A Cell In A Mind Shop

Dear Chetan Bhagat,

It's just been less than 4 days since NRN made his remark about the quality of the students passing out from IIT. This open letter to you is in view of your retaliation with a remark slamming Infosys as a body shopping company.

The debate has since then been raging wildly. Today's open survey on the Times Of India has some 70% of respondents supporting your view.

Since India is a democratic country, everyone has a opinion to express their view. You have expressed your views, and the Janata (as you call the general public at IIT) have expressed their opinion. Let me also take an opportunity to express my thoughts. And let me promise you, I will speak from my heart.

First things first. At the start of the letter, I planned to address you as Chetan. It was just then when a thought crossed my mind - what if my readers ask "Chetan Who??". Well, it's better to be clear and precise. That's why this letter is addressed to Chetan Bhagat.

Coming onto Infosys. What is Infosys - a company whom you have referred to as a body shop?

Infosys is a company which provides employment to 133000+ employees, generating revenues of 6+ Billion USD a year, and a market cap of 33+ Billion USD. 

Do you understand what happens out of this mass credible employment? Well, students in college work hard to get placed in Infosys. It improves the lives of people who work at Infy,  and the lives of their near and dear ones. 

Do you understand these Dollars? Do they awe you? Well, it awes the market. For long, Infosys has been considered as a darling of the Indian stock market. It's a reputation which Infosys has hard earned for itself.

I have read your book - The Five Point Someone. Disappointingly, I don't remember the name of the protagonist. But ask someone out there on the street - a father who saved and invested his money in Infosys - only to see its returns fund his child's education. He will never forget Infosys.

What does Infosys do? Let me take a few examples from the Infosys website.

Have you flown the Boeing 787? I bet No. It's still not available on the market. But if you do sometime in the near future, have a thought for Infosys.  They have played a role in it's making. Wanna read more?? Catch it up, right here.

Have you heard of Electronic Health Records? Well, it's a dream in India. But yes, Infosys has succeeded in sharing a blue print of that dream for a county in the United Kingdom. And it's mass scale implementation would improve the life of millions of people seeking help from public health care providers. If you are interested, you can read here.  

Have you heard of Finacle? It's a banking product from Infosys implemented across 73 countries across the world. It helps in managing 390 Million accounts and 289 Million customers. If you are crunching numbers, let me tell you that it's 4.2% of the worlds population. Awed?? I hope you are!!

Body Shop huh? You must be crazy!!

Examples, like these, are numerous. Let me tell you what Infosys does in one single line - It solves business questions. 

And it makes people happy. As an example, a client shared this compliment with my friend who works at Infosys - "We like your solution. It has made our day." I'm taking the liberty to share his personal moment with you. 

If you think that the work executed at Infosys is not exciting, I would urge you to think again.

What does Tata Motors do? They manufacture trucks. Not an exciting work, huh? Let me remind you that these are the very trucks which brings home the food that you and me eat.

What does ONGC and Reliance do? They drill for oil, and help produce energy. Not an interesting job profile is it? Hope you remember that this is the energy which helped you turn on your laptop/iPhone/computer and make that remark.

I trust you remember the saying which they taught us in school - "No Work Is Small."

And if you would have learned the structure of a human body back in school (much before you studied at IIT), you will recall that the most important parts of the human body are the heart and the brain (the mind). 

The mind is an integral part of the body. And if you think Infosys is a body shop company, you can also note that it is a "Mind Shop".

It's a place where you can engage the services of best minds. These best minds would be eager to help you with your business. And in case you are interested in ideas for selling your next book, you are most welcome to 44, Electronics City, Bangalore.

Best Regards,
Vyankatesh 

P.S. And did I tell you that the guy who received a compliment today is my friend and colleague? Like your views, all opinions mentioned above are my personal opinions. You may agree or disagree.  But a fact is a fact - The mind is the one of the most important part of the body.