Karnik promises to take Mehta's work forward

NEW DELHI: Nasscom president Kiran Karnik today lamented the sudden demise of Sunil Mehta, saying, “the void in our organization will be difficult to ever fill.”

Mehta, who was the vice-president of Nasscom, passed away on Saturday in Mumbai following a cardiac arrest. He was 41.

Karnik in his condolence message said, “the news of Sunil’s untimely demise was shocking and unbelievable.”

A hale and hearty Mehta was on his way to a meeting in Mumbai when he felt unwell, and a few minutes later, breathed his last, leaving behind his wife Shivani Mehta and two daughters.

“We have lost not only a very valuable colleague, but a great human being and a dear friend. He was, in his typically understated way, mentor and guide to many in Nasscom; a person to bounce ideas off; someone to share one’s occasional grouses with – but never an overbearing ‘boss’,” Karnik said.

Mehta was instrumental in identifying key individuals and organizations in the US and UK, whom Nasscom needed to partner with, and then building rapport and a relationship based on shared goals and mutual respect.

“He led the Nasscom and industry effort through turbulent times in the US, and spent much of his time away from home and family to further the interests of Indian industry abroad. He was Nasscom’s face for our partners and interlocutors abroad.”

Within India, he earned great respect for the very professional way he developed Nasscom’s research work and brought complete credibility to it. Karnik said that it was Mehta who made Nasscom the best source for any data on the Indian IT industry.

“He spent much time and effort driving Nasscom’s major initiatives in the security area (including the National Skills Registry and amendments to the IT Act), in the BPO space (the Nasscom Assessment of Competence, is one of the many activities) and in conceptualizing a Self Regulatory Organisation for the industry, Karnik said.

Never the public face of Nasscom, Mehta was part of the industry body’s think-tank.

“The void in our organization will be difficult to ever fill; the void in our hearts, never,” Karnik mourned.

The Nasscom president promised that Nasscom will strive to pay Mehta the best tribute that they can by taking forward his work and – like him – aim to do the best they can of any task that needs doing.

“An intellectually strong Nasscom driving the sustained growth of India’s IT industry is what would have made Sunil happy,” Karnik added.

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