“It has been a difficult and gut wrenching decision to make as I have been a part of the Infosys family for almost 30 years and it’s the only life I have known. I firmly believe my learning and experiences at Infosys will help me pursue and contribute to a larger cause and I am thankful to each of you for making this journey so special,” he said.

He also sent out video farewell messages to all employees on Thursday.

At the official farewell gathering held at the Infosys convention centre on Thursday evening four co-founders (Narayana Murthy via video conferencing) and Nilekani got together to swap stories with the gathered employees on the early years of their association and the creation of the company.

“The hall was spilling over and people were watching the webcast of the farewell all over the campus. The kind of numbers that turned up to say goodbye showed the esteem in which Nandan is held in Infosys,” an employee said.

Chairman and chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy’s message was webcast. Nilekani said three major career decisions in his life had been influenced by Murthy — first to join sales in a company at Nariman Point, then to join Infosys and now the shift to NUIDAI.

“The general feeling among people who were gathered was that of pride. There was also curiosity as to how he would fare in public life. Nandan himself seemed to be raring to go. He acknowledged the fact that he would be moving out of a comfort zone into a different world. He said he wants to live up to our expectations,” said an engineer who did not want to be identified.

... contd.