At a time when the Indian business community is facing allegations of corruption and malfeasance, the retiring founder of the tech-giant Infosys, N.R. Narayana Murthy, stands out like a shining example of probity and professionalism. As he steps out, for the last time, from his old company that

he founded exactly 30 years ago, he can look back with satisfaction at not only the institution he created but the values he fostered and entrenched. In his interviews, the understated Mr Murthy has repeatedly emphasised that he doesn’t believe in leaving behind a legacy, yet unwittingly or otherwise, his legacy is very much there, not only for his own organisation but also for an entire generation of Indians.
It may be difficult for millions of young Indians today to imagine, but when Mr Murthy and his friends set up their company in 1981 with an initial investment of just `10,000, India was a radically different place. Entrepreneurship was not the career route of choice for middle-class professionals; the educated youngster aimed to join a bank, a corporation or the government where job security was almost guaranteed. India was slowly shedding its socialistic baggage but business was still a somewhat dirty word, associated with profiteering and black money. Globalisation was unheard of and the country’s infrastructure was rooted in the stone age; yes, it took years to even get a simple telephone (landline) connection and very often the instrument did not work. Yet, even during those difficult days, some dared to dream and soar beyond the stars while never losing sight of the broader vision — honesty and commitment to values. Infosys and the many such companies that followed proved you could be a world-class player out of India without making unsavoury compromises or indulging in sharp practices.
This lesson is all the more relevant in liberalised India today. We have much more than we ever did and Indians are making it big not only at home but all over the world. Yet, something seems to have gone seriously awry. Young India today is restless because it feels its potential is being held back because of endemic corruption and the rent-seeking that is yet to disappear. The expression of disgust and frustration that we see today is something that the country’s elite — political, social and economic — must recognise and address.
Narayana Murthy is a role model for hundreds and thousands of young Indians who are brimming with ideas, aspiration and initiative and are desperate to prove themselves. All they need is the right environment where they do not have to compromise their honesty. When that happens, watch a thousand Infosys bloom.

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The name of the game
Schoolchildren know the misery of being named with the last few letters of the alphabet; you always get called out last everywhere. But states can suffer from that too. The politicians in Kolkata are convinced their state does not get its fair share of Planning Commission funds and attention in conferences because it is called West Bengal and, therefore, is way down the list. What better way to zoom towards progress than rename yourself Paschimbanga, thus pushing your way up a few places, ahead of Puducherry and Punjab to say nothing of Tamil Nadu or Uttar Pradesh. It still doesn’t have the same precedence as Bangla, the other possible moniker, but an all-party meeting was unanimous — unprecedented in the state, whatever its name — and plumped for PB. The aam janata, bhadralok or otherwise as well as the millions of intellectuals in the state remain underwhelmed.
Changing names is nothing new in India and many of the old ones, vestiges of the colonial past, have fallen to nativist populism. Bombay became Mumbai, Madras turned to Chennai and Narendra Modi is itching to rename Ahmedabad as Karnavati. There are fond dreamers who want to turn the capital into Indraprastha. But does it really help? We wouldn’t bet on it. Mamatadi may hope that investors will rush to PB to set up large factories, but, for the moment, the only people who will make money will be paint companies and letterhead printers who will be required to effect the change. All eyes are now on the Planning Commission to chip in with some cash.