in the rank of Cabinet Minister

 

The Path Traversed
This may be a journey not many have traveled-the journey of the Indian IT industry seen from close quarters. This is a pretty unusual leaf in the story of the mischievous lad who was buried under aspirations of his parents to pursue medicine, though for a brief while.

"My father always wanted one of his children to become a doctor and for some reason I was singled out to fulfill that dream. I was put in a biology class but I was not very good at laboratory work - my mother used to complain that my shoes and lab coat were full of holes as a result of my spilling acid on them during chemistry lab classes. Any remaining hopes that I would become a doctor were dashed after I was asked to dissect a frog in class," reminisces Ramadorai. Well, Indian IT industry and TCS stood to gain.

An industry which was at a very nascent stage adorned by the presence of cottage industries and major players like the Tatas. It was the belief in its ability to make a change that enabled the transformation to a scenario where corporations now mark the landscape.

IT has become the differentiator with bodies like Nasscom proving to be the catalysts. It was during this transformational drive that the US went all out to tap the talent powerhouse from India. There was no dearth of talent but the cultural shift was a challenge that people needed grooming on.

 

As Ramadorai fondly puts: "Indians are well-known for their eating habits. Professionals would still continue to prefer the home-made dabba food at work-place, which left an aroma of the ingredients. This did not go down the throat of many of the employers well. Or even take the peculiar habit of Indians to nod their heads, making it difficult to understand their perspective. Even the habit to race against the speed of the fastest runner while talking also came as a blow. During this time, India was a mine of talent but all these gems needed to be groomed into fine diamonds for the world to adore."

After the US as a job destination, individuals are now looking to tier-2 and -3 cities after the saturation in tier-1 cities. Companies are now recognizing the talent-mine and setting up offices in these areas. "This is just comparable to the scenario witnessed in the Olympics or even cricket. Where do most of the talented sportspersons who have won medals or participated in Olympics hail from? The small towns of India. Likewise, opportunity needs to be created in regions like the north east, where there is a lot of talent and people are also ready to move to these towns."

Grabbing the Pulse
Today, the nation has become a software destination of where IT has been able to make a difference by touching every domain. It has become an irreplaceable part of the functioning that with out technology life is difficult to imagine. This progress in relation to the aspects of social transformation, equality, and affordability would require government support in the form of guiding policies.

In close quarters, in February 2011, Ramadorai stepped on a different boat - into public service - when the Indian government appointed him as the adviser to the prime minister in the National Skill Development Council, giving him the rank of a cabinet minister.

"Any change can be mind-boggling but the scale and size is immense. Even if we are able to make a little impact it would help a great deal. The change to a government portfolio from a corporate environment itself was a challenge in the form of work style but the determination to make a difference proved to be the guiding light. There is a lot of paper-work tradition that afflicts the government, much different from the corporate world of go-getters. This opportunity has been like an offer to make a difference for a nation that adorns a center of pride." How else would one explain Ramadorai's patriotism which cannot bear unreasonable criticism for the nation?

Final Word
Apart from his government role, Ramadorai continues as the vice chairman of TCS, a company that he has been closely and fondly associated with. Maybe this association can explain the temper. "I rarely lose my temper but there was one such exceptional occasion when someone I knew quite well spoke ill of TCS."

He took over as the CEO in 1996 when the company's revenues were at $155 mn and has since then led the company through some of its most exciting phases, including its going public in 2004.

In October 2009, he stepped down as CEO, leaving a $6 bn global IT services company to his successor, while he took over the mantle of vice chairmanship of the company. "Leaving the company at the right time and, more importantly, leaving the reins of the company in capable hands were the most defining moments of my life. These were as much defining and satisfying moments as the ones I experience when I see my wife having carved a niche for herself in music and my son having become a personality in his own right. These are as important as my return to India and the beginning of my innings with TCS."

 

This is an effort to encapsulate the achievements of a stalwart, who is the guiding force for the Indian IT industry. An inseparable part of the Indian IT industry, he may have driven TCS to the highest levels but he laughs off his skills.

He fondly looks upon TCS today just like the proud potter who has molded a masterpiece - just like his stint with photography where he tested his skills preferring to process his own films.

A humble man who describes himself as shy but patriotic, and his deep affections for TCS. As we bestow him with this award, we wish him success in his efforts to take the Indian IT industry to the peak to make a little impact it would help a great deal.