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 to 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 an avid reader of English
literature. He, like all the boys in his class, was trying to get admission
into some engineering college. The brighter ones wanted to study in the Indian
Institutes of Technology, or the IITs. 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 books 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 for
any bright boy at that age, as it still is today. He was then only sixteen
years old.
The 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 the opposite when it
came to food. When he said 'OK' it implied 'bad', when he said 'good' it implied
'OK', when he said 'excellent' it implied 'good'. His principle was never to
hurt anyone.
The IIT entrance results came. He
had passed with a high rank. What a delight for any student! He was thrilled.
He went to his father who was reading a newspaper.
‘Anna, I have passed the exam.’
‘Well
done, my boy.’
‘I want
to join IIT.’
His
father stopped reading the paper. He lifted his head, looked at the boy and
said with a heavy voice, 'My son, you are a bright boy. You know our financial position.
I have five daughters 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. But circumstances were
like that. It was common then 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 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 his unhappiness or helplessness with anybody.
He was an
introvert by nature. His heart was bleeding but he did not get angry with
anybody.
The day came. His classmates were
leaving for Madras (now Chennai). They were taking a train from Mysore to
Madras. They have shared good years in school and college together. He went to
the 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 of 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 the 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 Bhagavath Gita: 'Your best friend is
yourself and your worst enemy is yourself.'
Later he worked very 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 school teacher showed
other Indians it was possible to earn wealth legally and ethically. He built a
team of people who were equally good.
He became a pioneer of 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 Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy, the founder of
Infosys, a leading IT company in the world.
By Sudha
Murthy
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