Great to be a geek

MY WEEK

Monday
A visit to Bangalore to have a look at the Infosys campus promises to be fun, but the week is off to a bad start. Some frantic messages from family and friends as I land let me know there has been some problem in Bangalore on the Cauvery water issue. Suddenly the visits to the Infosys and Microsoft campuses seem like they won't happen.

Tuesday
But things turn out okay since, with government offices and most corporates like Wipro declaring the day off, reaching the Infosys campus is a breeze, taking a fraction of the time it usually takes. A plush campus spread over 78 acres that requires golf carts to take you around is a sight for sore eyes.

The company, explains Bikramjit Maitra, vice president (HR), wanted to build a campus that would have an international feel to it. So, the company has replicated architecture from all over the world including cities like Sydney and Egypt. The company has also ensured that its employees, no matter how senior, cannot get their cars inside the campus.

Thus the only mode of transport is the good old bicycle (umbrellas are thoughtfully also provided by the company). Nandan Nilekani has ensured that his employees get to shop, binge, party and camp comfortably, right inside the Bangalore campus.

Thursday
Patni Computer Systems' new campus spread over 50 acres in the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation area in Navi Mumbai is vulgarly huge by Mumbai standards. Phase I of this facility will be up and running by July and has already seen an investment of Rs 100 million.

Deepak Khosla, senior vice president (marketing) claims the upcoming facility is the largest for any Indian IT engineering and services company. Khosla, who insists on giving me a personal tour of the facility, says, "Our new campus is going to be the biggest thing the industry has seen so far."

The only problem, however, seems to be getting the employees to travel long hours to reach work. "We will also have residential areas for our employees who do not want to commute everyday," Khosla adds.

Friday
Marathon rounds of interviews and lengthy discussions on the IT industry in WNS at its Vikhroli Campus convinces me that youngsters coming to join the BPOs need, rather demand, a certain level of pampering.

The result: WNS has a swanky Archies comic book campus, complete with lobbies full with employee lockers and canteens that look straight out of Karan Johar movies. "If you give them an ambience they are used to, the chances of them staying on are more," reasons Aniruddha Limaye, chief people officer & corporate HR of WNS.

So, if you are an employee at WNS, you will find yourself participating in retro dance nights, rock music shows and bowling competitions every quarter.

Also... In Bangalore, the cab driver insists on showing touristy destinations that include Vijay Mallya's condo in the city's centre. He describes the insides as if he's been there, but he hasn't stepped foot inside. Since I am new to the city and a journalist to boot, it appears he called a few friends who compiled 'interesting local information' and e-mailed this to him. He read them on his Nokia smartphone, and the rest you know. That's India's hi-tech city for you.