Describing Infosys founder Narayana Murthy in the 1980s, Nandan Nilekani said, "He was charismatic, he was ambitious. He set great goals. I would have done anything if he had asked me to jump off the cliff,

Nandan Nilekani reflects on his pivotal first encounter with Infosys founder Narayana Murthy, revealing how a rebellious choice in education and an unconventional job interview shaped his remarkable journey in India’s IT revolution.

When Nandan Nilekani first met Narayana Murthy, he was willing to do anything for him, Infosys co-founder recalled. If he had asked me to jump off a cliff, I would have done it, Nandan Nilekani recalled in a recent interview.

He was ambitious. He set great goals. I would have done anything. If he asked me to jump off the cliff, I would have jumped off the cliff. It was a great experience working with him,” Nilekani said

In 1978, a chance meeting between Nandan Nilekani and Narayana Murthy at Patni Computer Systems in Pune laid the foundation for Infosys. Nilekani, a fresh IIT Bombay graduate, was captivated by Murthy's charisma and vision.

Nilekani, fresh out of IIT Bombay with a degree in electrical engineering, stumbled upon Patni while searching for direction after missing his graduate school entrance exam due to illness.

Nilekani described himself as an "accidental entrepreneur" and recalled the job interview he gave to Narayana Murthy in 1978 as a fresh graduate.

Mr Nilekani added that he never initially aimed to build a global IT powerhouse or spearhead groundbreaking public tech initiatives.

When Nandan Nilekani first met Narayana Murthy, he was willing to do anything for him, Infosys co-founder recalled. If he had asked me to jump off a cliff, I would have done it, Nandan Nilekani recalled in a recent interview.