A gem of an article - Must read!!!
Have Passion!
It was probably the April of 1974. Bangalore was getting warm and
gulmohars were blooming at the IISc campus. I was the only girl in my
postgraduate department and was staying at the ladies' hostel. Other girls
were pursuing research in different departments of Science.
I was looking forward to going abroad to complete a doctorate in
computer science. I had been offered scholarships from Universities in the
US. I had not thought of taking up a job in India.
One day, while on the way to my hostel from our lecture-hall complex,
I saw an advertisement on the notice board. It was a standard
job-requirement notice from the famous automobile company Telco (now Tata
Motors). It stated that the company required young, bright engineers,
hardworking and with an excellent academic background, etc.
At the bottom was a small line: "Lady candidates need not apply."
I read it and was very upset. For the first time in my life I was up
against gender discrimination.
Though I was not keen on taking up the job, I saw it as a challenge.
I had done extremely well in academics, better than most of my male
peers. Little did I know then that in real life academic excellence is not
enough to be successful.
After reading the notice I went fuming to my room. I decided to
inform the topmost person in Telco's management about the injustice the
company was perpetrating. I got a postcard and started to write, but there
was a problem: I did not know who headed Telco I thought it must be one of
the Tatas.
I knew JRD Tata was the head of the Tata Group; I had seen his pictures in
newspapers
(actually, Sumant Moolgaokar was the company's chairman then) I took the
card,
addressed it to JRD and started writing. To this day I remember clearly
what I
wrote.
"The great Tatas have always been pioneers. They are the people who
started the basic infrastructure industries in India, such as iron and
steel, chemicals, textiles and locomotives They have cared for higher
education in India since 1900 and they were responsible for the
establishment of the Indian Institute of Science. Fortunately, I study
there.
But I am surprised how a company such as Telco is discriminating on the
basis of gender."
I posted the letter and forgot about it. Less than 10 days later, I
received a telegram stating that I had to appear for an interview at
Telco's Pune facility at the company's expense. I was taken aback by the
telegram. My hostel mate told me I should use the opportunity to go to
Pune free of cost and buy them the famous Pune saris for cheap! I
collected Rs 30 each from everyone who wanted a sari When I look back, I
feel
like laughing at the reasons for my going, but back then they seemed
good enough to make the trip.
It was my first visit to Pune and I immediately fell in love with the
city.To this day it remains dear to me. I feel as much at home in Pune as
I do in Hubli, my hometown. The place changed my life in so many ways.
As directed, I went to Telco's Pimpri office for the interview.
There were six people on the panel and I realised then that this was
serious business.
"This is the girl who wrote to JRD," I heard somebody whisper as soon
as I entered the room. By then I knew for sure that I would not get the
job. The realisation abolished all fear from my mind, so I was rather
cool while the interview was being conducted.
Even before the interview started, I reckoned the panel was biased,
so I told them, rather impolitely, "I hope this is only a technical
interview."
They were taken aback by my rudeness, and even today I am ashamed
about my attitude. The panel asked me technical questions and I answered
all of them.
Then an elderly gentleman with an affectionate voice told me, "Do you
know why we said lady candidates need not apply? The reason is that we
have never employed any ladies on the shop floor. This is not a co-ed
college; this is a factory. When it comes to academics, you are a first
ranker throughout. We appreciate that, but people like you should work
in research laboratories. "
I was a young girl from small-town Hubli. My world had been a limited
place.I did not know the ways of large corporate houses and their
difficulties, so I answered, "But you must start somewhere, otherwise no
woman
will ever be able to work in your factories."
Finally, after a long interview, I was told I had been successful. So
this was what the future had in store for me. Never had I thought I
would take up a job in Pune. I met a shy young man from Karnataka there,
we became good friends and we got married.
It was only after joining Telco that I realized who JRD was: the
uncrowned king of Indian industry. Now I was scared, but I did not get to
meet him till I was transferred to Bombay. One day I had to show some
reports to Mr Moolgaokar, our chairman, who we all knew as SM. I was in
his office on the first floor of Bombay House (the Tata headquarters)
when, suddenly JRD walked in. That was the first time I saw "appro JRD".
Appro means "our" in Gujarati. This was the affectionate term by which
people at Bombay House called him.
I was feeling very nervous, remembering my postcard episode. SM
introduced me nicely, "Jeh (that's what his close associates called him),
this young woman is an engineer and that too a postgraduate.
She is the first woman to work on the Telco shop floor." JRD looked
at me. I was praying he would not ask me any questions about my
interview (or the postcard that preceded it).
Thankfully, he didn't. Instead, he remarked. "It is nice that girls
are getting into engineering in our country. By the way, what is your
name?" "When I joined Telco I was Sudha Kulkarni, Sir," I replied. "Now I
am
Sudha Murthy." He smiled and kindly smile and started a discussion with
SM. As for me, I almost ran out of the room.
After that I used to see JRD on and off. He was the Tata Group
chairman and I was merely an engineer. There was nothing that we had in
common. I was in awe of him.
One day I was waiting for Murthy, my husband, to pick me up after
office hours. To my surprise I saw JRD standing next to me. I did not know
how to react. Yet again I started worrying about that postcard. Looking
back, I realise JRD had forgotten about it. It must have been a small
incident for him, but not so for me.
"Young lady, why are you here?" he asked. "Office time is over." I
said, "Sir, I'm waiting for my husband to come and pick me up." JRD said,
"It is getting dark and there's no one in the corridor.
I'll wait with you till your husband comes."
I was quite used to waiting for Murthy, but having JRD waiting
alongside made me extremely uncomfortable.
I was nervous. Out of the corner of my eye I looked at him. He wore a
simple white pant and shirt. He was old, yet his face was glowing.
There wasn't any air of superiority about him. I was thinking, "Look at
this person. He is a chairman, a well-respected man in our country and he
is waiting for the sake of an ordinary employee."
Then I saw Murthy and I rushed out. JRD called and said, "Young lady,
tell your husband never to make his wife wait again." In 1982 I had to
resign from my job at Telco. I was reluctant to go, but I really did
not have a choice. I was coming down the steps of Bombay House after
wrapping up my final settlement when I saw JRD coming up. He was absorbed
in thought. I wanted to say goodbye to him, so I stopped. He saw me and
paused. Gently, he said, "So what are you doing, Mrs Kulkarni?" (That was
the
way he always addressed me.) "Sir, I am leaving Telco."
"Where are you going?" he asked. "Pune, Sir. My husband is starting a
company called Infosys and I'm shifting to Pune."
"Oh! And what will you do when you are successful."
"Sir, I don't know whether we will be successful." "Never start with
diffidence," he advised me "Always start with confidence. When you are
successful you must give back to society. Society gives us so much; we
must reciprocate. I wish you all the best."Then JRD continued walking up
the stairs.
I stood there for what seemed like a millennium. That was the last time I
saw him alive.
Many years later I met Ratan Tata in the same Bombay House, occupying
the chair JRD once did. I told him of my many sweet memories of working
with Telco. Later, he wrote to me, "It was nice hearing about Jeh from
you. The sad part is that he's not alive to see you today."
I consider JRD a great man because, despite being an extremely busy
person, he valued one postcard written by a young girl seeking justice.
He must have received thousands of letters everyday. He could have
thrown mine away, but he didn't do that. He respected the intentions of
that unknown girl, who had neither influence nor money, and gave her an
opportunity in his company. He did not merely give her a job; he changed
her life and mindset forever.
Close to 50 per cent of the students in today's engineering colleges
are girls. And there are women on the shop floor in many industry
segments. I see these changes and I think of JRD. If at all time stops and
asks me what I want from life, I would say I wish JRD were alive today
to see how the company we started has grown. He would have enjoyed it
wholeheartedly.
My love and respect for the House of Tata remains undiminished by the
passage of time. I always looked up to JRD. I saw him as a role model
for his simplicity, his generosity, his kindness and the care he took of
his employees. Those blue eyes always reminded me of the sky; they had
the same vastness and magnificence.
(Sudha Murthy is a widely published writer and chairperson of the
Infosys Foundation involved in a number of social development initiatives.
Infosys chairman Narayana Murthy is her husband.)
Regards,
AK
From India, Thana
2Have Passion!
It was probably the April of 1974. Bangalore was getting warm and
gulmohars were blooming at the IISc campus. I was the only girl in my
postgraduate department and was staying at the ladies' hostel. Other girls
were pursuing research in different departments of Science.
I was looking forward to going abroad to complete a doctorate in
computer science. I had been offered scholarships from Universities in the
US. I had not thought of taking up a job in India.
One day, while on the way to my hostel from our lecture-hall complex,
I saw an advertisement on the notice board. It was a standard
job-requirement notice from the famous automobile company Telco (now Tata
Motors). It stated that the company required young, bright engineers,
hardworking and with an excellent academic background, etc.
At the bottom was a small line: "Lady candidates need not apply."
I read it and was very upset. For the first time in my life I was up
against gender discrimination.
Though I was not keen on taking up the job, I saw it as a challenge.
I had done extremely well in academics, better than most of my male
peers. Little did I know then that in real life academic excellence is not
enough to be successful.
After reading the notice I went fuming to my room. I decided to
inform the topmost person in Telco's management about the injustice the
company was perpetrating. I got a postcard and started to write, but there
was a problem: I did not know who headed Telco I thought it must be one of
the Tatas.
I knew JRD Tata was the head of the Tata Group; I had seen his pictures in
newspapers
(actually, Sumant Moolgaokar was the company's chairman then) I took the
card,
addressed it to JRD and started writing. To this day I remember clearly
what I
wrote.
"The great Tatas have always been pioneers. They are the people who
started the basic infrastructure industries in India, such as iron and
steel, chemicals, textiles and locomotives They have cared for higher
education in India since 1900 and they were responsible for the
establishment of the Indian Institute of Science. Fortunately, I study
there.
But I am surprised how a company such as Telco is discriminating on the
basis of gender."
I posted the letter and forgot about it. Less than 10 days later, I
received a telegram stating that I had to appear for an interview at
Telco's Pune facility at the company's expense. I was taken aback by the
telegram. My hostel mate told me I should use the opportunity to go to
Pune free of cost and buy them the famous Pune saris for cheap! I
collected Rs 30 each from everyone who wanted a sari When I look back, I
feel
like laughing at the reasons for my going, but back then they seemed
good enough to make the trip.
It was my first visit to Pune and I immediately fell in love with the
city.To this day it remains dear to me. I feel as much at home in Pune as
I do in Hubli, my hometown. The place changed my life in so many ways.
As directed, I went to Telco's Pimpri office for the interview.
There were six people on the panel and I realised then that this was
serious business.
"This is the girl who wrote to JRD," I heard somebody whisper as soon
as I entered the room. By then I knew for sure that I would not get the
job. The realisation abolished all fear from my mind, so I was rather
cool while the interview was being conducted.
Even before the interview started, I reckoned the panel was biased,
so I told them, rather impolitely, "I hope this is only a technical
interview."
They were taken aback by my rudeness, and even today I am ashamed
about my attitude. The panel asked me technical questions and I answered
all of them.
Then an elderly gentleman with an affectionate voice told me, "Do you
know why we said lady candidates need not apply? The reason is that we
have never employed any ladies on the shop floor. This is not a co-ed
college; this is a factory. When it comes to academics, you are a first
ranker throughout. We appreciate that, but people like you should work
in research laboratories. "
I was a young girl from small-town Hubli. My world had been a limited
place.I did not know the ways of large corporate houses and their
difficulties, so I answered, "But you must start somewhere, otherwise no
woman
will ever be able to work in your factories."
Finally, after a long interview, I was told I had been successful. So
this was what the future had in store for me. Never had I thought I
would take up a job in Pune. I met a shy young man from Karnataka there,
we became good friends and we got married.
It was only after joining Telco that I realized who JRD was: the
uncrowned king of Indian industry. Now I was scared, but I did not get to
meet him till I was transferred to Bombay. One day I had to show some
reports to Mr Moolgaokar, our chairman, who we all knew as SM. I was in
his office on the first floor of Bombay House (the Tata headquarters)
when, suddenly JRD walked in. That was the first time I saw "appro JRD".
Appro means "our" in Gujarati. This was the affectionate term by which
people at Bombay House called him.
I was feeling very nervous, remembering my postcard episode. SM
introduced me nicely, "Jeh (that's what his close associates called him),
this young woman is an engineer and that too a postgraduate.
She is the first woman to work on the Telco shop floor." JRD looked
at me. I was praying he would not ask me any questions about my
interview (or the postcard that preceded it).
Thankfully, he didn't. Instead, he remarked. "It is nice that girls
are getting into engineering in our country. By the way, what is your
name?" "When I joined Telco I was Sudha Kulkarni, Sir," I replied. "Now I
am
Sudha Murthy." He smiled and kindly smile and started a discussion with
SM. As for me, I almost ran out of the room.
After that I used to see JRD on and off. He was the Tata Group
chairman and I was merely an engineer. There was nothing that we had in
common. I was in awe of him.
One day I was waiting for Murthy, my husband, to pick me up after
office hours. To my surprise I saw JRD standing next to me. I did not know
how to react. Yet again I started worrying about that postcard. Looking
back, I realise JRD had forgotten about it. It must have been a small
incident for him, but not so for me.
"Young lady, why are you here?" he asked. "Office time is over." I
said, "Sir, I'm waiting for my husband to come and pick me up." JRD said,
"It is getting dark and there's no one in the corridor.
I'll wait with you till your husband comes."
I was quite used to waiting for Murthy, but having JRD waiting
alongside made me extremely uncomfortable.
I was nervous. Out of the corner of my eye I looked at him. He wore a
simple white pant and shirt. He was old, yet his face was glowing.
There wasn't any air of superiority about him. I was thinking, "Look at
this person. He is a chairman, a well-respected man in our country and he
is waiting for the sake of an ordinary employee."
Then I saw Murthy and I rushed out. JRD called and said, "Young lady,
tell your husband never to make his wife wait again." In 1982 I had to
resign from my job at Telco. I was reluctant to go, but I really did
not have a choice. I was coming down the steps of Bombay House after
wrapping up my final settlement when I saw JRD coming up. He was absorbed
in thought. I wanted to say goodbye to him, so I stopped. He saw me and
paused. Gently, he said, "So what are you doing, Mrs Kulkarni?" (That was
the
way he always addressed me.) "Sir, I am leaving Telco."
"Where are you going?" he asked. "Pune, Sir. My husband is starting a
company called Infosys and I'm shifting to Pune."
"Oh! And what will you do when you are successful."
"Sir, I don't know whether we will be successful." "Never start with
diffidence," he advised me "Always start with confidence. When you are
successful you must give back to society. Society gives us so much; we
must reciprocate. I wish you all the best."Then JRD continued walking up
the stairs.
I stood there for what seemed like a millennium. That was the last time I
saw him alive.
Many years later I met Ratan Tata in the same Bombay House, occupying
the chair JRD once did. I told him of my many sweet memories of working
with Telco. Later, he wrote to me, "It was nice hearing about Jeh from
you. The sad part is that he's not alive to see you today."
I consider JRD a great man because, despite being an extremely busy
person, he valued one postcard written by a young girl seeking justice.
He must have received thousands of letters everyday. He could have
thrown mine away, but he didn't do that. He respected the intentions of
that unknown girl, who had neither influence nor money, and gave her an
opportunity in his company. He did not merely give her a job; he changed
her life and mindset forever.
Close to 50 per cent of the students in today's engineering colleges
are girls. And there are women on the shop floor in many industry
segments. I see these changes and I think of JRD. If at all time stops and
asks me what I want from life, I would say I wish JRD were alive today
to see how the company we started has grown. He would have enjoyed it
wholeheartedly.
My love and respect for the House of Tata remains undiminished by the
passage of time. I always looked up to JRD. I saw him as a role model
for his simplicity, his generosity, his kindness and the care he took of
his employees. Those blue eyes always reminded me of the sky; they had
the same vastness and magnificence.
(Sudha Murthy is a widely published writer and chairperson of the
Infosys Foundation involved in a number of social development initiatives.
Infosys chairman Narayana Murthy is her husband.)
Regards,
AK
From India, Thana
Thanks for posting such a wonderful article. I liked it for it's simplicity and powerful message and moreover, its about 2 business families that I admire a lot. Every leaf from their lives is a source of inspiration.
Regards,
Sandhya.
From India, Mumbai
Regards,
Sandhya.
From India, Mumbai
Hello,
Thanks for posting such a beautiful and interesting article.
I liked it too much. It has a lesson of simple living and high thinking as JRD said to Mrs. Murthy...
Wonderful post.
Regards,
Anal Shah
From India, Ahmadabad
Thanks for posting such a beautiful and interesting article.
I liked it too much. It has a lesson of simple living and high thinking as JRD said to Mrs. Murthy...
Wonderful post.
Regards,
Anal Shah
From India, Ahmadabad
Hi,
This is a very good article and it has a very strong message for whoever is feeling down at work. I really like the words that JRD said to Mrs Narayana Murthy.
Would appreciate very much if her e-mail address could be given to me. I would like to write to this wonderful woman personally for having such aspiring and encouraging articles for us.
Thanks
Shanthi
From Malaysia, Melaka
This is a very good article and it has a very strong message for whoever is feeling down at work. I really like the words that JRD said to Mrs Narayana Murthy.
Would appreciate very much if her e-mail address could be given to me. I would like to write to this wonderful woman personally for having such aspiring and encouraging articles for us.
Thanks
Shanthi
From Malaysia, Melaka
Hi Amol
Such a nice n good topic thnx for the sharing well I really apreciate such sharing from bottom of my heart.
Again thnx
do keep posting such again and again as this is information for all ages to come.
thnx
tarun
From India, Lucknow
Such a nice n good topic thnx for the sharing well I really apreciate such sharing from bottom of my heart.
Again thnx
do keep posting such again and again as this is information for all ages to come.
thnx
tarun
From India, Lucknow
Hi Amol, Thanks for such wonderful posting...! Being simple, gentle and accessible are the primary requirement to being a sucessful person. Keep positing... Manoj
From India, Calcutta
From India, Calcutta
Dear Shanthi, Thanks a lot :P . I really appreciate your feeling, but i am sorry to say that i don’t have her mail id. But if i ever get it, surely i will mail it to you. Regards, AK
From India, Thana
From India, Thana
Hi Amol,
Thanks a lot for bringing this kind of article into light....Really, I got a very good impression on TATA's and their HR policies........
Infosys is also a very good company which follows wonderful HR Policies as we can see people associated with them for a longer time period......
Thanks Amol....
Warm regards,
Gowtam Tulugu
From India, Hyderabad
Thanks a lot for bringing this kind of article into light....Really, I got a very good impression on TATA's and their HR policies........
Infosys is also a very good company which follows wonderful HR Policies as we can see people associated with them for a longer time period......
Thanks Amol....
Warm regards,
Gowtam Tulugu
From India, Hyderabad
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