His father was sad that he had to tell the bitter truth to his son. But it could not be helped. The boy had to understand reality.

The teenager was disappointed. It seemed his dreams had burnt to ashes. He was so near to fulfilling his fondest hope, yet so far. His heart sank in sorrow. He did not reply. He never shared his unhappiness or helplessness with anybody.

He was an introvert by nature. His heart was bleeding but he did not get angry with anybody. The day came. His classmates were leaving for Madras (now Chennai).

They were taking a train from Mysore to Madras. They have shared good years in school and college together. He went to the station to say goodbye and good luck to them for their future life. At the station, his friends were already there. They were excited and talking loudly. The noise was like the chirping of birds. They were all excited and discussing their new hostels, new courses etc. He was not part of it. So, he stood there silently. One of them noticed and said, 'You should have made it.'

He did not reply. He only wished all of them. They waved at him as the train slowly left the platform.

He stood there even after he could no longer see the train or the waving hands. It was the June of 1962 in Mysore city. Monsoon had set in and it was getting dark. It had started to drizzle. Yet he stood there motionless.

He said to himself, without anger or jealousy, 'All students from the IITs study well and do big things in life. But it is not the institution; ultimately it is you and you alone who can change your life by hard work.'

Probably he was not aware that he was following the philosophy of the Bhagavath Gita: 'Your best friend is yourself and your worst enemy is yourself.' Later he worked very hard, and focused on one thing, never bothering about his personal life or comforts. He shared his wealth with others. He never used the help of any caste, community or political connections to go up in life.

A son of a school teacher showed other Indians it was possible to earn wealth legally and ethically. He built a team of people who were equally good.

He became a pioneer of India's software industry and started the Information Technology wave. Today he has become an icon of simplicity, uncompromising quality and