It was not just the weather that turned out to be stormy in Bangalore on Friday. News of the exits of two top executives at the IT bellwether Infosys Technologies too created quite a storm not only in the IT city but the stock market as well.

While the energetic, articulate Mr Mohandas Pai said his decision to move out was a conscious one, to play a larger role in society, Mr K. Dinesh, one of the founding members, cited health reasons for putting in his papers. “I can still walk miles but that cannot be the only parameter for measuring one's health,” said Mr Dinesh.

Mr Pai, the voice of the company and often that of the IT industry, decided to announce his resignation last night. “Even God is shedding tears at the news,” he said in his characteristic style, pointing to the sudden downpour in the city. Employees at the company, taken aback by the news, are Twittering about Mr Pai's exit rather than the company's 10-12 per cent wage hike announcement today.

Mr Dinesh was Director and Head, Communication Design Group, Information Systems and Quality and Productivity and Board Member, Infosys Technologies. The duo will continue on the rolls of the company till June 11, this year.

“It was not a sudden decision, but a sudden announcement,” quipped Mr Pai, much to the disappointment of the media, which was looking for news of boardroom battles. “I expressed my desire to quit to (N. R. Narayana) Murthy nine months ago, but he asked me to hold on. He even asked me if I wanted the posts of either the CEO or the COO, which I refused,” he said.

.He clarified to the media that he would not take up a full-time corporate job. “I will go back to being an Infosys shareholder.” It may be recalled that Mr Pai sold 50,000 shares of Infosys for slightly over Rs 16 crore in January this year. Post-sale, at the time, he still held about 7.28 lakh shares.

Currently a Member of the Board and heads several verticals such as HR, Administration, Learning and Facilities, Mr Pai joined Infosys in 1994 as the Head of Finance after a brief stint with Prakash Roadlines. Industry observers say Mr Narayana Murthy, then CEO of the company, impressed by Mr Pai's sharp questioning at a shareholders' meeting, offered to take him on board. In the year 2000, Mr Pai, a chartered accountant, became a Board member and was made the company's CFO. In 2006, he moved to head the company's HR, as Infosys then required Mr Pai's astute leadership for its people practice division. His role will now be divided into at least three different positions, said Ms Nandita Gurjar, Senior Vice-President and Group Head, HR, Infosys, who's poised to take over from Mr Pai as Head of HR.

On his future plans, Mr Pai said politics is a no-no, although statements from Mr Murthy said he would take on a role in nation-building. “I will work in the field of education and help build universities, also use my financial knowledge when I sit on the boards of some companies and spend time with my family.” But he ruled out any plans to join politics or former colleague Mr Nandan Nilekani's UID project.

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