Gunasekaran standing out in the Hills

For tourists across the country, Nilgiris is a sought after destination or a vacation spot. However, no one knows the flip side of the people in the district. Running an IT business in a place where there are no big factories, schools and colleges, is not easy. However, A Gunasekaran, CEO, Linear Systems, has faced lot of challenges throughout his life and has stood ahead of others as his town Ooty is.
Born to a barber and hailing from a small village in Coimbatore district, Gunasekaran should have held scissors and lazars in his hand while his extraordinary interest in studies made his parents pursue his studies. "My father preferred me to continue his profession, however, my elder brother and my neighborhood residents suggested him not to spoil the life of a bright boy," Gunasekaran says.
Gunasekaran has never given much trouble to his family. "I did my schooling with the scholarship funded by the government. As I outperformed in my studies, I got an opportunity to pursue my engineering dream at the prestigious Government College of Technology, Coimbatore," he says. A good entrepreneur always manages best with what he/she has. Gunasekaran, right from his college days has never spent a single rupee unnecessarily. "I cannot ask money from my father as he himself may not have it. I made a calculation of spending only `20 everyday. Above than that I have to think thrice before spending," he says.
Starting his career after successfully completing his engineering, Gunasekaran, the first graduate from his family, joined a small private firm as a service-engineer. After getting elevated to the post of branch-head of the same firm at Connoor, his life's growth started. In 1998, Gunasekaran joined another organization and worked as an outstation engineer serving the star hotels in the South. However, in the year 2002, he started his own office.

Challenges Faced
The initial days were very tough for him. "Initially, a dealer from a small town like Ooty, known only for tourism, I did not get much recognition by vendors," he says. However, post 2007, not only for him, but also for all the channel partners, good fortune started showering as the district IT association was born and Gunasekaran was the founder-president of the association. "I have to thank the association as vendors started knowing what we are doing," he says adding "in the initial days, I knew only few partners in Coimbatore." Gunasekaran also says no bank was ready to provide credit or loan for developing the business to the next level and in fact, with just `500, he started his business. "Those were the times when I used to carry material in bus from Coimbatore to Ooty and in some worst cases, I use to walk for rearly 4 Km to attend a service call". However, he says that, as time passed by, he successfully managed all the hurdles and today rose to the level of a successful entrepreneur in Nilgiris district.

Policies in Life
Gunasekaran always believes in ethical way of living. "I am known in my business and personal circles as a humble and honest partner and even in future, I want to be known as the same," he says adding that such honesty is much important for any businessman in today's scenario. Gunasekaran says that this life as a channel partner has taught him a lot of lessons both officially and personally. "I have a trait of researching anything completely till I get a crystal-clear idea on that. Even today, I browse and download all the technical stuff of the latest technical terms," he says.

Tips for Next Generation
"First and foremost, I would like to advice the coming generation, that never expect magic to happen overnight," he says. Gunasekaran is concerned about the next generation, that to make quick money, they compromise in ethics. "If you are honest, your growth may be slow, but one day or the other, you will be recognized for your stable growth," he says.

Soft life
Gunasekaran married Kavitha, who was his sister's choice and also who happens to be his distant relative. "My wife is a commerce graduate and she helped me in the business. After we got a child, she was not able to help me in the business," he says. Gunasekaran says that learning technology itself is a hobby for me. "Right from my college days, I was crazy about technology and there has been instances where I connected speakers to all the rooms of the hostel from one single radio,"he recalls adding that reading and listening to Illayaraja's music are his favorite hobbies. He also explores some unnoticed spots by tourists in Ooty often. A fan of Kamalahasan and Stephen Spielberg, he likes Elagiri hills most and wants to visit Singapre. "Many of my friends have told me about the way Singapore is maintained and the law and order there. So, Singapore will be my first offshore preference," he concludes.