Satya Nadella’s father is very shy

An interaction with B.N. Yugandhar, a 1962 batch IAS officer, is enough to give an insight into why his son, Satya Nadella, despite being the CEO of Microsoft, is such an affable and grounded person.
Yugandhar launched his book Three Essays on Constitutional Morality on Thursday at Council for Social Development (CSD), Rajendranagar.

While his son faces the media’s scrutiny for his every single action, Yugandhar industriously avoids the spotlight. In fact, Yugandhar was forced to be part of the media interaction, by his well-wishers and friends.

“In the beginning, I used to call him everyday and take his advice before starting my work,” says Professor Kalpana Kannabiran, regional director, CSD, admitting that it took a long time to get Yugandhar to agree for a formal launch.

“When Satya Nadella was appointed the CEO, he was harassed by people for interviews. Some even camped in front of his house. That was terrible and his health took a beating. He was done with this book some time back, but wouldn’t agree to a book launch. He said we should just give it directly for printing. I was insistent because such a book calls for a discussion. He sat on it for two months, but finally gave in,” says Kalpana.

The three essays in Yugandhar’s book “reflect on the processes through which the constitutional vision translates into the lived reality of the poor, the complexities and problems thereof”. “This is not the first time I have written something, it’s just that nobody paid attention earlier. I am very grateful for what the speakers had to say. Let’s just say, I am not used to hearing such good things,” says Yugandhar.