Better India: A Better World

387 Pages·1.712 MB·English

‘NARAYANA MURTHY IS A ROLE MODEL FOR MILLIONS OF INDIANS … THIS
COLLECTION OF HIS SPEECHES WILL INFORM, INSPIRE AND GUIDE MANY IN THE
YEARS TO COME.’
—MANMOHAN SINGH, PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA
‘NARAYAN MURTHY … DELIVERS A TIMELY MESSAGE ABOUT THE IMPROTANCE
OF VALUES AND LEADERSHIP IN BUSINESS.’
—BILL GATES, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD, MICROSOFT
CORPORATION
With one of the highest GDP growth rates in the world and
an array of recent achievements in technology, industry and
entrepreneurship, India strides confidently towards the
future. But, in the world’s largest democracy, not everyone
is equally fortunate. More than 300 million Indians are still
prey to hunger, illiteracy and disease, and 51 per cent of
India’s children are still undernourished.
What will it take for India to bridge this great divide? When
will the fruits of development reach the poorest of the poor,
and wipe the tears from the eyes of every man, woman and
child, as Mahatma Gandhi had dreamt? And how should this,
our greatest challenge ever, be negotiated?
In this honest, bold and remarkably well-argued book, N.R.
Narayana Murthy shows us that a society working for the
greatest welfare of the greatest number—samasta jananam
sukhino bhavantu—must focus on two simple things: values
and good leadership. Drawing on the remarkable Infosys
story and the lessons learnt from the two decades of post-
reform India, Narayana Murthy lays down the ground rules
that must be followed if future generations are to inherit a
truly progressive nation.
Built on Narayana Murthy’s lectures delivered around the
world, A Better India: A Better World is a manifesto for the
youth, the architects of the future, and a compelling
argument for why a better India holds the key to a better
world.
Cover photograph by Dheeraj Sapru/lndiapicture
PENGUIN BOOKS
A BETTER INDIA: A BETTER WORLD
N.R. Narayana Murthy is the Founder-Chairman of Infosys
Technologies Limited, a global software consulting company
headquartered in Bangalore, India. He serves on the boards
of Unilever, HSBC, NDTV, Ford Foundation and the UN
Foundation. He also serves on the boards of Cornell
University, Wharton School, Singapore Management
University, Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, Indian
Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore and INSEAD.
The Economist ranked Narayana Murthy among the ten
most-admired global business leaders in 2005. He topped
the Economic Times list of India’s most powerful CEOs for
three consecutive years: 2004 to 2006. He has been
awarded the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India,
the Légion d’honneur by the Government of France, and the
CBE by the British government. He is the first Indian winner
of Ernst and Young’s World Entrepreneur of the Year award
and the Max Schmidheiny Liberty prize, and has appeared in
the rankings of businessmen and innovators published by
India Today, Business Standard, Forbes, Business Week,
Time, CNN, Fortune and Financial Times.
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
‘Narayana Murthy is a role model for millions of
Indians. An iconic figure in the country, he is widely
respected and looked up to not only for his business
leadership but also for his ethics and personal
conduct. He represents the face of the new,
resurgent India to the world. I am sure this collection
of his speeches will inform, inspire and guide many
in the years to come’
—Manmohan Singh,
Prime Minister of India
‘Narayana Murthy overcame many obstacles and
demonstrated that it is possible to create a world-
class, values-driven company in India. Through his
vision and leadership Murthy sparked a wave of
innovation and entrepreneurship that changed the
way we view ourselves and how the world views
India. In this collection of his speeches, he delivers a
timely message about the importance of values and
leadership in business’
—Bill Gates,
Chairman of the Board, Microsoft Corporation
A BETTER INDIA
A BETTER WORLD
N R Narayana Murthy
PENGUIN BOOKS
UK | Canada | Ireland | Australia
New Zealand | India | South Africa
Penguin Books is part of the Penguin Random House group
of companies whose addresses can be found at
global.penguinrandomhouse.com.
This collection published 2009
Copyright © N.R. Narayana Murthy 2009
The moral right of the author has been asserted
ISBN: 978-0-143-06857-0
This digital edition published in 2016.
e-ISBN: 978-8-184-75018-8
This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by
way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or
otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in
any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is
published and without a similar condition including this
condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
To
Akshata,
Rohan,
young Infoscions,
and the youth in India and the world,
with confidence that you will create a better India
and a better world
Contents
Copyright
Acknowledgements
Introduction
PART I: ADDRESS TO STUDENTS
Learning from Experience
The Indian of the Twenty-first Century
Succeeding in the Contemporary World
Succeeding in a Globalized Corporation
The Need for Excellence
The Legal Professional in the Era of Globalization
A Case for a More Open Trade Regime in India
The Role of Religion in Education
PART II: VALUES
What Can We Learn from the West?
The Role of Discipline in Accelerating National
Development
How Can We Stop Corruption in India?
In Praise of Secularism
Time for Chak De, India!
My Empowered India
PART III: IMPORTANT NATIONAL ISSUES
Lessons from the Economic Reforms of 1991
Population and Economic Development in India
A Framework for Urban Planning in Modern India
The Eight Visions that Changed the Face of India
Software Enterprises: The Temples of New India
PART IV: EDUCATION
What Would I Do if I Were the Principal of a Secondary
School?
A Framework for Reforms in Higher Education in India
The Unfinished Agenda
PART V: LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES
On Leadership: Lessons from the Infosys Journey
A Leadership Mindset for a Resurgent India
PART VI: CORPORATE AND PUBLIC GOVERNANCE
Good Corporate Governance: A Checklist or a Mindset?
Corporate Governance and its Relevance to India
Corporate Governance: A Practitioner’s Viewpoint
A New Model for Effective Public Governance
PART VII: CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND
PHILANTHROPY
Compassionate Capitalism