He was short. He was sharp. He was the brightest boy in his class. His seniors used to ask him to solve their difficulties in science. He could have gone unnoticed in a crowd, but once you asked him a question related Physics or Maths, there was a spark in his eyes. He could grasp theories of science faster than the speed of light. He came from a poor but educated family. His father was a high school teacher and avid reader of English literature. He, like all the boys in his class, was trying to get admission into some engineer college. The brighter once wanted to study in the Indian Institute on Technology, or the IIT’s. There was an entrance test for IIT. This boy along with his friends, applied to appear for the test. They did not have any special book or coaching. All these IIT aspirants would sit below the shade of a stone mandap close to Chamundi Hills in the sleepy town of Mysore. He was the guide for the others. While the others struggled to solve the problems in the question paper, he would smile shyly and solve them in no time. He sat alone below a tree and dreamt of studying at IIT. It was the ultimate aim any bright student as that age, as it still is today. He was then only sixteen years old. D-day came. He came to Bangalore, stayed with some relatives and appeared for the entrance test. He did very well but would only say ‘ok’ when asked. It was opposite when it came to food. When he said ‘ok’ it implied ‘bad’, when he said ‘excellent’ it implied ‘good’. His principle was never to hurt anyone. The IIT entrance result came. He had passed with high rank. What a delight for any student! He was thrilled. He went to his father who was reading newspaper. ‘Anna I passed the exam.’ ‘Well done, my boy.’ ‘I want to join IIT.’ His father stopped reading the newspaper. He lifted his head, looked as the boy and said with a heavy voice, ‘My son, you are a bright boy. You know our financial position. I have five daughter to be married off and three sons to educate. I am a salaried person. I cannot afford your expenses at IIT. You can stay in Mysore and study as much as you want. Indeed it was a difficult situation for any father to say ‘no’ to his bright son or daughter. But circumstance where like that. It was common than for the man to be the single earning member with a large family dependent on him. His father was sad that he had to tell the bitter truth to his son. But it could not to be helped. The boy had to understand reality. The teenager was disappointed. It seemed his dreams had burnt to ashes. He was so near to fulfilling his fondest hope, yet so far. His heart sank in sorrow. He did not reply. He never shared unhappiness of helplessness with anybody. He was as introvert by nature. His heart was bleeding but he did not get angry with anybody. The day came his classmates were leaving for Madras (Chennai). They were talking a train from Mysore to Madras. They had shared good years in school and college together. He went to station to say goodbye and good luck to them for their future life. At the station, his friends were already there. They were excited and talking loudly. The noise was like the chirping of birds. They were all excited and discussing their new hostels, new courses etc. He was not part of it. So he stood there silently. One them noticed and said, ‘You should have made it.’ He did not reply. He only wished all of them. They waved at him as the train slowly left the platform. He stood there even after he could no longer see the train or the waving hands. It was the June of 1962 in Mysore city. Monsoon had set in and it was getting dark. It had started to drizzle. Yet he stood there motionless. He said to himself, without anger or jealousy, ‘All students from the IITs study well and do big things in life. But it is not to institution; ultimately it is you and you alone who can change your life by hard work.’ Probably he was not aware that he was following the philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita, ‘Your best friend is yourself and your worst enemy is yourself.’ Later he worked hard, and focused on one thing, never bothering about his personal life or comforts. He shared his wealth with others. He never used the help of any caste, community or political connections to go up in life. A son of a schoolteacher showed other Indians it was possible to earn wealth legally and ethically. He built a team of people who were equally good. He become the pioneer of the India’s software industry and started the Information Technology wave. Today he has become an icon of simplicity, uncompromising quality and fairness, apart from being a philanthropist. He really believes in the motto, ‘powered by intellect and driven by values’. He is none other than Infosys founder and present Chairman, Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy.
Posted on: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 03:00:57 +0000
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