Encounter with a CEO

Thursday, October 06, 2005

In India, it is said only Movie Stars, Cricketers and Politicians to a lesser extent make celebrities (A certain Tennis star called Sania Mirza got added to the list recently). They can’t afford to step out of their homes alone without fear of being mobbed by autograph junkies or crazy fans. It’s a price they have to pay for their status. Other accomplished people who have achieved great(er) success in their respective fields - businessmen, scientists, and social workers are rarely recognized when they step out for a walk or a trip in the local mall. The reason is simple - the media feeds on the accomplishments (or the lack there of - as was seen in the case of a certain Indian captain recently) of these people, quite simply because that’s what the 'aam junta' (common people) want to read.

One would be more interested in reading about the latest movie of an actor or the item song of an actress or the exploits of a cricketer rather than the latest acquisition strategy of an industrialist or discovery of a scientist. This is a sort of symbiotic relationship between the media and the masses. While the media lives on the capacity of the masses to consume 'digestible' infotainment, the masses rely on the media to bring them such 'food for entertainment'. The result - politicians get to the front pages of the paper (and opening stories of a news capsule); movie stars and cricketers find themselves on the back pages while the rest are sandwiched somewhere in between, which are the less visited middle pages.

This is why I always wondered - how would people react if they saw a successful businessman or a scientist on the street. Would they recognize him/her in the first place? A chance to see the reaction first hand occurred recently. Couple of weeks back, I was catching up with a couple of my school friends at The Forum, a swanky new mall in Bangalore. We exchanged stories of our batch mates, pulled one another’s legs and my friends departed after a couple of hours. Having said goodbye to them, I went for my weekend time pass jaunt at Landmark, a huge Bookstore in the same mall. I enjoy losing myself in the world of books for a couple of hours, without a care in the world.

I finished browsing through a book on cricket and kept it back in the shelf and turned around to go to the next section when I saw a middle aged gentleman looking intently at the titles of some latest releases. I realised it was none other than Nandan Nilekani, the CEO and co-founder of Infosys, one of the biggest IT companies in the world. He was slightly stout (more than he seems in TV or in the papers), taller than I thought and had a pleasant look on his face. And he seemed to be alone and was not bothered by anyone around. Worse (or better, for him?) no one seemed to notice him or recognize him. I stalled for a second, not sure if I should disturb him. But my excitement soon took care of that dilemma. I walked up to him, extended my hand and said "Mr. Nilekani, its a pleasure to meet you" A smile lit up his face and he took my hand immediately, covered it in a firm grip and said "Its the same here".

I think I spoke a little loud, because when I said "Mr. Nilekani" people around me looked up from their books and saw who it was. I was saying "I would have loved to take your autograph, but I do not have a pen" when he was mobbed by about half a dozen guys my age. I realised they were all IT professionals like me. They were all taking autographs from him on address books and pieces of paper. A thought hit me. I fished out my visiting card, borrowed a pen from someone and said "Mr. Nilekani, I work in Wipro. I hope you don’t mind signing at the back of my Wipro visiting card". (Wipro and Infosys are business rivals and competitors in the IT field)

He immediately took it with a laugh, said "Of course no. Not at all" and proceeded to sign it with a flourish. I shook hands with him once again and thanked him profusely and went away to watch from a distance. The commotion was over in a matter of seconds and he was alone again wandering in the bookstore.

Would the reaction have been the same had it been a lesser-known cricketer or a movie star? Of course not. But does not the CEO of one of India's most successful and respected companies, a man partly responsible for making India the Offshoring destination of the world, deserve much more recognition? I would say Yes, but I think I know what Mr. Nilekani himself would say. I think he would much rather prefer wandering blissfully in a bookstore without being bothered by autograph junkies. I am sure he would. That expression on his face told me.