Mother, to thee IT won't bow!

By siliconindia staff writer   |   Thursday, 07 September 2006, 19:30 IST
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BANGALORE: Infosys couldn?t have a congregation. TCS wondered how it related to the company policies, and Tech Mahindra reasoned that since their office was more like a transit, it was not possible to gather the employees. The reasons were myriad, but as a survey conducted by siliconindia revealed, none of the top ten IT services firms in the country sang the National Song. Even the recent controversy over Vande Mataram didn?t enlighten the firms about today being the centenary of the National Song. So while, people across India sang to their motherland, the heads at the IT companies bowed to excuses that at times seemed weird. Like Perot Systems? HR manager, Manoj who tossed the matter aside. ?Why should I share the data with you? I can?t reveal anything due to security reasons,? he said. TCS, after wondering how the song related to their company policies, declined to comment further. Bibek Chattopadhyay of Tech Mahindra reasoned that they couldn?t afford to gather the employees to croon. The multinationals weren?t any better. An IBM spokesperson said, ?I am not sure if it was sung. It?s a big company.? Employees at Microsoft and Accenture denied the recital whereas Deputy Manager, Oracle, Lakshmipathi commented, ?I?m right now not in Hyderabad, I wouldn?t know.? Are only the IT companies to be blamed though? Shashi Kiran, Division Head Finance and Accounts at KEONICS (Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Limited), a government body, stated that the song wasn?t recited, as the coalition government didn?t mandate it.