What were the factors that drove the impressive growth reported by TCS for fiscal 2011-12?
In 2011-12, TCS achieved the landmark of becoming the first $10 billion IT company from India. We were able to successfully carry the strong business momentum through the four quarters to close out a year of strong growth. We kept our focus on profitability and also consolidated our market leadership. Overall, it has been a year of broad-based growth with TCS performing well across all business units. One key reason has been our ability to focus on the customer.

TCS’s full services capabilities continue to be leveraged by customers with new service lines growing at a fast pace - infrastructure services, enterprise solutions and business process outsourcing service lines each clocked more than $1 billion in revenues in 2011-12; all other service lines also grew by double digits.

How does it feel to be the first IT services firm from India to cross the $10 billion turnover mark?
It is a proud moment for all the 240,000 TCSers to have achieved this landmark. Today, TCS alone accounts for around 10 percent of the Indian IT industry, as well as 3.3 percent of the country’s total exports.

We have created a solid platform and acquired a depth of knowledge across industries. We have also learnt how to execute on scale and build long-term relationships with our customers. We have made a difference by using technology in segments such as healthcare, education and financial inclusion.

All this makes us very proud of what we have been able to achieve. But at the same time, we know that success is a journey and we are focused on taking the company to the next stage of growth.

What are the reasons for continued bullishness in 2012-13, especially when other IT majors from India are not too optimistic about growth prospects?
Overall, the situation looks better as we enter the first quarter of this year, compared with when we entered the fourth quarter of last year. That's because there is momentum in all markets, and also we can see an increase in discretionary spending by clients, which was slow in January.

Our approach has been very simple. Everybody realises that the global macro economy will continue to be uncertain and volatile for some time to come. But corporations have to run their businesses in this environment – they will continue to optimise and go for growth. So, to be effective, we have to understand the environment they are in and how to work with them to meet their goals. That has been our approach and it seems to be working.

TCS has also built a holistic portfolio of business across industries and services. This helps us to achieve balanced growth in this dynamic environment. New technologies such as mobility, cloud and digital will be another stream that will drive growth. We expect markets in the US, Europe and the UK will continue to do well. We see a lot of traction in emerging markets, including India, Latin America, Egypt and Middle East.

Is TCS looking at newer geographies and sectors to ensure continued growth?
With a presence in 55 countries, we believe we have the right global footprint. The challenge before us is to scale up our presence significantly in geographies like China, Japan, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. There are plenty of opportunities in all these markets and our aim is to address them.

What are your views on the depreciating rupee and the impact it will have on India's IT and software services exports? Will the decline in the value of the rupee be a long-term trend, or do you see some corrections over the next few months?
We believe that any sharp, prolonged volatility in currencies impedes effective business planning. The long-term trend of the rupee depends on various factors including the confidence of foreign investors in the government and our policies, our trade balance, our oil imports, the crude oil prices as well as inflation. At TCS, we do not attempt to predict the rupee levels but only attempt to protect the business from its impact in either direction.