Hot Seat

Values make a man

The transition from the child of a government official in a small town, to an entrepreneur in India's financial capital was destined. The childhood learnings of truth, fair play and integrity guided him all the way. Meet Hanuman Tripathi, Managing Director, Infrasoft Technologies, exchanging informal dialogues with Renuka Vembu.

Hanuman Tripathi’s two-and-half decade of familiarity with the corporate world and his eventful journey is clearly visible. His life is divided into three distinct parts—the first 10 years of his childhood days were spent in places like Delhi, Jaipur and Ahmedabad, the next 10 years in Jabalpur and the last 25 years have been busy in the Mumbai metropolis. His father was a senior official with the Ministry of Labour and this explains their nomadic trips. “The constant on-the-move routine gave me an exposure to the complexities or rather, the simplicities of multiple cultures and shaped up my overall development,” he said.

Founding values

His mother played a pioneering role in ingraining and developing the indispensable foundation system guided by values and principles of life. Instances like even servants being served the same food that his family ate and Tripathi often playing with their children are still clearly etched in his memory. This seamless boundary of mingling and constant experiencing of cultural unanimity combined with high level of personal integrity meant imbibing values like fair, just and equal treatment to all. Thus, remaining grounded to one’s roots was instilled in him from a very early age and he still carries those unforgettable memories and learnings with him.

Formative education in a CBSE school, Kendriya Vidyalaya, provided for a balanced learning as well. He became proficient with the country’s history, culture and ethics, and its economy, growth and performance, which sowed deep the seeds of nationalism and patriotism in him. A degree in marketing from the premier Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies was all that was needed to polish Tripathi to take on the future.

Rapid career growth

Tripathi embarked on his career in the year 1982 in the office automation arena. That period was the beginning of the computer era. He joined as a trainee sales executive in Bradma and was later associated with HCL, selling products driven for automation in the telecom sector. At the age of 25, he got his first managerial job in Nelco and he wrote an astounding success script with the organization. In eight years, he got promoted six times, a remarkable feat in itself.

In 1991, he understood that computers and communication formed a single backbone and realized the need to merge them together. The next revolution came in the form of software. Computerization entered the banks and he joined a banking software company, Trilogy Software. He headed the organization’s domestic markets for two years.

But simultaneously, he was working on establishing his own venture and by the end of 1994, the project plan for his enterprise, Infrasoft Technologies, was in place. “We wrote the business plan in tissue papers sitting in a restaurant at night….There was a conviction that banking automation is beyond branch automation and India is not just a great body shopping outfit…,” he stated, and the story scripted by Tripathi continues to show its profound impact.

Birth of an entrepreneur

Industries at that point in time were at the clutches of the government. But even at this stage, Tripathi continued to show strong determination and managed to get funding of one and half crores spread over 10 instalments and Infrasoft Technologies was born in 1995. The same organization gave an additional funding of five crores, and what started off with a small investment is now a global enterprise valued at millions of dollars.

Tripathi said, “I want to build on my successes and not sit on the laurels of my past. I am always motivated to climb to the next level and do better. I am ambitious but not reckless. Before taking any step, I have to analyze the risk that I put my employees (their families and careers), shareholders (their stake) and customers (trust) through.” Over the past 12 years since the company’s inception, he has positively brought together and dealt with diverse founders and shareholders. He has changed his own level in terms of competency. The classily executed career graph is loaded with values carried over from his early days—courage, initiative, focus, drive, fairness, fellowship and self-adjustment.

His family consists of his employees and their families, his three siblings and their families and all the people who are close to him. To justify this, he immediately quotes the famous line from The Godfather, “There is nothing personal and professional, its only personal.” Tripathi wants to make Infrasoft Technologies a company worth $100 million in revenues. In his own words, what attributes to his triumph quotient and keeps him going amidst testing times is this, “In times of difficulty, kick the moment but not what you are doing. And always drive the car by looking at the road ahead, not the rear-view mirror.”