Mumbai, April 6, 2022 – TiE Mumbai hosted an exclusive mixer and networking evening yesterday with its Board members, Charter Members, Industry leaders and Mumbai Unicorns in attendance. The highlight of the evening was the conversation between Harish Mehta, Founder & Chairman- Onward Technologies and Past President & Board Member of TiE Mumbai and Anupam Mittal, Founder – People Group and Shaadi.com, decoding Harish’s newly released book “The Maverick Effect”.
Harish Mehta is a co- founder and the first elected president of NASSCOM. He has been an IT industry veteran and an entrepreneur himself. This book is a fascinating narrative of Harish Mehta’s personal life and his work intertwined with the genesis of NASSCOM, the evolution of the IT industry, the Indian economy and our Nation.
When NASSCOM was formed, the software export was around $ 50 m and the business was very difficult to sustain and operate. Software export has now grown to $ 178 b. The book methodically explains the manner in which NASSCOM went about eliminating the hurdles in the way of business and obtained Government buyin by making them see the vision about the impact software export would have on the Indian economy.
The book highlights some of the pivotal role of key government secretaries and ministers (DoT, StPI, communications ministry, finance, PMO etc) who worked tirelessly for the progress of the industry and the nation thereby. The Government of India thus helped build the IT industry with these Tech and IT entrepreneurs. Interesting stories and anecdotes from the pre liberation India to the today’s digitally ahead India have been interspersed throughout the book.
NASSCOM started with a belief “Aapna Time bhi aayega”. During the 80s, when the IT industry was at a nascent stage, our current account situation was appalling. We have come a long way since then. With the unparallel growth of the IT industry we are in a strong foreign exchange situation now and have created immense employment opportunities for the youth of the country. The Brand India Inc. created by the IT industry has helped every single industry globally. All these aspects have been brilliantly articulated in this book.
Today India is unstoppable, entering a golden era of growth. We are on a trajectory of becoming a Global leader. This book is highly recommended to every single Indian citizen to understand how India has reached this pinnacle of success. It is a treasure house of inspiring stories that will make one extremely proud.
Today Entrepreneurship in India is possible because of the policies that were set and have come out during this era. The internet and digital age start-ups have NASSCOM to thank for!