Chandra, Shekhar & Chandrasekaran

Several leaders of large IT companies have similar surnames, a situation that has created a unique problem for the industry. For instance, both the CEO of TCS and the executive vice-chairman of Cognizant are Chandrasekaran by surname, the difference being in their initials, N and R, respectively. But the problem is amplified by the fact that the former IT and telecom secretary has recently taken over as the president of industry lobby Nasscom. His name is R Chandrashekhar. So, how does one avoid confusion if the Nasscom President is on a panel with either of the Chandrasekarans of TCS or Cognizant, which is what happened during a press conference in Mumbai last week? Well, one is addressed as Chandra and the other as Shekhar. Easy!