Amol Karmalkar
2

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
sandhyaiyer
3

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
shahanal12
9

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
jhumki
it was amazing....thax 4 such an article.it really inspired me and my respect 4 mr.JRD TATA..grew

Shan6965
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
tarunaindia
4

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
manoj.bharti
1

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
Debashish
3

Thank you Amol! It was nice reading about the great people and their humbleness...one common thing about the great successful people is their attitude...they are so big but so simple!
Have a Good Day!
DC, Kuwait


Amol Karmalkar
2

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
GOWTAMTULUGU
1

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
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