Bengali’s dream rise from clerk to COO
(October 21, 2005 -- Ananda Bazar Patrika)Abhijeet Ghosal
It is a story about a victorious Bangalore and a vanquished Calcutta—which began way back in 1957 with the birth of Subrata Bagchi. Or maybe in 1988 when the most-discussed Bengali in the IT industry packed his bags and left this city. But we should start at 1975.A helpless young man of 18 joined, as a lower division clerk, the Secretariat of Bhubaneshwar. It placed him hierarchically just a step up the post of the office-peon with a monthly salary of Rs 305 and 25 paise. The son of an Oriya royal-family physician couldn’t manage to afford any further education.
In 1985, incidentally, the young man joined hands with two of his cronies and started a business in the city of Calcutta. It was a consultancy that focused on the usage of the PC in companies like Exide, Tisco and McCann. But they soon came to realize the hassles involved with the development of their business in Calcutta and decided to pull down the shutters.
The year 1999 saw him initiate his second business venture, along with nine acquaintances, in Bangalore. The company revenue should exceed Rs 400 crore in the current year. The company has reached the mile-post with rapidity hitherto unparalleled by any other similar native company.
And the company is called “MindTree”.
The industrialist is called Subrata Bagchi, a thoroughbred Bengali. His official designation happens to be that of the Chief Operating Officer (COO).
His life highlights the fact that the story of Calcutta’s submission to Bangalore’s supremacy began rather a long time back. The company which was set up after Mr. Bagchi and his friends resigned from Lucent Technologies has become, over the years, a principal name in the IT world. As a matter of fact, the growth rate might well remind one of Infosys—as it grew in the nineties.
The company has its head offices in two metropolises — Bangalore, and Somerset in New Jersey. It has its offices scattered in and around the Silicon Valley, England, Singapore, Japan and the West Asian countries, and boasts of a work force comprising three thousand professionals. The management plans to take hold of the share market in the coming year.
MindTree specializes in various departments of IT consultancy, and backs up their suggestions with relevant software. For instance, the Japanese company NEC recently released a new phone in the European market, the Bluetooth software for which, according to Mr. Bagchi, was devised by his company. Companies of the likes of Epson, NEC and Sony have become included among MindTree’s regular clientele.
The cultural spectrum that the founders offer is indeed wide and varied. Indians, Pak-Americans and US citizens themselves, all former employees of Cambridge Technology Partners and Lucent Technologies, have been instrumental in the company’s realization. The chairman, Ashok Soota used to be the vice chairman and the president of Wipro.
When asked whether he entertained any thoughts on progressing towards Calcutta, Mr. Bagchi took recourse to stories rather than a direct response. A few months back, the chief of the Nan zing Communist Party had invited the chiefs of MindTree. The latter were rather taken aback by this unexpected call. They had never planned to invest in China.
The astonishment reached its peak when they were told they were to be provided with whichever location they chose and to top it all, would be relieved of the charges for the first couple of years. Half of the usual charges would suffice for the next two years. No taxes for half a decade, and there was also a possibility of the Government providing the local trainees with their stipends.
“You are free to arrange for bandhs whenever you please. The investor hardly ever cares. He has the world at his disposal,” Mr. Bagchi smiled and added.
He has indeed led an unconventional life. His father had a job at the Dhenkanal Royal Palace. The family with five scions never saw much of affluence.
When eight, Mr. Bagchi could finally initiate his schooling—the reason being the lack of a school in Dhenkanal. Away from his true home, his mother was his only channel to the culture of Bengal which was buttressed by occasional brushes with Vidyasagar’s “Barnaporichoy” that arrived from Calcutta.
The house lacked electricity, and even a simple water tap. His mother had to collect the water from public taps on the streets. Subrata Bagchi, a meritorious student, studied Political Science, and planned for a post graduation from the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. But as were all the students of Political Science, he was not provided with a scholarship from the banks. Financial difficulties drove him to take up the job at the Secretariat of Bhubaneshwar. He worked with various companies ranging from DCM to Wipro in the years that followed.
Mr. Bagchi is not quite alone to recount such a story. Many of the MindTree founders have such tales to tell. A co-founder, Parthasarathy is the son of a railway ticket checker. Then there is Janakiraman, whose father as a post master spent many a lonely years in lonely places to protect his offspring from the detrimental effects of a transferable job. He chose his office as his nocturnal dwelling to cut down the costs.
Your aims?
“You see, I heard my mother sing ‘Bharat aabar jagatsabhaye sreshtho asan lobey’ on moonlit nights in a shady village that offered no electric connection. I do have the faith that I’ll witness such a day, as has been described in the song, in my lifetime. If we can contribute even the tiniest bit in the nation’s overall development, I would consider it a substantial achievement for a short and single life.”
Mr. Bagchi got up to catch a flight to Bangalore.
