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Dewang Mehta
I
t was my privilege to have had an extraordinary relationship with Dewang.
NASSCOM brought us together, gave us the foundation for a growing
friendship that ended too soon. Like all friends, we had our fair share of
liking, respect and disagreement.
I am one of the few who have seen Dewang rise from relative obscurity to a stature
others twice his age with many more resources would find difficult to achieve.
I was close enough to see both his tremendous abilities, and his human frailties
and faults. However, one thing I know for certain: that there is a need to
understand how and why he gained the success he did. I am sharing my
observations; if this inspires young Indians to follow in his footsteps, I will feel
I have done justice to his memory.
He is a shining example of beating the system with attitude. He refused to allow
the system to cow him down or make him cynical. Instead, he explored every possible
democratic process to his way around bottlenecks.
Dewang, NASSCOM and the Indian Software Industry shared a relationship rather
like the one between an accomplished actor and a challenging script. They grew in a
symbiotic cycle complementing each other’s accomplishments.
Dewang began promoting the concept of India as a software superpower, particularly
after software exports crossed the $ 1 billion mark. He generated a national
aspiration to multiply that figure many times over. He creatively positioned the
industry by stating that software and software services exports were to India what oil was
to the Middle East.
He tirelessly championed the allied concept of smart out-sourcing, which created
a whole new industry segment. It blends on-site effort with offshore
development to create a unique value proposition superior to any alternative
system. The benefits accrue to both contracting parties and suppliers. It was not
Dewang’s idea, but he marketed it in a way only he could. It is an outstanding
example of how he generated win-win situations, which became the hallmark of the
software services business.
Harish Mehta
BEYOND THE ICON
