At Print Summit 2025, Bharat Goenka, the co-founder of Tally Solutions, was interviewed by his son, Tejas Goenka, the company’s managing director. During the engaging session, they reflected on Tally’s journey, milestones, and impact on businesses worldwide.
Under Bharat Goenka’s leadership, Tally became synonymous with Indian accounting software, much like ‘Xerox’ for photocopying. His efforts have been recognized with a Padma Shri, Lifetime Achievement Awards from NASSCOM and FICCI, and the title of ‘Father of the Indian Software Product Industry.’
Opening the dialogue, Tejas introduced the format as a novel experience, seeking audience participation. Bharat recounted Tally’s origins 28 years ago when computers were virtually non-existent in India. He described the challenging early days, from introducing skeptical users to computers to demonstrating the software by carrying computers to offices using porters in Kolkata. The company faced significant hurdles in a country unfamiliar with technology, but Bharat’s vision focused on demystifying software and addressing ‘technophobia.’
A pivotal milestone in Tally’s journey was realizing the immense scale required to benefit a vast market. Bharat prioritized impact over profit, believing that if the software helped businesses succeed, the company’s success would follow. Unlike contemporaries in the burgeoning IT services sector, Tally chose the product route, driven by Bharat’s passion for programming and his father’s insights into business needs.
The discussion highlighted Tally’s technical philosophy. Bharat emphasized the importance of building products that required minimal user support, valuing engineering excellence and customer ease. He shared how his early focus on technical brilliance evolved to prioritizing practical, user-friendly design, guided by his father’s wisdom to make technology accessible and intuitive.
Asked about sustaining values and culture, Bharat stressed the importance of authenticity. “You cannot say you value one thing but behave differently,” he said, underscoring that culture must be lived, not imposed.
The session offered insights into Tally’s journey from a two-person venture in a Bangalore garage to a company serving millions, while remaining deeply rooted in its values and mission to empower businesses.
