Source: The Economic Times.
NR Narayana Murthy Chief Mentor, Infosys
Quite early on in my career, I took the resolution to
embrace fairness with everybody in every transaction. This meant I had
to be open-minded yet rely on data, in judging every transaction, purely
on its merit. And today, I can say that this
principle has helped us, the founders of Infosys, to work harmoniously
through thick and thin for over 25 years. In my opinion, this has been
the most powerful and effective resolution in my life. Incidentally, the
seeds of this principle were sown in me by Prof. J G Krishnayya, one of
my professors at IIM, Ahmedabad. It amazed me that on a particular day,
this man would be aggressive in winning his point of view on an issue,
while on the very next day, he would be open to others’ ideas on another
issue, with respect and without any sense of superiority.
Deepak S Parekh Chairman, HDFC Ltd
It
was a decision that was neither impulsive nor irrational; it was a
voice that guided me through my journey home. This was the time when I
had been away from India for 11 years, while pursuing a CA degree and
subsequently being employed with Chase Manhattan Bank, that took me to
New York, Hong Kong and Singapore. And then, I chose to wind my way home
and a year after I returned, I joined HDFC, an organisation that was
yet to cut its teeth and toddle through infancy. I am sure that this was
serendipity; the time was right and destiny made its plan for me.
Sulajja Firodia Motwani MD, Kinetic Motor Co Ltd
I
remember I was about 18 then. One day, I was cribbing about something. I
don’t remember what it was though. But I do remember what my
grandfather, the late H K Firodia told me. He said that I just needed to
look around me to realise how fortunate I was. ‘Be positive in life and
you will be the happiest person,’ he advised. The year was coming to an
end, and I took a new year vow to always approach everything with a
positive attitude. It was not that I was negative earlier. But at that
very impressionable age, I learnt the importance of being positive. Ever
since, I have always tried to be optimistic in tough situations and I
have seen how that has kept other people in a buoyant mood as well.
Gulu Mirchandani CMD, Mirc Electronics Ltd
The
most important resolution of my life happened towards the end of 1991.
That was when I vowed to make Indians proud of the ‘Made in India’
label. There’s an interesting story behind this. At that time, the
country was facing a financial crisis and speculations were rife about
what course of action would be taken. I was on a flight when I spotted
Dr Manmohan Singh (the then finance minister). He called me over for a
chat and mentioned that an announcement would be made the following day
about permission being given to Sony Corporation to enter India. He said
the government didn’t have a choice due to the steep foreign exchange
deficit. At that point, Onida was approximately a Rs 150 crore company,
while Sony was a global multi-national giant with billions of dollars in
revenue and a very strong brand recall. Initially, I didn’t know how to
react. Many of my industrialist friends thought the best option would
be to sell out completely or risk getting wiped out by these giants.
However, after much introspection, I decided to fight back. What also
encouraged me was my father’s belief that ‘where there’s a will, there’s
always a way’. Today, 15 years later, we continue to battle and beat
the MNCs in the Indian market.
Habil Khorakiwala Chairman, Wockhardt Group
The
first resolution was the one I took in 1993 for Wockhardt. This was
immediately after we went public in December 1992. The resolution was to
transform Wockhardt from a domestic company to a global organisation,
and to invest significantly in research. Today, 65 per cent of our
business comes from outside India, and we have invested roughly 9 per
cent of our sales in research. The other memorable resolution was of a
personal nature. On January 3, 1994, on our 25th marriage anniversary,
my wife Nafisa and I decided to celebrate our anniversary in a unique
way, by going on Haj. Till then, although I believed in religion, I
wasn’t ritualistic. However, I must admit that this journey, which gave
me a true glimpse of what Islam is, will remain one of the most
memorable experiences of my life.
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