Vishal Sikka: My wife calls me a fake Punjabi

BANGALORE: The ways of Silicon Valley probably do rub off on those who interact with it closely. Dressed in a black tee and blazer, Vishal Sikka would have fit right into one of the thousands of conferences and launches held in the Valley every year. Only that the event Sikka attended on Thursday had much more significance.

Sikka, 47, a former member of German software giant SAP's executive board, had been named CEO of Infosys and was interacting with the media at the company's headquarters in Bangalore.

Though Sikka has been living abroad for the past two decades, he has not forgotten his Indian roots. "I am the son of a teacher and a railway engineer. For us Indians, it is a matter of great pride to be part of this company," said Sikka, a PhD in computer science from Stanford University.

He is best known for developing SAP's flagship analytic database platform HANA, which has since become the fastest in the company's history to generate a billion dollars in revenue.

Born in Madhya Pradesh to Punjabi parents, Sikka's family moved to Vadodara in Gujarat when he was six. He finished schooling at the Rosary High School in Vadodara.

Sikka later joined the bachelor course in computer science at MSU, Vadodara, which he discontinued to go to Syracuse University in New York where he earned a BS in computer science.

"Vishal was jovial, not studious but very smart," said Arun Bali, who was Sikka's batchmate at MSU. Sikka knew the subjects "in and out" and was always on "top of the class" is the consensus of most friends ET spoke to.

After getting his Phd in 1996, he started a technology company, iBrain, with his brother and later founded Bodha, a company that helps e-commerce systems connect with other applications. iBrain was acquired by PatternRX and Bodha by Peregrine Systems.

He joined SAP in 2002, where he was most recently in charge of all things products and innovation. In the past two years, many saw Sikka as a contender for the job of SAP CEO.

"I represent different cultures. My wife calls me a fake Punjabi," said Sikka, who currently lives in California with his wife and children. While his job involves travelling extensively to markets such as Europe and India, Sikka said he plans to take up consulting faculty roles at Stanford — perhaps a reflection of his academic background. ..............

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/Vishal-Sikka-My-wife-calls-me-a-fake-Punjabi/articleshow/36471702.cms

Seva Lamberdar wrote:BANGALORE: The ways of Silicon Valley probably do rub off on those who interact with it closely. Dressed in a black tee and blazer, Vishal Sikka would have fit right into one of the thousands of conferences and launches held in the Valley every year. Only that the event Sikka attended on Thursday had much more significance.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/tech-news/Vishal-Sikka-My-wife-calls-me-a-fake-Punjabi/articleshow/36471702.cms

I knew it ...I knew it... He is from Modi ji's town. A hidden NRI Chaddi.

Only yesterday I learnt that Vadadora is the Old Baroda. Indians seem to accept new names instantly and stop mentioning the old name very fast. Chennai was named only 15 years ago and hardly anyone uses Madras - although Madras still lives everywhere. Madras High Court, Madras medical College, IIT - Madras,