Nice artice on JRD

A GEM OF AN ARTICLE... DO READ IT!!!

Have Passion!

It was probably the April of 1974. Bangalore was getting warm and gulmoharswere blooming at the IISc campus. I was the only girl in my postgraduatedepartment and was staying at the ladies' hostel. Other girls were pursuingresearch in different departments of Science.I was looking forward to going abroad to complete a doctorate in computerscience. I had been offered scholarships from Universities in the US. I hadnot thought of taking up a job in India.One day, while on the way to my hostel from our lecture-hall complex, I sawan advertisement on the notice board. It was a standard job-requirementnotice from the famous automobile company Telco (now Tata Motors). It statedthat the company required young, bright engineers, hardworking and with anexcellent 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 againstgender discrimination.Though I was not keen on taking up the job, I saw it as a challenge. I haddone extremely well in academics, better than most of my male peers. Littledid I know then that in real life academic excellence is not enough to besuccessful.After reading the notice I went fuming to my room. I decided to inform thetopmost person in Telco's management about the injustice the company wasperpetrating. I got a postcard and started to write, but there was aproblem: I did not know who headed Telco.I thought it must be one of the Tatas. I knew JRD Tata was the head of theTata Group; I had seen his pictures in newspapers (actually, SumantMoolgaokar was the company's chairman then). I took the card, addressed itto 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 startedthe basic infrastructure industries in India, such as iron and steel,chemicals, textiles and locomotives. They have cared for higher education inIndia since 1900 and they were responsible for the establishment of theIndian Institute of Science. Fortunately, I study there. But I am surprisedhow 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 receiveda telegram stating that I had to appear for an interview at Telco's Punefacility at the company's expense. I was taken aback by the telegram. Myhostel mate told me I should use the opportunity to go to Pune free of costand 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 inHubli, 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 seriousbusiness."This is the girl who wrote to JRD," I heard somebody whisper as soon as Ientered the room. By then I knew for sure that I would not get the job. Therealisation abolished all fear from my mind, so I was rather cool while theinterview was being conducted.Even before the interview started, I reckoned the panel was biased, so Itold 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 myattitude. The panel asked me technical questions and I answered all of them.Then an elderly gentleman with an affectionate voice told me, "Do you knowwhy we said lady candidates need not apply? The reason is that we have neveremployed any ladies on the shop floor. This is not a co-ed college; this isa factory. When it comes to academics, you are a first ranker throughout. Weappreciate 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, soI answered, "But you must start somewhere, otherwise no woman will ever beable to work in your factories."Finally, after a long interview, I was told I had been successful. So thiswas what the future had in store for me. Never had I thought I would take upa job in Pune. I met a shy young man from Karnataka there, we became goodfriends and we got married..It was only after joining Telco that I realized who JRD was: the uncrownedking of Indian industry. Now I was scared, but I did not get to meet himtill 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" inGujarati.This was the affectionate term by which people at Bombay Housecalled him.I was feeling very nervous, remembering my postcard episode. SM introducedme nicely, "Jeh (that's what his close associates called him), this youngwoman is an engineer and that too a postgraduate.She is the first woman to work on the Telco shop floor." JRD looked at me. Iwas praying he would not ask me any questions about my interview (or thepostcard that preceded it).Thankfully, he didn't. Instead, he remarked. "It is nice that girls aregetting 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 SudhaMurthy." He smiled and kindly smile and started a discussion with SM. As forme, I almost ran out of the room.After that I used to see JRD on and off. He was the Tata Group chairman andI was merely an engineer.. There was nothing that we had in common. I was inawe of him.One day I was waiting for Murthy, my husband, to pick me up after officehours. To my surprise I saw JRD standing next to me. I did not know how toreact. Yet again I started worrying about that postcard. Looking back, Irealise JRD had forgotten about it. It must have been a small incident forhim, 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 isgetting 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 alongsidemade me extremely uncomfortable.I was nervous. Out of the corner of my eye I looked at him. He wore a simplewhite pant and shirt. He was old, yet his face was glowing. There wasn't anyair of superiority about him. I was thinking, "Look at this person. He is achairman, a well-respected man in our country and he is waiting for the sakeof an ordinary employee."Then I saw Murthy and I rushed out. JRD called and said, "Young lady, tellyour husband never to make his wife wait again." In 1982 I had to resignfrom my job at Telco. I was reluctant to go, but I really did not have achoice. I was coming down the steps of Bombay House after wrapping up myfinal settlement when I saw JRD coming up. He was absorbed in thought. Iwanted 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 healways addressed me.) "Sir, I am leaving Telco.""Where are you going?" he asked. "Pune, Sir. My husband is starting acompany 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 withdiffidence," he advised me. "Always start with confidence. When you aresuccessful you must give back to society. Society gives us so much; we mustreciprocate. I wish you all the best."Then JRD continued walking up the stairs. I stood there for what seemed likea millennium. That was the last time I saw him alive. Many years later I metRatan Tata in the same Bombay House, occupying the chair JRD once did. Itold him of my many sweet memories of working with Telco. Later, he wrote tome, "It was nice hearing about Jeh from you. The sad part is that he's notalive 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 havereceived thousands of letters everyday. He could have thrown mine away, buthe didn't do that. He respected the intentions of that unknown girl, who hadneither influence nor money, and gave her an opportunity in his company. Hedid 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 aregirls. And there are women on the shop floor in many industry segments. Isee these changes and I think of JRD. If at all time stops and asks me whatI want from life, I would say I wish JRD were alive today to see how thecompany we started has grown. He would have enjoyed it wholeheartedly.My love and respect for the House of Tata remains undiminished by thepassage of time. I always looked up to JRD. I saw him as a role model forhis simplicity, his generosity, his kindness and the care he took of hisemployees. Those blue eyes always reminded me of the sky; they had the samevastness and magnificence.(Sudha Murthy is a widely published writer and chairperson of the InfosysFoundation involved in a number of social development initiatives. Infosyschairman Narayana Murthy is her husband.)

Article sourced from: Lasting Legacies (Tata Review- Special CommemorativeIssue 2004), brought out by the house of Tatas to commemorate the 100thbirth anniversary of JRD Tata on July 29, 2004