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Prime VIP
New Delhi: Infosys chairman emeritus NR Narayana Murthy's statement that engineers coming out of the IITs are not of good quality has led to a war of words with noted author and IIT almunus Chetan Bhagat calling Infosys a body shop.
Bhagat says he has no regrets for calling Infosys is body shop and doesn't feel he should apologise to Narayana Murthy. He spoke exclusively to CNN-IBN Deputy Editor Sagarika Ghose.
Below is an excerpt of the transcript:
Sagarika Ghose: If you talk about the IIT you inevitably, these days talk about controversy, don't you? I mean you have Jairam Ramesh saying the students are better than the faculty. And now you have Mr Narayana Murthy, himself, saying that, in fact, the engineers produced at the IIT are not of that high quality. To which you had a very strong reaction. You said, you know why is it that someone who runs a body shop speaks this way about the IIT.
Chetan Bhagat: Yeah. You know he said something high-handed and I admit I reacted by saying something high-handed. I think it's like something ingrained in us. If someone takes an attack on your college, you've got to defend it. Won't you?
Sagarika Ghose: But do you regret what you said about Mr Narayana Murthy and Infosys?
Chetan Bhagat: No, not really. I mean I wanted to, my point is very valid. And in fact, I was speaking to the Infosys people and they have agreed that, you know, why bring the students in to it. Why judge the students? It may even be true that he has something he feels about the quality of the students. But, it's very high-handed. Same way, when I call Infosys a body shop it's high-handed.
Sagarika Ghose: You were being high-handed when you called Infosys a body shop?
Chetan Bhagat: I was, but just to prove the point that it hurts. You should be careful. You should suggest improvements. Someone at a higher super stature like Mr Narayana Murthy, he is an alumnus of IIT, he has the power to talk to policy makers and fix the JEE system if he feels like its wrong. Why is he saying the students are not good? You know, haven't the students worked hard for years?
Sagarika Ghose: So you don't want to give an apology to Narayana Murthy for saying he is running a body shop?
Chetan Bhagat: Come on. I don't think he needs one and I don't think I need too. I mean, what have I said that is so offensive? It's just a corporate and I have given my view. This term called bodyshopping is not my term, it's a term that has come from the software sector only.
Bhagat says he has no regrets for calling Infosys is body shop and doesn't feel he should apologise to Narayana Murthy. He spoke exclusively to CNN-IBN Deputy Editor Sagarika Ghose.
Below is an excerpt of the transcript:
Sagarika Ghose: If you talk about the IIT you inevitably, these days talk about controversy, don't you? I mean you have Jairam Ramesh saying the students are better than the faculty. And now you have Mr Narayana Murthy, himself, saying that, in fact, the engineers produced at the IIT are not of that high quality. To which you had a very strong reaction. You said, you know why is it that someone who runs a body shop speaks this way about the IIT.
Chetan Bhagat: Yeah. You know he said something high-handed and I admit I reacted by saying something high-handed. I think it's like something ingrained in us. If someone takes an attack on your college, you've got to defend it. Won't you?
Sagarika Ghose: But do you regret what you said about Mr Narayana Murthy and Infosys?
Chetan Bhagat: No, not really. I mean I wanted to, my point is very valid. And in fact, I was speaking to the Infosys people and they have agreed that, you know, why bring the students in to it. Why judge the students? It may even be true that he has something he feels about the quality of the students. But, it's very high-handed. Same way, when I call Infosys a body shop it's high-handed.
Sagarika Ghose: You were being high-handed when you called Infosys a body shop?
Chetan Bhagat: I was, but just to prove the point that it hurts. You should be careful. You should suggest improvements. Someone at a higher super stature like Mr Narayana Murthy, he is an alumnus of IIT, he has the power to talk to policy makers and fix the JEE system if he feels like its wrong. Why is he saying the students are not good? You know, haven't the students worked hard for years?
Sagarika Ghose: So you don't want to give an apology to Narayana Murthy for saying he is running a body shop?
Chetan Bhagat: Come on. I don't think he needs one and I don't think I need too. I mean, what have I said that is so offensive? It's just a corporate and I have given my view. This term called bodyshopping is not my term, it's a term that has come from the software sector only.
