In much the same way as the computers have transformed in shape, size & scope with varied implications depending on whether one is a nerd or a noob, the Indian IT industry too has witnessed several mutations. Like the changing architecture of computing, this industry has also had a distributed growth. But overtime, maturing enough to ensure the continued pre-eminence of India in the global IT arena.
Chronicling this journey rather brilliantly in about 300 pages is a new book ‘Against all odds: The IT story of India.’ It has been written by Kris Gopalakrishnan, a globally recognised business thought leader, philanthropist and one who also played a crucial role in shaping the Indian IT sector. Helping him narrate the Indian IT story are two seasoned professionals: N Dayasindhu, the co-founder and CEO of itihaasa Research and Digital; and Krishnan Narayanan, the co-founder and president of itihaasa Research and Digital and one who has also been a member of the Infosys Labs Management Council.
The book is an insider’s account of how this industry grew and transformed with a narrative that taps into the first hand experiences of over fifty industry stalwarts who helped build the sector. Apart from Kris Gopalakrishnan himself, there are luminous insights from N Chandrasekaran, Azim Premji, Subroto Bagchi, several others and offcourse Kris Gopalakrishnan’s other co-founders at Infosys led by N R Narayana Murthy. The book begins with a reading guide by Gurcharan Das, a columnist, author & former chief executive of Procter & Gamble in India.
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In the sharp-elbowed world of business that tends to be peopled with preternatural salesmen, the transformative years of the Indian IT sector saw technocrats turned entrepreneurs with simple middle-class values taking charge. Even at the risk of being perceived as squishy-minded, they trudged along and led their teams with a steely resolve to succeed. And, all of it while preferring the shadows to the spotlight. Unmindful of the slips and stumbles along the way, they trudged along and when in doubt stayed doggedly devoted to timely disclosures.
To give the readers a flavour of how the IT story evolved, the authors opted to “spend considerable time with over fifty stalwarts who have built and shaped the IT sector in the country.” They then delve into the lessons of their lives and these include: “having faith in computing; achieving resilience and scalability by using world-class systems; the importance of entrepreneurship and the key role that infusion of new ideas and innovations play; finally, the nature of leadership” and why “compassionate capitalism” matters. This, the authors explain, is where corporations have to account for the costs they impose on their employees, vendors, environment & society. It’s importance can hardly be overstated at a time when issues of climate change & ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) engage business leaders globally.
Apart from the entrepreneurs who made the Indian IT story possible, the authors remind readers of the pioneering role played in the using of computers in India by statistician and planner P C Mahalanobis & the iconic nuclear physicist Homi Jehangir Bhabha. Then there is mention of the forward-looking bureaucrats keen on facilitating an enabling environment. There is special mention of N Vittal, the then secretary of the department of electronics, who “worked hard to cut red tape” and introduced the revolutionary concept of Software Technology Parks of India (STPIs) in 1991, wherein even a garage qualified as an STPI, as long as it was enabled by the STPI Earth Station, giving the user access to global delivery of software.
With the STPI policy, R Chandrashekhar, a former bureaucrat and former president of NASSCOM, saw in place light-touch policy interventions and single-window clearance mechanisms. Vittal not only understood the needs of the industry and was receptive to the tax exemptions sought but then also placed stretch goals for the industry.
But then, the road to global stardom in IT services did have its share of challenges. For a nation that is arguably a first-world player on digitisation and is busy testing out central bank issued digital currency, getting to this point was an arduous journey. This finds a reflection not just in this book but has also been brought out rather eloquently by Dr C Rangarajan, economist and former governor of the Reserve Bank of India in his recent book ‘Forks in the road: My days at the RBI and beyond’. Both the books refer to the early 1980s when Dr Rangarajan, was entrusted with the task of chairing two committees, which in essence laid the foundation of computerisation of the Indian banking industry.
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However, the first committee was very carefully called the ‘committee on mechanisation’ because even the use of the word ‘computerisation’ was an anathema in the banking arena back then. Roughly around the time Dr Rangarajan was grappling with the challenges of modernising Indian banking, seven engineers established Infosys in Pune and subsequently shifted its base to Bengaluru.
The book is also replete with anecdotes – be it about F C Kohli, the grand old man of Indian IT or the incidents from Narayana Murthy’s or Kris Gopalakrishnan’s days at college. What any story on Indian IT cannot miss is the Satyam scandal & the saving of the company from collapse with a stellar group of government-appointed professionals led by Kiran Karnik. What also cannot be missed is the take off in the business process outsourcing or the BPO arena with the role played by business leaders like Raman Roy and Pramod Bhasin.
As one IT sector veteran, who did not wish to named and is friends with the authors and other industry stalwarts, feels the book is a meticulous work that attempts to paint a picture that is as true as is perhaps possible but would be seen as a version of how the story unfolded. This, he says, is among the motley views of what really happened. One version is that there was no government policy in place to encourage the sector, which may not be totally true, the second view is about lead players and who among them really played a pivotal role. Then, there is the many smaller players that emerged later, which gave the Indian IT the growth with girth that it needed. Some also see the takeoff a result of global companies seeing the potential in India and either opting to collaborate or establish a footprint in India and in turn ensuring the global visibility that came with it.
Whatever the version, there is little dispute on the road ahead for Indian IT and here the authors quite rightly point out in the concluding lines: “This is a golden era for research, innovation and entrepreneurship. We have built a rock-solid foundation in IT over the past six decades. It is our collective responsibility to carry forward this legacy and ensure that India remains a leader in IT and related technology domains.” Surely, all will agree.
Book review:
Against All Odds – The IT Story Of India
Authors: Kris Gopalakrishnan, N Dayasindhu, and Krishnan Narayanan.
Publisher: Penguin Random House India
Pages: 349.
Price: Rs 799/-