In 1978, an opportunity encounter between Nandan Nilekani and Narayana Murthy at Patni Pc Techniques in Pune set the stage for a partnership that may change the course of Indian IT.
Nilekani, recent out of IIT Bombay with a level in electrical engineering, stumbled upon Patni whereas trying to find course after lacking his graduate faculty entrance examination resulting from sickness.
“I got here at a time when computing was shifting from mainframes to mini computer systems,” Nilekani recalled in a dialog with LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky. “Once I heard about this mini pc firm, I mentioned, ‘Wow, this sounds thrilling.’” It was within the modest workplace of Patni Computer systems that he first met Narayana Murthy, then the pinnacle of software program.
Murthy’s charisma was simple. “He was formidable. He set nice targets,” Nilekani mentioned. “I’d have accomplished something. If he requested me to leap off the cliff, I’d have jumped off the cliff. It was an important expertise working with him.”
The assembly was greater than only a job interview; it was the start of a lifelong skilled bond.
The job supply itself was unconventional. “He requested me some problem-solving questions,” Nilekani shared. “Thankfully, I managed to get them proper, and he gave me a job.” That call not solely gave Nilekani a foothold within the rising area of computing but additionally positioned him to change into one of many six co-founders of Infosys only a few years later.
For Nilekani, the trail to this pivotal second was formed by a mixture of riot and circumstance.
Years earlier, he defied his father’s directions to hitch IIT Madras, as a substitute selecting IIT Bombay and electrical engineering. “It was a small act of riot,” he admitted, one which finally led him to the intersection of expertise, ambition, and innovation.
