Younger bro’s leaving home: Murthy

26 Jun 2009,

I feel it’s like a younger brother going out of home, seeking nobler aspirations. Nandan has been an integral part of Infosys history. He was the third person I spoke to when I founded Infosys. He has played a seminal part in every decision taken by us. There’s been no big discussion of which he’s not been a part.

He is a good conceptualiser, a good thinker, a big picture man. It’s a big loss to Infosys. But our mindset is such that we expect our people to put the interests of the country ahead of the company’s or the individuals.”

On the sequence of events that led to Nandan quitting the company he co-founded in 1981, said Murthy, “he discussed this with me in early June — I am the first person he consults — I was enthusiastic about it. I rank this project on the scale of importance and impact with Sam Pitroda’s telecom project, N S Swaminathan’s green revolution and Prof Yashpal’s Sites (satellite instruction & TV experiment) project.”

He believes, “This is going to give identity to every Indian. Benefits will go to the right people. It has the potential to track terrorists very easily.”

Personally, Murthy admits he will miss him a lot. “He’s a great favourite of my wife Sudha too. They are both from Dharwad. Our families are very close to each other.” Nandan’s been an effective corporate leader. Would he transition easily to a public role, where traditionally corporate leaders have floundered? Murthy sees no problem at all. “Nandan’s absolutely ethical, he’s a consensus builder, a good thinker, a big picture man. Plus, he understands technology and is a modern thinker,” he says.

He’s chuffed that Nandan’s got a cabinet rank. When someone from Infosys goes to the outside world, it helps if they have the power and status to add value.