Atul Bhide

A friend recently asked me which digital payments app I was using. When I told her, she promptly asked, “Why not use BHIM, our very own Indian app?” I admitted I didn’t know much about it. “Well, let me introduce you to someone you’ll enjoy meeting.” That someone was Dilip Asbe, MD & CEO of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). Dilip kindly agreed to come over for a chat. That conversation was illuminating, to put it mildly. We all know the payment apps we use every day. PhonePe, Google Pay, Paytm, BHIM… But think of them as trains running on a railway network. NPCI provides the tracks. And what an extraordinary railway India has built! In September, UPI alone processed over 2,400 crore transactions. That’s more than 80 crore transactions every single day! India is now the world’s largest real-time payments market. A true global force multiplier. And Dilip has been one of the key people behind that remarkable achievement. His mind is buzzing with plans to build more ‘railroads’ that will enable new apps in wider financial spheres. But here’s what struck me most about him. Not the scale of his achievement. Not his knowledge of the technology. His humility. Dilip is well known in financial & technology circles. But I met a man with no airs, no sense of self-importance & seemingly little interest in the spotlight. Just immense pride in what his team has accomplished & a genuine sense of privilege at being able to serve his country. I also learned that his mother was a teacher. Perhaps I’m biased, but I’ve always believed that mothers who are teachers have a special knack for instilling values that last a lifetime. And I couldn’t help wondering if that explained something about Dilip’s grounded personality. People like him derive their satisfaction not from being seen, but from seeing their work make a difference. Thank you, Dilip, for the conversation. And for reminding me that ambition & humility can indeed travel together on the railroad to success. And I’ve switched to the BHIM app now! #MondayMotivation