At 48, Arun Ramu seemed to have it all. As head of product engineering and testing, he led the fastest-growing business unit at Infosys Technologies. His 12,000-people unit brought in $500 million, or 10 per cent of the company’s revenues. The pay and perks were top notch. Still, Ramu felt something was missing.

Work was no longer a challenge, but rather a routine of chasing numbers and counting money. Ramu, who had grown up dreaming about dividing his life into four neat, equal quarters — the first for education, the second to earn a living, the third for community service and the fourth to seek spirituality — quit Infosys.

In November last year, he joined eGovernments, a foundation that partners with city and town municipalities to use technology to improve services to citizens. Ramu is the new CEO of its “for-profit” division.

At eGovernments, Ramu takes home a fourth of his Infosys pay packet but there are no regrets. Sometimes his younger daughter, a college student, anxiously asks if the family would need to “lower” their lifestyle. Nothing has changed, Ramu says. He has built his home, his first daughter is married and his financial investments are all made.

In a changing, wealthier India, many savvy professionals like Ramu are jumping off the corporate ladder and plunging headlong into the social sector in the hope of bringing about meaningful change.

The downturn is the tipping point and has speeded up decisions for many professionals long contemplating a crossover, says eGovernments managing trustee Srikanth Nadhamuni, who founded the not-for-profit with support and funding from Infosys co-chairman, Nandan Nilekani.

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