THE RIFT- A CHALLENGE????

There is no dissent between SD Shibulal & me: TV Mohandas Pai

Devina Sengupta, ET Bureau, Apr 16, 2011, 03.29am IST

Mostly seen in shirts with Infosys monogrammed on them, TV Mohandas Pai , one of the faces of the IT bellwether, cannot wear his company's name on his sleeves after June 12 anymore. Yesterday, after the announcement that he would be leaving the company he has spent 17 years in, Pai wondered aloud what he would do with all those shirts.

It's said you have a rivalry with Shibulal...

I do not know where this speculation started from. There is absolutely no dissent between Shibu and me. I have never hankered for the post of either the CEO or the COO, and therefore there has been no discord on this matter. I had been toying with the idea (of leaving) for some time. Since last year, I have tried to persuade (NR Narayana) Murthy quite a few times to let me go. After 17 years, no one wants to do the same thing. Therefore, the time was right for me to move on.

Didn't Murthy's persuasion make you rethink?

Yes, Murthy did not want to let go of me, and asked me if I wanted the posts (CEO/COO). He wanted me to follow the usual track of working with the company till I was 60. I refused. Although it is not easy to persuade Murthy, the winning argument was that "it's time to let me step down so that those younger can also have their time under the sun". And with Raghavendra K (now in Infosys BPO) and Nandan (Nilekani) moving, he is more prepared now, though the blow was not softer.

What about those who are at the helm and will likely be there till they are 60? How did they react to your reasoning?

I cannot take a decision for others, but it is my opinion that others should be allowed their time as well. If we remain, then we are always there to be consulted; decisions will not be taken independently. But I am not the example for others.

The younger lot at Infosys has not always agreed with the way the old guard worked. Is now, then, the time for change in the company?

Infosys has always allowed discussion and debate, where everyone can express without fear but without being disrespectful. They are allowed to make changes as long as it does not interfere with the company's value system.

The Economic Times coverage uncovers........thanks to ET-team