My first interaction with Tata Consultancy Services founder Faqir Chand Kohli was rather awkward. Somewhere in mid-1990s, I happened to be attending one of Nasscom?s software jamboree at Hotel Ashok in New Delhi, when Atanu Roy, my senior colleague at now-shutdown IT publication from the India Today Group inquired whether I had an opportunity to interact with the founder of India?s largest software exporter. When I expressed my inability to do so, he literally pulled me towards Kohli, standing distinctly away from the crowd in a quiet corner of the hotel lobby. Atanu had merely initiated the conversation with the TCS supremo with a ?Hi, this is Atanu Roy from India Today Group,? when Kohli, visibly irritated on being disturbed, retorted with a blunt ?So??. Shocked and literally thrown off the ground, Atanu was quick to regain his composure and said he merely wanted to acquaint Kohli with me, while I stood as a mute spectator to such a hostile exchange between the two tall gentlemen. Though Kohli warmed up to us somewhat, his mind seemed elsewhere, preoccupied.

Stern, very direct and a man of few words?that was my first impression of the architect of India?s IT industry. I am not alone in holding such views. Subramaniam Ramadorai?s inside story of one of India?s premier corporate institutions, The TCS story…and beyond has plenty of that. ?When I joined TCS as an assistant systems programmer and analyst in 1972 at a salary of R1,000 a month, I got to know my mentor FC Kohli for the first time. At that time, Kohli was actively involved in recruitment and used to meet every new recruit,? says Ramadorai, who retired as CEO & MD of TCS in 2009, after serving the company for 37 years.

Most young entry-level engineers were afraid to speak to or approach Kohli because of his reputation as a stern taskmaster. ?But our initial trepidation began to go away as we started to learn a little more about Kohli and realised that he was a man who was very direct and very quick to grasp issues. He would tell us bluntly what was the right thing to do, and what was not. If, however, you were sure you were right you could challenge him, and he would respect that. One of my colleagues wondered how I could deal with his formidable personality. One even described him as a ?benevolent dictator…or perhaps not so benevolent?. Kohli was certainly not known for his patience and he was tough, but as I learned later, he also had a soft heart,? says Ramadorai.

Much has been written about the top management of Infosys, Wipro or HCL Technologies. TCS? history and that of the people behind it, has appeared in piecemeals, an article here and a write up there. ?Someone needed to put it together. So I decided to to take the plunge, a plunge into the unknown?and with great passion, in my characteristic style, to write about TCS? history and my own journey in a way that readers would enjoy,? says Ramadorai, a man steeped in simplicity and discipline.

Of course, in his fascinating narration, Ramadorai recounts the steps to the company?s extraordinary success: how TCS played a pioneering role in establishing offshore development centres in India to provide high-end solutions to global corporations; how it spearheaded Indian industry through the IT boom, using Y2K challenge to its advantage; and how it successfully expanded and scaled its operations worldwide, while simultaneously going public with India?s biggest-ever IPO in 2004.

But it is people talk that keeps the reader engrossed and Ramadorai has done an interesting job at that. Consider his own American experience: ?Arriving in New york was a pretty daunting experience. One person who was more than a little sceptical about my mission was Naval Mody, president of Tata Inc, the US subsidiary of Tata Sons and the Tata man in the US. Naval had an accountant?s mindset. He saw my presence as an unnecessary expense. Besides, while he understood trading, sales was a concept totally foreign to him, so he did not see any value in my role,? says Ramadorai.

Perhaps Mody also viewed me as a threat, says Ramadorai, ?because he told me quite clearly that t here was no way I could set up a business in the US for an Indian company like TCS, and that I should just take the next flight home. Certainly it was not very encouraging for someone setting up shop. There I was, caught between the two bosses: Kohli who had all the confidence in me and Mody who saw no value whatsoever in my presence.? By the time Ramadorai left the US in 1981 and handed over to S Mahalingam (another TCS veteran), the company?s revenues had grown to about $700,000 a year.

Kohli chose Ramadorai as his successor in 1996. ?Kohli?s decision was based primarily on his trust and confidence in me and his observations of my ability to build customer relationships. While I think Kohli and I shared vision for TCS, our management styles were very different,? Ramadorai says. ?Kohli had a direct management style and exercised very tight control. He was intellectual, authoritative and aloof. In contrast, I consciously tried to be very participative and actively sought to foster debate and discussion, and and to ensure that everyone with a valid view had the opportunity to contribute to a debate and express themselves.?

Whatever, the working styles of both these IT industry stalwarts worked splendidly for TCS. As Ramadorai summarises succinctly: ?A CEO should be judged not just by what he built but more importantly that he leaves behind for his successor to build upon.?

The TCS Story . . . and Beyond

S Ramadorai

Penguin Books

Pp 252

Rs 699