Sit back and find out why he says: "Nasscom was like a start-up with nothing much to lose. We were as hungry as we were foolish." Lean forward and ask why he observes: “Today, an Indian engineer is respected more than an average engineer from the West. Some of us may take glory for granted. But none of it was accidental." Let's start that jet-ride with this interview.
What spurred you to write this book-was it always taking shape in your mind or was there a specific trigger or eureka moment?
I am reminded of an African proverb as I respond to this question: "Until the lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter."
In the Indian IT and NASSCOM's case, there hasn't been an historian to write about our tales. The trigger was not a singular event, per se. The seed of the book was planted over the years when people asked me how the IT industry came into existence and the role played by NASSCOM in it. People would also wonder how an institution like NASSCOM survived with so many strong personalities at the helm, especially when each of them was a fierce competitor. While answering those questions, I realized that no one has tried to piece together the NASSCOM history. Also, our industry still doesn't get the long-overdue respect for its contribution to the shaping of the country. I wanted to rectify that and talk about the role played by NASSCOM in the same. Finally, with the book I wanted to shed light on the unsung heroes and mavericks that made this magic happen!
Which is your favourite chapter in this and why?
I think it is difficult to pick one part of the book as favorite. I would rather respond to this question as, "What part of the book would you want the readers to read multiple times and share with others?"
This story is from the June 2022 edition of DataQuest.
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This story is from the June 2022 edition of DataQuest.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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