Please write an interview with Narayana Murthy with answers I beg everyone please
Answers
A: While I am a voter for social justice, the answer to that is not just legislation. It's very easy to legislate, but that model hasn't worked. There is no arguing that a large number of children and communities need encouragement as they have been neglected for years. But the flaw is in the way we are doing it. If we want the disadvantaged to progress, we need to have the best teachers, best schools, best midday meal, best textbooks for them in rural areas. We are not doing that. Governments must focus on creating an environment for the disadvantaged to progress, rather than throw them into the current system and boast of social justice.
There cannot be progress if we neglect merit. When choosing teachers, professors and vice-chancellors, we should put merit ahead of everything else. This is what many countries have done. We should be open to learning from those examples. That's the surest way to progress.
Q: Engineering, a profession that was once the most sought after, is no more the only option for today's kids. Why is the profession losing its sheen?
A: Clearly, the industry needs to be blamed for this. Salaries haven't changed for seven or eight years now for fresh graduates and cost of living is going up. Why would youngsters want to choose a job that is taxing but not rewarding? The biggest challenge for corporates today is to keep freshers and youngsters content in their jobs. We should not repeat what we did with the pure science sector. We really need to work hard.
Q; India's higher educational institutions do not figure even in the top 200 in world rankings. Why?
I have been saying that there is nothing wrong with our IITs and IIMs. But only 20% of our students graduate from here and make it big. What about the remaining 80%? The fundamental issue is that our universities and the education system do not focus on resolving issues concerning citizens' lives. How many of our civil engineering colleges/students will be able to fix our road infrastructure? Whether it is the smog in Delhi, potholes in Bengaluru's or inventing cure for dengue/chikungunya, we have no answers from our universities. That's where we lose out to universities globally.
Q: Modi's Make In India seems to have some answers to rejigging the rural economy and creating jobs....
A: It's a great initiative. But his thoughts must be matched with the bureaucracy and state governments at the ground level. Today, a small entrepreneur has to run around to get his electricity and water connections. If we make things difficult for them, it won't work. Small industries will lose interest. We must shift tax exemptions from big corporates to small industries . Unless the environment is conducive, nothing can grow.
Q: Today, in many sectors, the friction seems to be between private vs government. The recent revolt by private hospital doctors is a case in point.
A: There is no doubt that at the core of these frictions — whether in education or healthcare — lies transparency. Being transparent is the key. Having said that, it's not right for anyone to expect private hospitals to charge less when they spend so much on their enterprises. You cannot expect a hospital, which spends lakhs to bring a medical equipment from another country, to charge Rs 100 from a patient. Where is the logic?
Q. You are one of those students who actually couldn’t afford IIT. What is your advice to students who can’t afford quality education?
A. I think today in India, the quality of education at second tier colleges in engineering, medicine, science etc., has improved enormously.
Q. Do you think your future would have been something else had you gone to IIT at the very first go?
A. I personally don’t think your future depends on which college you go to. For example, Donald Knuth, one of the most famous computer scientists, went to Case Institute of Technology for his first degree, which is a not a No. 1 university.
Q. Is there any difference in the value system and expectations between that of your generation and today’s?
A. I believe that each generation is better than the previous one. Therefore, I believe that the modern day boys and girls are much better than my generation of boys and girls.
Q. Infosys some time back came up with a project to train underprivileged kids for software development etc. How is the project going?
A. We had a project to help scheduled caste and scheduled tribe youngsters become market worthy for obtaining jobs as software engineers.
Q. Lots of students from India go for foreign education and also settle down abroad at times. Was it good for India and is it good for India now?
A. Well, my view is that in a nation of 1.2 billion people, we need a small percentage of smart Indians to go outside to succeed there and conduct themselves as good citizens of that society.
Q. Do you ever think that engineers are actually betraying the profession by just getting into coding?
A. No, today for example in the US whether you are an engineering, physics or economics student, most of them end up in Wall Street.
Q. Will we see you being a teacher in the future?
A. Even today, I do give several lectures every year. I have, you know, spent some time at Stanford Graduate School of Business and given some lectures.
Q. Have your professional achievements given you more satisfaction vis-Ã -vis non-professional projects?
A. No, I think anything that can bring smile on to the face of people is what makes me happy. For example, I’ve gone and participated in Akshyapatra activities in different cities and when you see youngsters, school children, they eat well and are smiling, they are happy and I think, there it is.
Q. Did you not tell your father-in-law you wanted to be politician..
A. No, those were different days. I was a strong leftist then. I wanted to be a politician and all of that, but I think, you know, I have realised that I have other interests and therefore that’s not my priority at this stage.
Q. Is Infosys, the biggest legacy that you are leaving behind…?
A. No, I think as long as people say he was a fair person, that’s sufficient. I want to be known as a fair person. Nothing more matters.
Q. You wanted to do a PhD some time back. Is the dream still on?
A. No, I think I’m too old. But my son is doing it, so I am happy.
Q. Who were your biggest influences during your student days?
A. Well, I had excellent teachers. I had a wonderful teacher in high school - Mr. KV Narayan - he was the headmaster of the Shardavilla High School in Mysore.
Q. Your advice to students at that time?
A. We are in an extraordinary time in the history of India. For the first time in 300 years India has received recognition from the developed nations, for the first time India has something to contribute to the global bazaar. Our economy is growing well, India has become No. 1 in cricket, We have done a decent job in the Commonwealth Games, our exports are growing, and our foreign exchanges are pretty comfortable, it is now that our youngsters must work hard, must have high aspirations, must have high commitment and consolidate this progress, so that the benefits of all the wonderful things can be enjoyed by every Indian. Therefore our youngsters today have a tremendous responsibility to make this progress permanent.