Learning Hindi, a widely understood language, will stand students in good stead in their career, Shiv Nadar, Founder and Chairman of HCL, told students of St. Joseph’s College Higher Secondary School on Monday.

Observing that his view could, perhaps, sound controversial, Mr. Shiv Nadar, who was addressing the 175th anniversary celebrations of the institution as an illustrious alumni, sought to remind the students that India was a large country.

He cited the instance of how knowledge of Hindi that he learnt at school enabled his competitive presence in the IT field beyond Tamil Nadu.

Attributing his success to concentration of a high order in studies, Mr. Shiv Nadar said the spirit of competition and self-confidence that he imbibed at the school had a bearing on HCL, which has 1.29 lakh employees of 75 nationalities spread over 55 countries and an annual turnover of ₹54,000 crore. The company was setting apart ₹850 crore every year for educational purposes.

Going down memory lane, Mr. Shiv Nadar recalled the discipline enforced by Rev. Fr. Ehrhart, Rev. Fr. Marudanayagam and other priests in the campus.

Mr. Shiv Nadar turned nostalgic while narrating the visits he and his old friends, who had turned up for the function, made to places of worship as students. Friendships in the campus transcended barriers of religion and caste, he said.