Raising A Toast To ‘THE WALL’ of Indian IT — Sangeeta Gupta #JeenaIsiKaNaamHain
This column #JeenaIsiKaNaamHain is gathering momentum and it brings happiness to see many people appreciating the idea i.e. celebrating success and making a special mention of individuals who are playing for the long haul. It calls for a rare strength in character to remain focused on a greater purpose and not be swayed by instantaneous fame.
Interestingly, in the past few weeks, some of my women readers reached out saying, “Avinash, is it only men who play the long-haul game? Have you not come across strong women in your journey whose principles left a special mark?” The quick answers are no and yes, respectively. And, with great emphasis! It’s preposterous to think that this special quality is gender-specific. It certainly IS NOT. And, I have met many women who have demonstrated (and continue to) these very same qualities.
Today’s column is about an extraordinary woman but to understand her contribution, we must fall back on the great JRD Tata who once said,
“If I have any merit, it is getting along with individuals according to their ways and characteristics. At times it involves suppressing yourself. It is painful but necessary. To be a leader you have got to lead human beings with affection.” ~JRD Tata
NASSCOM’s Sangeeta Gupta needs no introduction. This phrase is so cliched — ABC needs no introduction — and remarkable individuals like her have made it so. I am saying this without wanting to sound hagiographic, because she was my boss once, and a mentor for life.
She has been with NASSCOM for over 32 years and almost since the time the apex body was formed way back in 1988. As a Post Graduate in Economics from the nation’s most prestigious college, DSE, it was her first job, and she continues with the same kind of passion that a fresher brings to the table.
For those of you who may not be fully aware of how NASSCOM works, here’s something interesting. The President of NASSCOM has a tenure of 5 years which means that twice in every decade there’s a massive change within. In all these years we’ve had illustrious presidents — Dewang Mehta, Kiran Karnik, Som Mittal, R Chandrasekhar, and now Debjani Ghosh.
She has served five towering personalities and crafted massive changes every time there’s been a new leader at NASSCOM. I have had the privilege of working very closely with a few and I can tell you they were all extremely diverse in thinking & approach. They had to be. Five years is a very long time for the IT industry and every time there was someone new at the helm, the expectations of NASSCOM members also changed radically. This is something we all know and against this backdrop here is that one INDIVIDUAL who has been constantly around.
Her superpowers are two — an extraordinary ability to work with a diverse set of individuals and an extreme focus while listening to the person sitting across. Obviously, it comes due to great application and a thorough understanding of the IT industry. That’s why she has been so inspiring to so many of us and several generations of founders who sought her counsel time and again. She is open to new ideas, challenges, innovative in delivery, and empowers people to execute on NASSCOM’s overall agenda.
Let me give you an instance when her superpowers had such a calming effect on me.
When she is around, she will make sure that she is not noticed, even by chance; but, when she is absent, it is an unfillable void. She is, indeed, the never-seen, hardly-heard, almost invisible backbone of NASSCOM. ~Kiran Karnik, Former President, NASSCOM
It was back in 2007 when I was with NASSCOM and on a particular day that I mention, the appraisal results had been declared. I was expecting a promotion and felt rather haughty about it. I was young after all and hadn’t yet seen life as much as I should have. When the promotion didn’t come through I felt heartbroken and neglected, and in a huff left the office to cool off. After about an hour or so, I decided to text her saying that I was disappointed with the outcome. She replied immediately, “Avi, let’s talk.” I went back to the office and had a long conversation with her. After all these years I will admit that my tone and body language weren’t exactly pleasing (Sangeeta, I hope you have forgotten about it) but with great patience, she heard me out. After which she explained in a detailed manner what I could do to improve in a few areas, which is what I did in the subsequent months under her leadership. And sure enough, I was rewarded in the next year. Let me add here, I’ve had a few disagreements too with her in all these years and she would always be open to new ideas.
Every leader has their own style of leadership and like water, Sangeeta will naturally adapt to that person and their style in making them comfortable. For any organisation to be successful, you need an anchor — Sangeeta is that Anchor for NASSCOM. I am sure with her qualification, experience, exposure and global network of contacts, she could have got very lucrative opportunities in the corporate world…but she not only remained committed to NASSCOM despite some life threatening and personal challenges, she continued to serve the industry over the years.
Sangeeta is the spirituality of NASSCOM. She is the conscience keeper of this amazing industry body. She is like the soldier who can withstand any situation to protect the honour of the Country. Sangeeta too has defended the IT industry and Brand India in that manner.
Sangeeta has been my inspiration always. ~Rajiv Vaishnav, Partner, Cornerstone Venture Partners
The number of people she has mentored is quite amazing to see. NASSCOM is one of those organizations where women are truly empowered and it’s because of Sangeeta Guptas of the world who drive it from the front. The buck always stops with her!
The IT industry is truly fortunate to have her remarkable contribution for over 32 years, and to me, she will always be THE WALL. May I also request you to go back and read once again what the great man JRD Tata once said?
Sangeeta here’s wishing you many many good years ahead and great health!
