Abhiyan Ref

Four Giants in Indian Industry

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(Reference Material for Questions on Four Giants in Indian Industry for Abhiyan-2009 Quiz Competition) Dr. M. VISVESVARAYA

Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya Born : September 15, 1860 Muddenahalli, Chikballapur Taluk, Chikballapur District, Karnataka Died : April 14, 1962 (aged 101) Bangalore Occupation : Engineer, Diwan of Mysore Website : Visvesvarayya in Karnataka.com

Sir Mokshagundam Visweswaraiah, KCIE (other spellings include Visvesvaraya, Visweswaraiah, Vishweshwaraiah; Kannada: ಶರೀ ಮೋೀಕಗುಂಡಂ ವಶೇೇೀಶೇರಯಯ; 15 September 1860 - 14 April 1962) was an eminent Indian engineer and statesman. He is a recipient of the Indian republic's highest honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1955. He was also knighted by the British for his myriad contributions to the public good. Every year, 15th September is celebrated as the Engineer's Day in India in his memory and is a public holiday in some places, especially his birth state Karnataka. Biography Early years Sir M. V. was born to Srinivasa Sastry and Venkachamma at Muddenahalli village, Chikkaballapur Taluk, Chikballapur District of present-day Karnataka, in what was then the princely state of Mysore. His father Srinivasa Sastry was a Sanskrit scholar and an authority on the Hindu scriptures, besides being an Ayurvedic practitioner. Sir M. V.'s ancestors actually hailed from the village of Mokshagundam near Giddalur in the Prakasam District of present-day Andhra Pradesh; they had migrated to Mysore state perhaps three centuries ago. The family name "Mokshagundam", preserves the memory of this distant association. The young Visweswaraiah lost his father at the age of 15. The family was resident at Kurnool of Andhra Pradesh when this calamity befell them; they moved back to Muddenahalli immediately thereafter. Sir M. V. attended primary school at Chikballapur and high school at Bangalore. He earned his B.A. from Madras University in 1881 and later studied civil engineering at the College of Science, Pune, now known as the College of Engineering, Pune (COEP). Career as engineer Upon graduating as an engineer, Visweswaraiah took up a job with the Public Works Department (PWD) of Bombay now known as Mumbai, and was later invited to join the Indian Irrigation Commission. He implemented an extremely intricate system of irrigation in the Deccan area. He also designed and patented a

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_________________________________________________________________________________________ _ system of automatic weir water floodgates, which were first installed in 1903, at the Khadakvasla reservoir near Pune. These gates were employed to raise the flood supply level of storage in the reservoir to the highest level likely to be attained by its flood, without causing any damage to the dam. Based on the success of these gates, the same system was installed at the Tigra dam in Gwalior and the Krishnaraja Sagara (KRS) dam in Mysore. Visweswaraiah achieved celebrity status when he designed a flood protection system to protect the city of Hyderabad from floods. He was also instrumental in developing a system to protect Visakhapatnam port from sea erosion. Sir M. V. supervised the construction of the KRS dam across the Kaveri River from concept to inauguration. This dam created the biggest reservoir in Asia at the time it was built. Sir MV was rightly called the "Father of modern Mysore state" (now Karnataka): he was responsible for building the very first electricity generation plant in Asia at Shivanasamudra near Mysore in 1894. During his period of service with the Government of Mysore state, he was responsible for founding, under the aegis of that government, of the Mysore Soap factory, the Parasitoide laboratory, the Bhadravati Steel factory, the SJP Polytechnic Institute, the Bangalore Agricultural University, the State Bank of Mysore, the Mysore sugar mills and numerous other industrial ventures. He also encouraged private investment in industry during his tenure as Diwan of Mysore. He was known for sincerity, time management and dedication to the cause. He was also instrumental in charting out the plan for road construction between Thirumala and Tirupati. As the Diwan of Mysore After taking voluntary retirement in 1908, Visweswaraiah was appointed Diwan, or First Minister, of the princely state of Mysore, one of the largest and most important in India. With the support of Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, Maharaja of Mysore, Visweswaraiah made an arguably unprecedented contribution as Diwan to the all-round development of the State. Not only the Krishnaraja Sagara dam and reservoir, but also the hydroelectric projects at Shivanasamudram, the steel mills at Bhadravathi, the Sri Jayachamarajendra Polytechnic Institute (SJP) at Bangalore, the University of Mysore and many other industries and public works owe their inception or active nurture to him. He was instrumental in the founding of the "Government Engineering College" at Bangalore in 1917, one of the first engineering institutes in India. This institution was later named the "University Viswesvarayya College of Engineering" (UVCE) after its founder; it remains one of the most reputed institutes of engineering in Karnataka. Honours While he was Diwan of Mysore, Visvesvarayya was made Knight Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire by the British for his myriad contributions to the public good. After India attained independence, Sir M. Visvesvarayya was given the nation's highest honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1955.

The Bharat Ratna medal

Sir M.V. was honoured with honorary membership of the international Institution of Civil Engineers (based in London) and a fellowship of the Indian Institute of Science (based in Bangalore). He was also awarded several honorary doctoral degrees like D.Sc., LL.D., D.Litt. from various Universities in India. He was president of the 1923 session of the Indian Science Congress...

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_________________________________________________________________________________________ _ The family temple at Muddenahalli The Hanuman deity discovered by Sir M. V.'s mother. It is now at the Hanuman Temple at Muddenahalli There is an interesting true story about how Sir M.V.'s mother discovered a stone that had an image carved into it. One day, when she was returning home by bullock cart, she noticed a stone lying in a field at the edge of the road. A few days later, she found the stone still there. After several trips past the stone, she stopped the bullock cart one day and asked the villagers who the stone belonged to. The villagers did not know who the stone belonged to nor how it had got there. The stone was taken to her house and she had a temple constructed which exists to this day. Memorial at Muddenahalli There is a beautiful and very picturesque memorial of Sir M. V. located on the familyowned land at Muddenahalli, with the Nandi Hills as a backdrop. Institutions in his honour

The Samadhi of Sir M.V. at Muddenahalli

Sir M Visvesvaraya Institute Of Technology (popularly known as Sir M.V.I.T),Bangalore is named after Sir M.V. •

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The University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, Bangalore popularly known as UVCE, is an engineering college affiliated to the Bangalore University, established in the year 1917, by Bharat Ratna Sir M. Visvesvaraya. The college was renamed University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering from its earlier name University College of Engineering, Bangalore in honour of its illustrious founder Sir. M Visvesvaraya. Visweswaraiah National Institute of Technology (V.N.I.T.), Nagpur (Formerly Visvesvaraya Regional College of Engineering) was established in the early 1960s in his honour. The college is among the elite 17 National Institutes of Technology (Formerly Regional Engineering Colleges) in India The Visweswaraiah Technological University, Belgaum, to which nearly all engineering colleges in Karnataka are now affiliated The Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum, Bangalore, set up as part of his birth centenary celebrations Vishweshwaraya Iron and Steel Limited, a public sector undertaking, in the founding of which he was instrumental

His alma mater, the College of Engineering, Pune (COEP) has erected a statue in his memory and honour on their campus in central Pune, immediately outside the historic COEP administration building.. Inspiring anecdotes This happened some years ago in the United States of America. Some Indians stood at the foot of a seventyfive-foot ladder in a factory. They were visiting important factories in the States to study their working. Officers of the factory were with them, explaining how the factory worked In one part Of the factory, the officer said "If you want to see how this machine works you will have to climb to the top," That meant that they had to climb up the seventy-five-foot ladder, past four stories.

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_________________________________________________________________________________________ _ The leader of the Indians was "Very well, let us climb," he said. The others were very much surprised. He was the oldest of them all; most of them trembled at the thought of climbing up the steel ladder. The old gentleman briskly stepped towards the ladder, and started to climb. Many of the others stayed back. A few followed as a matter of duty, but some of them soon gave it up. The old gentleman reached the top, completed the inspection and briskly climbed down. Only three others completed the feat. It was always so with the gentleman - anything he undertook he did systematically and very well. No difficulty, any danger could keep him back. The old gentleman went up the ladder! He was Doctor Sri M. Visvesvaraya -or, Sir M.V., as he was popularly known. The Krishnarajasagara Dam - or KR or Brindavana, as it is also called - has amazed and enchanted thousands of visitors from all countries. It is one of the biggest dams in India. It waters a hundred and twenty thousand acres of land. It supplies electricity to hundreds of towns and villages. The Bhadravati Iron and Steel Works is today an asset to India. The sandal oil and the sandal soap of Mysore are famous all over the world. The Mysore Sandal Oil Factory and the Mysore Soap Factory export sandal oil and sandal soap to many countries. Mysore University is one of the oldest in India. The State Bank of Mysore (it was first named the Bank of Mysore) has branches, not only all over Karnataka, but also in every big city in India. The man who gave even one of these would deserve admiration and gratitude. But all these were the gifts of one man - and he gave these to his country about fifty-five years ago, when it was still not free and when few people here cared to study science. This great man, this worker of miracles, this Bhagiratha of Karnataka, this Bharata Ratna (the Gem of India) was Sri M.V.

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Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy (J. R. D.) Tata

Born July 29, 1904 Paris, France Died November 29, 1993 (aged 89) Geneva, Switzerland Occupation Industrialist Spouse(s) Thelma Vicaji Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata was a pioneer aviator and important businessman of India. He was awarded India's highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna in 1992. Early life J.R.D. Tata was born in Paris, France, the second child of Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata, an Indian Parsi, and his French wife, Suzanne "Sooni" Brière. His father was a first cousin of Jamsetji Tata, a pioneer industrialist in India. 'Jeh', or 'JRD' as he was commonly known, came to be regarded as the most famous industrial pioneer in modern India. As his mother was French, he spent much of his childhood in France and as a result, French was his first language. Tata also attended the French Foreign Legion. He attended the Cathedral and John Connon School, Bombay (now Mumbai). J.R.D. Tata was inspired early by aviation pioneer Louis Blériot, and took to flying. In 1929 Tata got the first pilot license issued in India. He later came to be known as the father of Indian civil aviation. He founded India's first commercial airline, 'Tata Airlines', in 1932, which in 1946 became Air India, now India's national airline. Businessman J.R.D. Tata studied engineering at the University of Cambridge. He did not continue beyond matriculation as mentioned in his biography, by Mr R M Lala. At the age of 34, he became Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding Company of the Tata Group. For five decades, J R D directed the huge Tata Group of companies, with major interests in Steel, Engineering, Power,Chemicals and Hospitality. He was famous for succeeding in business while maintaining high ethical standards - refusing to bribe politicians or use the black market. Under J R D's Chairmanship, the number of companies in the Tata Group, grew from 15 to over 100. Monetarily, the assets of Tata group grew from Rs 62 crores to J.R.D. with successor Ratan Tata. over Rs 10000 crores.

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_________________________________________________________________________________________ _ He was awarded the Legion d'honneur, by the French Government in 1954. In 1979, Tata was the recipient of the Tony Jannus Award for his distinguished contributions to commercial aviation. He also received the prestigious Guggenheim Medal for aviation in 1988. He was conferred India's highest civilian award in 1992 for his service to industry and nation building. He died in Geneva, Switzerland in 1993 at the age of 89. He is buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. JRD – the human aspect … (from biography written by Shirin Kumaana-Wadia) Aloo Bhartania, JRD’s former secretary, reminisces: ‘He was most perturbed about the way people carelessly used articles - ‘a’, ‘an’ and ‘the’. An article has such significance, he often said.’ The non-chauvinist and romantic Jeh surfaces now and then. When asked whether he missed having a son, JRD had famously replied: ‘I miss not having a daughter.’ She adds: ‘Each day from the large bouquet of fresh flowers in his room, he’d pick a rose and take it home for his ailing wife (Thelma who he married in Paris in 1930)… every single day.’ ‘He loved to live dangerously,’ says Bhartania, asking, ‘Had he not piloted a plane at ‘78, skied on the mountains and performed the most difficult workouts in the gym in his house nearly till the end?’ Russi Lala, who has written multiple biographies of JRD, says: ‘He was in essence a very great human being. There was this undeniable aura about him wherever he went.’ During his tenure, JRD initiated a program of closer "employee association with management" to give workers a stronger voice in the affairs of the company. He, for the first time, pioneered the system of developing ‘employee welfare schemes’ in corporate India and steered the principles of an eight-hour working day, free medical aid, workers' provident fund and accident compensation schemes, which were later, adopted as statutory requirements in India. JRD and his wife, Thelma, whom he married after a Paris romance in 1930, did not have any children, but JRD always appeared most comfortable with kids. Notes : An aviator is a man who flies aircraft for pleasure or as a profession. A business magnate, sometimes referred to as a mogul, tycoon, baron, or industrialist, is a person who has reached a prominent place in a particular industry (or set of industries) and whose wealth has been derived primarily therefrom.

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Dhirubhai Ambani Born December 28, 1932 Chorwad, Gujarat, British India Died July 6, 2002 (aged 68) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Occupation Industrialist | Entrepreneur Spouse(s) Kokilaben Ambani Children Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, Nina Kothari, Deepti Salgaonkar Website - www.ril.com Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani, also known as Dhirubhai, was an Indian rags-to-riches business tycoon who founded Reliance Industries in Mumbai with his cousin. Ambani took his company (Reliance) public in 1977, and by 2007 the combined fortune of the family (sons Anil & Mukesh) was 6 billion dollars, making the Ambanis one of the richest families in the world. Early life Dhirubhai Ambani was born at Chorwad, Junagadh (now the state of Gujarat, India) to Hirachand Gordhanbhai Ambani and Jamnaben in a Modh Bania family of modest means. He was the second son of a school teacher. When he was 16 years old, he moved to Aden, Yemen. He worked with A. Besse & Co. for a salary of Rs.300. Two years later, A. Besse & Co. became the distributors for Shell products, and Dhirubhai was promoted to manage the company’s filling station at the port of Aden. He was married to Kokilaben and had two sons, Mukesh and Anil and two daughters, Nina Kothari and Deepti Salgaonkar. Reliance Commercial Corporation In 1962, Dhirubhai returned to India and started the Reliance Commercial Corporation with a capital of Rs.15,000.00. The primary business of Reliance Commercial Corporation was to import polyester yarn and export spices. The business was setup in partnership with Champaklal Damani, his second cousin, who used to be with him in Aden, Yemen. The first office of the Reliance Commercial Corporation was set up at the Narsinatha Street in Masjid Bunder. It was 350 sq ft. room with a telephone, one table and three chairs. Initially, they had two assistants to help them with their business. In 1965, Champaklal Damani and Dhirubhai Ambani ended their

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_________________________________________________________________________________________ _ partnership and Dhirubhai started on his own. It is believed that both had different temperaments and a different take on how to conduct business. While Mr. Damani was a cautious trader and did not believe in building yarn inventories, Dhirubhai was a known risk taker and he considered that building inventories, anticipating a price rise, and making profits. In 1968, he moved to an upmarket apartment at Altamount Road in South Mumbai. Reliance Textiles Sensing a good opportunity in the textile business, Dhirubhai started his first textile mill at Naroda, in Ahmedabad in the year 1977. Textiles were manufactured using polyester fibre yarn. Dhirubhai started the brand "Vimal", which was named after his elder brother Ramaniklal Ambani's son, Vimal Ambani. Extensive marketing of the brand "Vimal" in the interiors of India made it a household name. Franchise retail outlets were started and they used to sell "only Vimal" brand of textiles. In the year 1975, a Technical team from the World Bank visited the Reliance Textiles' Manufacturing unit. This unit has the rare distinction of being certified as "excellent even by developed country standards" during that period. Initial public offering Dhirubhai Ambani is credited with starting the equity cult in India. Dhirubhai was able to convince large number of small investors from rural Gujarat that being shareholders of his company would be profitable. Logo of Reliance Industries Limited

Reliance Industries was the first private sector company whose Annual General Meetings were held in stadiums. In 1986, The Annual General Meeting of Reliance Industries was held in Cross Maidan, Mumbai and was attended by more than 35,000 shareholders and the Reliance family.

Dhirubhai Ambani was the unquestioned king of the stock markets. He proved to his detractors just how dangerous it was to play with Reliance. Over time, Dhirubhai diversified his business with the core specialisation being in petrochemicals and additional interests in telecommunications, information technology, energy, power, retail, textiles, infrastructure services, capital markets, and logistics. The company as a whole was described by the BBC as "a business empire". Criticism He has been accused of acting unethically, having manipulated government policies to suit his own needs, and has been known to be a king-maker in government elections. Although most media sources tend to speak out about business-politics nexus, the Ambani house has always enjoyed more protection and shelter from the media storms that sweep across the country. Tussle with Nusli Wadia Nusli Wadia of Bombay Dyeing was, at one point in time, the biggest competitor of Dhirubhai and Reliance Industries. Both Nusli Wadia and Dhirubhai were known for their influence in the political circles and their ability to get the most difficult licenses approved during the times of pre-liberalized economy. Death

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_________________________________________________________________________________________ _ Dhirubhai Ambani was admitted to the Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai on June 24, 2002 after he suffered a major stroke. This was his second stroke, the first one had occurred in February 1986 and had kept his right hand paralyzed. He was in a state of coma for more than a week. A battery of doctors were unable to save his life. He breathed his last breath on July 6, 2002, at around 11:50 P.M. (Indian Standard Time). His funeral procession was not only attended by business people, politicians and celebrities but also by thousands of ordinary people. His elder son, Mukesh Ambani, performed the last rites as per Hindu traditions. He was cremated at the Chandanwadi Crematorium in Mumbai at around 4:30 PM (Indian Standard Time) on July 7, 2002. Relience after Dhirubhai The Reliance empire was split between the Ambani brothers, Mukesh Ambani getting RIL and IPCL & his younger sibling Anil Ambani heading Reliance Capital, Reliance Energy and Reliance Infocomm. The entity headed by Mukesh Ambani is referred to as the Reliance Industries Limited whereas Anil's Group has been renamed Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) Film A film alleged to be inspired by the life of Dhirubhai Ambani was released on 12th January 2007. The Hindi Film Guru, with direction by Mani Ratnam, cinematography by Rajiv Menon and music by A.R.Rahman shows the struggle of a man striving to make his mark in the Indian business world with a fictional Shakti Group of Industries. The film stars Abhishek Bacchan, Mithun Chakraborty, Aishwarya Rai, Madhavan and Vidya Balan. In the film, Abhishek Bachchan plays Guru Kant Desai,a character implicitly based on Dhirubhai Ambani. Mithun Chakraborty portrays Manikda who bears an uncanny resemblance to the real life Ramanath Goenka and Madhvan portrays S. Gurumurthy, who twenty years ago, gained national fame, spearheading virulent attacks against the Reliance group in one of India's bloodiest corporate wars ever. The film also portrays the strength of Dhirubhai Ambani with the help of the character of Guru Kant Desai. "GURUBHAI" the name given to Abhishek Bachchan is also similar to the original name "DHIRUBHAI." Awards and recognitions •

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November 2000 – Conferred 'Man of the Century' award by Chemtech Foundation and Chemical Engineering World in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the growth and development of the chemical industry in India 2000, 1998 and 1996 – Featured among 'Power 50 - the most powerful people in Asia by Asiaweek magazine. June 1998 - Dean's Medal by The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, for setting an outstanding example of leadership. Dhirubhai Ambani has the rare distinction of being the first Indian to get Wharton School Dean's Medal [17] August 2001 – The Economic Times Award for Corporate Excellence for Lifetime Achievement Dhirubhai Ambani was named the Man of 20th Century by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). A poll conducted by The Times of India in 2000 voted Him "Greatest Creator of Wealth In The Centuries". He is the true son of India'

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N. R. Narayana Murthy

Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy Born : August 20, 1946 (age 62) Mysore, Karnataka, India Occupation : Non Executive Chairman & Chief Mentor of Infosys

Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy (Kannada: ನಾಗವಾರ ರಾಮರಾಯ ನಾರಾಯಣ ಮತತಿ

) better known as N.

R. Narayana Murthy, is an Indian industrialist, software engineer and one of the seven founders of Infosys Technologies, a global consulting and IT services company based in India. He is currently the non-executive Chairman and Chief Mentor of Infosys. He was the CEO of the company for 21 years, from 1981 to 2002. After stepping down as CEO in 2002, he has broadened his scope of activities to social services as well as promoting India globally. Murthy's corporate and social vision has been appreciated globally and he is the recipient of several awards including Padma Vibushan - India's second highest civilian award. Early life Born into a Kannada Madhva Brahmin family in Mysore, India on August 20, 1946, Murthy graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from the National Institute of Engineering, University of Mysore in 1967 after attending government school, and received his master's degree from IIT Kanpur in 1969. His first position was at IIM Ahmedabad as chief systems programmer where he worked on a time-sharing system and designed and implemented a BASIC interpreter for ECIL (Electronics Corporation of India Limited). After IIM Ahmedabad, he then joined Patni Computer Systems in Pune. Before moving to Mumbai, Murthy met his wife Sudha Murthy in Pune who at the time was an engineer working at Tata Engineering and Locomotive Co. Ltd. (Telco, now known as Tata Motors) in Pune. In 1981, he founded Infosys with six other software professionals. He served as president of the National Association of Software and Service Companies, India from 1992 to 1994. Mr. Murthy is the brother-in-law of serial entrepreneur Gururaj "Desh" Deshpande and the uncle of former NASSCOM Chairman and MphasiS chief Jerry Rao Corporate Profile Murthy served as the founder CEO of Infosys for 21 years, and was succeeded by co-founder Nandan Nilekani in March 2002. He is the chairman of the governing body of the International Institute of Information Technology - Bangalore, and was the Chairman of the Governing Body of the Indian Institute of Management,

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_________________________________________________________________________________________ _ Ahmedabad. In addition, he is a member of the Board of Directors of INSEAD, Board of Overseers of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, Cornell University Board of Trustees, Business Advisory Council of Great Lakes Institute of Management - Chennai, Singapore Management University Board of Trustees and the Board of Advisors for the William F. Achtmeyer Center for Global Leadership at the Tuck School of Business. Mr. Murthy also sits on the Board of Governors of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), a graduate school of business located in the Philippines and is also the Chairman of the Board of Members of School of Management, Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) located in Bangkok, Thailand. He is the chairman of the, Asia Business Council, an organization headquartered in Hong Kong. He is also a member of the Advisory Boards and Councils of various well-known universities – such as the Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Corporate Governance initiative at the Harvard Business School, Yale University and the University of Tokyo’s President's Council. Murthy serves as an independent director on the board of the DBS Bank of Singapore. This is the largest government-owned bank in Singapore. He also serves as a director on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India, as the co-chairman of the Indo-British Partnership, as a member of the Prime Minister's council on trade and industry, as a member of the Asia Advisory Board of British Telecommunications plc. and as a member of the Board of NDTV, India. He also serves as an independent director on the board of the European FMCG giantUnilever. He is an IT advisor to several Asian countries. He is also an Independent Director on the board of HSBC. He retired from his executive position at Infosys on 20th August, 2006. However, he continues as the NonExecutive Chairman of the board. Controversies Narayana Murthy's trait of plain-speak and honesty has landed him in many altercations with local political leaders. While the political leaders insist that Narayana Murthy was eyeing India's presidential nomination, Narayana Murthy has repeated many times that he has no interest in politics.[4][5] The former President of India, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam visited Infosys campus on April 8, 2007 and during the event, the instrumental version of the Indian national anthem was played instead of a recital. When a newsreporter asked for explanation, Narayana Murthy replied that he didn't want to embarrass his foreign guests leading to protests from various a wide section of politicians and social activitists. Narayana Murthy quickly apologized for the incident[6] but political parties insisted on action against him.[7][8] While the lower courts issued summons to Murthy for explanation, the High Court of Karnataka quashed all proceedings on the case because of lack of any substance in the charges against Murthy. The controversy however deflected attention from the fact that Abdul Kalam thought highly of Narayana Murthy for the post of President of India.[10] Narayana Murthy was critical of the bandh (forced closure of business) call by politicians protesting against the decision of the Kaveri river water dispute[11] leading to protests from political activists against Murthy. [12][8] Earlier in 2005, Deve Gowda, former Indian PM, accused Murthy of "double-talk" when Murthy expressed his concerns on the state of Bangalore infrastructure. In response, Murthy resigned from the post of Chairman for the then upcoming greenfield International airport project (BIAL) taking offense to the assertion that he didn't spend adequate time in the project. Murthy also replied to every point raised by Gowda on land acquisition by Infosys leading the ex-PM to go silent. As Chairman of The Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Narayana Murthy spoke his mind on the Human Resource Development Ministry's action to reduce admission

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_________________________________________________________________________________________ _ fee as well as the move to decline permission to the institute for setting up of global campus. In both cases, the HRD ministers had to concede to Murthy after public spats. Lately Narayana Murthy was caught in another controversy when he made some "tainted" remarks on Satyam and its employees. Quotes •

“Performance leads to recognition. Recognition brings respect. Respect enhances power. Humility and grace in one's moments of power enhances dignity of an organisation,”

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“The real power of money is the power to give it away.”

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“Progress is often equal to the difference between mind and mindset.”

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"Ships are safest in the harbor but they are not meant to be there. They have to sail long and hard and face stormy seas to reach the comfort of a desirable destination"

Awards • • •

Padma Shri Padma Vibhushan Officer of the Legion of Honour - Government of France

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