Father of the Indian IT Sector

Saumya Saini

Father of the Indian IT Sector

With the end of the 20th century, the world witnessed the emergence of an era ruled by computers and software. Narayana Murthy- The Founder of Infosys, is one such legend who is responsible for the growth of the IT industry in India.

Founder of Infosys. Image Source: Sabrang India

Amidst the mighty business tycoons of the Indian IT sector such as Azim Premji, Shiv Nadar and Tech Mahindra, it's hard to imagine if there is a single name that prevails upon all. From companies like Tata Consultancy Services to Redington India Ltd, the IT industry has been flourishing in India for decades. However, despite this neck-to-neck competition, there is one man who has been granted the title of the "father of the Indian IT sector" by Time magazine and CNBC. This powerhouse of a man is none other than Narayana Murthy**,** the founder of the billion-dollar company- Infosys.

On 20th August 1946, the streets of Shidlaghatta, Chikkaballapura district, Karnataka witnessed an event that would eventually bring its name to fame. One of the middle-class Madhwa Brahmin families welcomed a bright baby boy, who was bestowed the name Narayana. ****A simple ordinary family, the Murthys were completely oblivious that their young son would be the cause of changing their fates drastically.

A passionate and skilled child, Narayana completed his schooling at the National Institute of Engineering, going home with a degree in Electrical Engineering in 1967 and later on a master’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. Although this seems like the same old story of a Science kid graduating with an Engineering degree, Murthy’s tale ends differently than a boring 9-5 desk job.

Initially finding his way as a Research Associate at IIM Ahmedabad, Murthy worked on countless software such as on India's first time-sharing computer system. In fact, in the 1970’s his stay in Paris he was given the opportunity of working on many projects, including being a designer for an operating system aimed at handling air cargo at Charles de Gaulle Airport.

He then returned back home, unaware that his motherland was the place where his gold was buried. However, akin to many success stories, his road too was rocky, for he met with various failures, like the tragic ending of his company Softronics.

But history knows too well that sheer resilience and determination are the keys to success, and this is a tale of a man whose achievements go beyond the limits of the sky. Of course, Narayana did not give up in the face of any adversity and continued to follow his dreams.

He also got married to the well-known personality Sudha Murthy, who is one of his pillars of strength. Behind every great man stands an even greater woman who unconditionally supports her partner during successes and failures.

When Murthy approached his beloved stating that he wanted to start another company, Sudha was the first investor who gave INR 10,000 from her own pocket. So began the inception of Infosys, which wouldn’t have been possible without his wife.

With the liberalization policies of the early 1990s, Murthy steered Infosys towards international waters, making it reach unprecedented accomplishments. The boom in the IT sector aided its growth immensely, and its services such as Infosys Information Platform (IIP) – Analytics platform, EdgeVerve Systems, Panaya Cloud Suite, Skava, Digital Marketing etc are widely used.

In 1999, shares were listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange as American depositary receipts., making it the first Indian company to ever do so.

Infosys became a force to be reckoned with globally, giving tough competition to its fellow IT companies since its inception. Murthy is also responsible for articulating, designing and implementing the Global Delivery Model for IT services outsourcing from India.

He served as CEO for 21 years till 2002, and later on as chairman of the board, ultimately retiring from the company in 2014. However, his endeavours didn’t just stop with Infosys, for he serves on the board of various philanthropic and strategic institutions such as Cornell University, Ford Foundation, the UN Foundation and Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas.

His contributions to the IT sector heavily awarded him with international acclamation and titles and continues to do so. Apart from receiving the Padma Shri and Padma Vibushan, he has been listed among the 12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time by Fortune magazine, NDTV Indian of the Year's Icon of India, Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur Of The Year and many such milestones.

At the age of 75, he stands as a global icon, who built a multi-billion dollar company from scratch.