An angry letter - worth reading

>>>An angry letter from a young lady made JRD Tata change his rule
>>>
>>>Sudha was livid when a job advertisement posted by a Tata company
>>>at the institution where she was completing her post graduation
>>>stated that "Lady candidates need not apply". She dashed off a
>>>post card to JRD Tata, protesting against the discrimination.
>>>Following this, Sudha was called for an interview and she became
>>>the first female engineer to work on the shop floor at Telco (now
>>>Tata Motors). It was the beginning of an association that would
>>>change her life in more ways than one."
>>>There are two photographs that hang on my office wall. Everyday
>>>when I entered my office I look at them before starting my day.
>>>They are pictures of two old people. One is of a gentleman in a
>>>blue suit and the other is a black and white image of a man with
>>>dreamy eyes and a white board. People have often asked me if the
>>>people in the photographs are related to me. Some have even asked
>>>me, "Is this black and white photo that of a Sufi saint or a
>>>religious Guru?"
>>>I smile and reply "No, nor are they related to me. These people
>>>made an impact on my life. I am grateful to them." "Who are they?"
>>>"The man in the blue suit is Bharat Ratna JRD Tata and the black
>>>and white photo is of Jamsetji Tata." "But why do you have them in
>>>your office?"" You can call it gratitude."Then, invariably, I have
>>>to tell the person the following story. It was a long time ago. I
>>>was young and bright, bold and
>>>idealistic. I was in the final year of my Master's course in
>>>Computer Science at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in
>>>Bangalore, then known as the Tata Institute. Life was full of fun
>>>and joy. I did not know what helplessness or injustice meant.
>>>It was probably the April of 1974. Bangalore was getting warm and
>>>gulmohars were blooming at the IISc campus. I was the only girl in
>>>my postgraduate department and was staying at the ladies' hostel.
>>>Other girls were pursuing research in different departments of
>>>Science.
>>>I was looking forward to going abroad to complete a doctorate in
>>>computer science. I had been offered scholarships from
>>>Universities in the US. I had not thought of taking up a job in
>>>India. One day, while on the way to my hostel from our
>>>lecture-hall complex, I saw an advertisement on the notice board.
>>>It was a standard job-requirement notice from the famous
>>>automobile company Telco (now Tata Motors).
>>>It stated that the company required young, bright engineers,
>>>hardworking and with an excellent academic background, etc. At the
>>>bottom was a small line: "Lady candidates need not apply."
>>>I read it and was very upset. For the first time in my life I was
>>>up against gender discrimination.
>>>Though I was not keen on taking up the job, I saw it as a
>>>challenge. I had done extremely well in academics, better than
>>>most of my male peers. Little did I know then that in real life
>>>academic excellence is not enough to be successful. After reading
>>>the notice I went fuming to my room. I decided to inform the
>>>topmost person in Telco's management about the injustice the
>>>company was perpetrating. I got a postcard and started to write,
>>>but there was a problem: I did not know who headed Telco.
>>>I thought it must be one of the Tatas. I knew JRD Tata was the
>>>head of the Tata Group; I had seen his pictures in newspapers
>>>(actually, Sumant Moolgaokar was the company's chairman then). I
>>>took the card, addressed it to JRD and started writing. To this
>>>day I remember clearly what I wrote.
>>>"The great Tatas have always been pioneers. They are the people
>>>who started the basic infrastructure industries in India, such as
>>>iron and steel, chemicals, textiles and locomotives. They have
>>>cared for higher education in India since 1900 and they were
>>>responsible for the establishment of the Indian Institute of
>>>Science. Fortunately, I study there. But I am surprised how a
>>>company such as Telco is discriminating on the basis of gender." I
>>>posted the letter and forgot about it. Less than 10 days later, I
>>>received a telegram stating that I had to appear for an interview
>>>at Telco's Pune facility at the company's expense. I was taken
>>>aback by the telegram. My hostel mate told me I should use the
>>>opportunity to go to Pune free of cost and buy them the famous
>>>Pune saris for cheap! I collected Rs 30 each from everyone who
>>>wanted a sari. When I look back, I feel like laughing at the
>>>reasons for my going, but back then they seemed good enough to
>>>make the trip.
>>>It was my first visit to Pune and I immediately fell in love with
>>>the city. To this day it remains dear to me. I feel as much at
>>>home in Pune as I do in Hubli, my hometown. The place changed my
>>>life in so many ways. As directed, I went to Telco's Pimpri office
>>>for the interview.
>>>There were six people on the panel and I realised then that this
>>>was serious business. "This is the girl who wrote to JRD," I heard
>>>somebody whisper as soon as I entered the room. By then I knew for
>>>sure that I would not get the job. The realisation abolished all
>>>fear from my mind, so I was rather cool while the interview was
>>>being conducted.
>>>Even before the interview started, I reckoned the panel was
>>>biased, so I told them, rather impolitely, "I hope this is only a
>>>technical interview."
>>>They were taken aback by my rudeness, and even today I am ashamed
>>>about my attitude. The panel asked me technical questions and I
>>>answered all of them.
>>>Then an elderly gentleman with an affectionate voice told me, "Do
>>>you know why we said lady candidates need not apply? The reason is
>>>that we have never employed any ladies on the shop floor. This is
>>>not a co-ed college; this is a factory. When it comes to
>>>academics, you are a first ranker throughout. We appreciate that,
>>>but people like you should work in research laboratories."
>>>I was a young girl from small-town Hubli. My world had been a
>>>limited place. I did not know the ways of large corporate houses
>>>and their difficulties, so I answered, "But you must start
>>>somewhere, otherwise no woman will ever be able to work in your
>>>factories."
>>>Finally, after a long interview, I was told I had been successful.
>>>So this was what the future had in store for me. Never had I
>>>thought I would take up a job in Pune. I met a shy young man from
>>>Karnataka there, we became good friends and we got married.
>>>It was only after joining Telco that I realised who JRD was: the
>>>uncrowned king of Indian industry. Now I was scared, but I did not
>>>get to meet him till I was transferred to Bombay. One day I had to
>>>show some reports to Mr Moolgaokar, our chairman, who we all knew
>>>as SM. I was in his office on the first floor of Bombay House (the
>>>Tata headquarters) when, suddenly JRD walked in. That was the
>>>first time I saw "appro JRD".
>>>Appro means "our" in Gujarati. This was the affectionate term by
>>>which people at Bombay House called him. I was feeling very
>>>nervous, remembering my postcard episode. SM introduced me nicely,
>>>"Jeh (that's what his close associates called him), this young
>>>woman is an engineer and that too a postgraduate. She is the first
>>>woman to work on the Telco shop floor." JRD looked at me. I was
>>>praying he would not ask me any questions about my interview (or
>>>the postcard that preceded it). Thankfully, he didn't. Instead, he
>>>remarked. "It is nice that girls are getting into engineering in
>>>our country. By the way, what is your name?" "When I joined Telco
>>>I was Sudha Kulkarni, Sir," I replied. "Now I am Sudha Murthy." He
>>>smiled and kindly smile and started a discussion with SM. As for
>>>me, I almost ran out of the room.
>>>After that I used to see JRD on and off. He was the Tata Group
>>>chairman and I was merely an engineer. There was nothing that we
>>>had in common. I was in awe of him.
>>>One day I was waiting for Murthy, my husband, to pick me up after
>>>office hours. To my surprise I saw JRD standing next to me. I did
>>>not know how to react. Yet again I started worrying about that
>>>postcard. Looking back, I realise JRD had forgotten about it. It
>>>must have been a small incident for him, but not so for me. "Young
>>>lady, why are you here?" he asked. "Office time is over." I said,
>>>"Sir, I'm waiting for my husband to come and pick me up." JRD
>>>said, "It is getting dark and there's no one in the corridor. I'll
>>>wait with you till your husband comes."
>>>I was quite used to waiting for Murthy, but having JRD waiting
>>>alongside made me extremely uncomfortable. I was nervous. Out of
>>>the corner of my eye I looked at him. He wore a simple white pant
>>>and shirt. He was old, yet his face was glowing. There wasn't any
>>>air of superiority about him. I was thinking, "Look at this
>>>person. He is a
>>>chairman, a well-respected man in our country and he is waiting
>>>for the sake of an ordinary employee."
>>>Then I saw Murthy and I rushed out. JRD called and said, "Young
>>>lady, tell your husband never to make his wife wait again."
>>>In 1982 I had to resign from my job at Telco. I was reluctant to
>>>go, but I really did not have a choice. I was coming down the
>>>steps of Bombay House after wrapping up my final settlement when I
>>>saw JRD coming up. He was absorbed in thought. I wanted to say
>>>goodbye to him, so I stopped. He saw me and paused. Gently, he
>>>said, "So what are you doing, Mrs Kulkarni?" (That was the way he
>>>always addressed me.) "Sir, I am leaving Telco." "Where are you
>>>going?" he asked. "Pune, Sir. My husband is starting a company
>>>called Infosys and I'm shifting to Pune."
>>>"Oh! And what will you do when you are successful." "Sir, I don't
>>>know whether we will be successful." "Never start with
>>>diffidence," he advised me. "Always start with confidence. When
>>>you are successful you must give back to society. Society gives us
>>>so much; we must reciprocate. I wish you all the best." Then JRD
>>>continued walking up the stairs. I stood there for what seemed
>>>like a millennium. That was the last time I saw him alive. Many
>>>years later I met Ratan Tata in the same Bombay House, occupying
>>>the chair JRD once did.
>>>I told him of my many sweet memories of working with Telco. Later,
>>>he wrote to me, "It was nice hearing about Jeh from you. The sad
>>>part is that he's not alive to see you today."
>>>I consider JRD a great man because, despite being an extremely
>>>busy person, he valued one postcard written by a young girl
>>>seeking justice. He must have received thousands of letters
>>>everyday. He could have thrown mine away, but he didn't do that.
>>>He respected the intentions of that unknown girl, who had neither
>>>influence nor money, and gave her an opportunity in his company.
>>>He did not merely give her a job; he changed her life and mindset
>>>forever. Close to 50 per cent of the students in
>>>today's engineering colleges are girls. And there are women on the
>>>shop floor in many industry segments. I see these changes and I
>>>think of JRD. If at all time stops and asks me what I want from
>>>life, I would say I wish JRD were alive today to see how the
>>>company we started has grown. He would have enjoyed it
>>>wholeheartedly. My love and respect for the House of Tata remains
>>>undiminished by the passage of time. I always looked up to JRD. I
>>>saw him as a role model for his simplicity, his generosity, his
>>>kindness and the care he took of his employees.
>>>Those blue eyes always reminded me of the sky; they had the same
>>>vastness and magnificence.
>>>
>>>(Sudha Murthy is a widely published writer and chairperson of the
>>>Infosys Foundation involved in a number of social development
>>>initiatives. Infosys chairman Narayan Murthy is her husband.)
>>>
>>>Article sourced from: Lasting Legacies (Tata Review- Special
>>>Commemorative Issue 2004), brought out by the house of Tatas to
>>>commemorate the 100th birth anniversary of JRD Tata on July 29,
>>>2004