'His passion increases each year'

NASSCOM president Dewang Mehta has met Bill Gates seven times in the last four years. Each time he meets the Microsoft chairman, he says he finds Gates a different man. "I am impressed because his passion for achieving his goals has remained the same. In fact, if anything, it has increased in the last few years," Mehta told rediff.com's Onkar Singh after a luncheon meeting with Gates at the Maurya Sheraton hotel on Thursday afternoon.

Mehta believes what is important is not the kind of money Gates invests in India but what kind of interest he takes in our information technology industry. "I am disappointed his visit was short. I wish he had a few more days to spend in India. That is why I told him Yeh Dil Mange More," Mehta said.

How would you assess Bill Gates's visit?

It was very hectic. Too many things jampacked in such a short time. That is why I told him that whenever he comes here he should have more time because Yeh Dil Mange More.

You have met him a number of times. What is your impression of him as a man, as a tycoon?

I met Bill Gates for the first time in March 1997 when he came here. Thereafter, I have met him six times in various places, including Seattle. Each time I meet him I find one thing very impressive. I had read before I met him that he is very passionate. That passion is not going. Instead, it is increasing every year.

He first attained leadership in PC technology. He transferred it to the Internet. Now he is going to transfer the same success to Dot Net. This is possible only with the kind of passion this man has for the business of information technology. He is so focussed on his work that he eats, lives and sleeps software. When he is talking he is totally involved and he does not get distracted by anything.

Did he give the impression that he is bothered by the adverse judgments against him in the US?

If he has been hurt by the judgments that went against his company, he did not make it obvious. I got no such impression during my meetings with him. He is a man whose brain works faster than the computer.

Indian software companies have done well, but something is lacking. What is it?

We have good brains in the country and that is why we have already become a force to reckon with. But we miss the passion of Bill Gates. If we had that we would have been a superpower in IT. We have not done well financially. Unless we bring the sector close to the $1 billion mark I would not say we have succeeded.

Why is the pace of development in India's IT business so slow?

Nothing stops us from developing in this field. The domestic market is not very big. We have spent too much of money in telephone infrastructure. We will not succeed unless we have a PC for Rs 10,000 just as we have colour televisions for the same price. For India we have to have different kind of strategies. The same strategy cannot succeed in all places. If the government cannot provide more funds for telecom infrastructure, then it should privatise telecom.

Chief ministers virtually stood in queue outside Gates's suite to ask him to invest in their respective states.

In the new economy there are no hierarchies. Many chief ministers say they are chief executive officers of their respective states. They do the business of state. They do the business of talking to each other. It does not matter where you meet. What matters is what you are talking. We must shed our old inhibitions if we have to progress in life. The meeting and understanding of the thoughts that we exchange is more important.

What did Gates tell the chief ministers?

He spoke about how nations around the world have been increasing their competitiveness by adopting information technology. This requires full governmental support. Governments can become more smart and transparent by using information technology. He asked the chief ministers to look at the new technology that is coming into the market, so that their strategies of e-governance are adopted to global technology.

What did the chief ministers say?

They dwelt in detail on what they are doing in their respective states. Each one had some unique points to make. Gates assured them that he would be very happy to work with each one of them in whatever direction they sought his assistance.

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