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Leading change

Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

SIMPLE LIVING, HIGH THINKING N.R. Narayana Murthy

Infosys Mentor N.R. Narayana Murthy’s “A Better India: A Better World” is arriving on the scene at an interesting time. We are bang in the middle of the Lok Sabha elections, the results of which seems more unpredictable than ever before. Economic recession, on the other hand, is spreading a pall of gloom across sectors. The book, a compilation of speeches, is essentially saying “Yes, we can” with multiple riders: as long as we practice “compassionate capitalism”, believe in good governance, have responsible leadership, take the right course in public policies… and many more. Murthy, considered quite the patriarch of the Information Technology revolution in India, spoke to MetroPlus at the sprawling Infosys facility in Electronics City in Bangalore. .

Excerpts from the interview:

Given your vast experience, wouldn’t an autobiography have been more interesting and inspirational?

I have desisted from an autobiography or the story of Infosys because that should be written after we are all dead. Then, it can be more objective and balanced. My autobiography cannot be de-linked from Infosys because this is what I have done for the last 28 years.

Is the timing of the book a coincidence?

My son has been persuading me for the last three years to publish all my speeches. It’s more co-incidental than planned…

But, the book may be useful in the sense that it is important for people to realise the role of values, leadership and the elites and powerful in making this country a better place. But, let’s remember that the book releases today, so there is not much time.

What do you mean by ‘elite and powerful’?

They are the intellectuals, rich and people who derive power either because they are leaders in the corporate world or in the Government. They bring in tremendous influence in shaping policies.

There is a lot of resentment about them.

Rightly so. I don’t think we will be able to achieve inclusive growth unless these people — I happen to be one of them — relate to the reality that is India, appreciate the issues and concerns of the common man; move out of their ivory towers.

Is it a bridgeable gap?

It is, as long as our elite move out of their air-conditioned rooms and spend time in the real India among the disenfranchised. They have to straddle multiple Indias — rich and poor, urban and rural…

Are they not contrary interests that can only be achieved at the cost of the other? For example, the issue of land acquisition.

No, growth is not a zero sum game. For example, if we had a realistic urban planning policy with a Floor Space Ratio of 15 as against 1.25 in Electronics City, why would we need such large tracts of land? Whenever we recruit a new engineer, we need about 200 square feet of space.

If we have jobs for 1,000 new engineers, we need 2,00,000 square feet of space. Given that the FSR is 1.25, we need five acres of land.

If you have to create jobs for 25,000 a year like we have been, you are looking at 100 to 125 acres of land every year. If the Government had come out with an FSR of 15 in 1994, when we first came here, we would not have required that land. It has nothing to do with reality of India, but with the stupidity and short-sightedness of our public policies.

Contradictions come in because we have a huge population and people are living in small, crammed spaces.

No, no. It has nothing to do with population. We have to learn to move fast. For example, we have been speaking of a captive power plant to Bangalore for the last 26 years and held 36 conferences on that. But, we have still not taken a decision! In this country, articulation is mistaken for accomplishment. The manifesto of a party recently spoke of putting a cap on CEO salaries. Yet another promised to ban computers and English education.

I only wish they had said they will make computers available in the remotest village and make English medium schools less expensive and available to the poorest. Now, the elite and powerful have cornered important facilities for themselves because there is limited access.

You are arguing for non-interference of the Government on many fronts. But the IT industry has grown on tax holidays and other Government support.

I was the first businessman to say you should give tax benefit to only small companies. You should say your profits are exempt to a limit of Rs. 50 crore or so, but beyond that you should pay taxes. I have been arguing with successive finance ministers on this.

The IT industry is either seen as the savior or as one that is ruining everything, starting from house rents

The solution is to see that there is enough housing so that rents do not go up. The problem is not with growth, it is that we have not built infrastructure to handle growth.

You had once wanted to join politics. Any plans now?

I believe that younger people must be given responsibility. I am beyond the acceptable age.

Your name was doing the rounds on the Internet for the post of President at one time.

The President is a ceremonial position in India and I don’t know if that would make much difference. But, Dr. Abdul Kalam added value by travelling through the country and talking to youngsters. In that sense, a President can raise the aspirations of people.

You are not foreclosing the possibility of that kind of entry into politics?

I think that is completely hypothetical and we shouldn’t discuss it at this point.

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