Tech Trek

Ganesh Natarajan, deputy chairman and managing director, Zensar Technologies, also an inveterate traveller, tells Charmaine Fernz how he maintains the fine balance…

By his own admission, Ganesh Natarajan travels almost 22 days of the month which works out to 264 days in a year. In other words, the deputy chairman and managing director of Zensar Technologies is ‘on the road’ over eight months annually. That’s a schedule few would envy or want to emulate. But Natarajan has always been a man on the move.

At the age of 33, he was chief executive officer of Aptech. Not bad going for a Birla Institute of Technology graduate who was born and brought up in Ranchi, Bihar, and who started his professional career at a salary of Rs 1,500 with Crompton Greaves in Nashik. “I always chose jobs that were off the beaten track, and every job was exciting in its own way right from the first assignment,” he says. This was the approach that led to Natarajan becoming the national head of consultancy at NIIT Delhi, and then CEO of Aptech and now, head of Zensar for the last three years, .

And being boss has just made Natarajan, who sticks to an ‘8 to 8’ schedule, work harder. “Leadership is leading from the front. It is also very necessary for a boss to understand his employees,” he says.

Born under the Cancer zodiac, Natarajan believes that he carries all the traits of the sign - he is emotional, a hard worker and strongly believes in family bonds. His hectic professional life does not prevent him following his varied interests which include reading, public speaking, travelling and like most Indians, cricket. The books he reads are philosophical in nature and his current favourite subject is Islam - Natarajan is trying to acquire an in-depth knowledge into the religion. He is however an atheist and does not believe in god and the same goes for his daughter. His wife, Uma (CEO of Kalzoom Technologies) is in complete contrast, a devoted believer in god. He believes in ‘the philosophy of life’ and a book which contributed to this outlook and made him look at things with a different perspective was Colin Wilson’s, Outsider.

To return to Natarajan’s travelling habits, of the enormous number of days that he spends travelling, only 10 per cent is reserved for leisure which again is impromptu travel rather than planned itineraries. His best destinations over the last 10 years are Mussoorie and Ladakh in India and on the international arena, it is Florence, Italy for its history and Russia for its rustic look and feel. What attracts him to a particular place is history and heritage. Greece is also one of the favourites for its island hopping concept and has been one of his best holidays internationally. The best place domestically till date has been the Kardongla Pass, especially sipping tea in the Indian army tent that is situated 18,000 feet above sea level. “It gives one a different high,” he says.

Not all travel experiences have been pleasant. Natarajan still remembers a ‘travel nightmare’ when they got stuck at a place called Seratov in Russia, where temperature dipped anywhere between -25 degrees to -40 degrees. “I was to lecture at the Seratov State University. This place was initially not open to the public, not even the Russians. When we went there, it was the first year that the place was opened to the public. We got stuck there in the snowfall and the only saving grace was an old Sardarji’s restaurant. The place was so isolated that an Irish priest actually came and asked people if they want to make a confession in case they die of the cold,” he remembers.

On the domestic front his worst experience took place when he was travelling Chennai-Bangalore-Pune and was scheduled to meet a Japanese client. “The airhostess lost my jacket. I got extremely furious since you certainly do not meet the Japanese without a business jacket. Luckily, they managed to find it,” he says.

His vote for the best international airline is Singapore Airlines as he feels it is classy and takes care of your every need. In India, it is undoubtedly Jet Airways for its professionalism. Hospitality is only sought at the Taj properties as they provide sheer value for money. To get down to specifics, the favourite is Taj Mansingh Delhi on the domestic front and internationally, if there are no Taj properties around, it is the Marriott and Hilton. His choices are based on the services provided and reflects the fact that quality matters to Natarajan, whether one is receiving it or is at the delivering end.