Narayana Murthy also opened up about his personal life and family
New Delhi:
Infosys Founder Narayana Murthy, in an exclusive interview with NDTV, spoke about his relations with his son-in-law Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister Of UK. When questioned about the unexpected rise of Rishi Sunak, Mr Murthy chose to maintain a diplomatic stance.
Rishi Sunak got married to Mr Murthy’s daughter Akshata Murthy and became the Prime Minister of UK in 2022.
“As foreigners, we have this respect for not commenting on the affairs of another country. Therefore, we just do not comment on those issues. We have very close, harmonious, and affectionate personal relations, but that’s where it stops,” he explained.
Mr Murthy also opened up about his personal life and family and how one should use their time in life. The 78-year-old tech billionaire said he could have spent more time with his wife and children.
“I could have spent more time with my children. But again, as I told you earlier life is all about prioritising and using your time for what you think as the best multiplier. So, therefore, I could have spent more time with my wife and family,” Mr Murthy told NDTV.
Mr Murthy also spoke about his plans after leaving the company and drew inspiration from other Asian countries that have shown immense growth and the path to a better economy.
On Joining Politics
Mr Murthy categorically denied any plans of joining politics as the 78-year-old industrialist believes he’s too old for that now.
“I think I’m too old for any of that. I’m now 78,” Mr Murthy said when asked if he would now consider a career in politics.
Elaborating on his plans, he said that he now plans to spend time with his children and his grandchildren. He also plans to enjoy music and read up on a variety of topics ranging from physics to economics.
Author and philanthropist Sudha Murty, Mr Murthy’s wife, also said that she does not need to join politics to serve the public.
Narayana Murthy On Cleaning His Toilets
“I would explain to my children gently and affectionately that these are the best ways of respecting other people. In our society, people always feel that those who clean their own toilets are looked down upon. Therefore, I would tell them that look, nobody is less than us,” Mr Murthy said.
“My children are very curious. They observe and have a lot of questions. I would tell them that look, nobody is less than us. It so happened that we have been put into a very advantageous situation by God,” he said.
Elaborating further, the tech billionaire explained his conversation with children about cleaning his own toilets which in India is still seen as taboo, especially in rich families.
“We cannot take that as our right, we cannot take it with a sense of arrogance, therefore, to the extent possible, we should try and do thing that will give us a sense that we are trying to be as fair to the society as possible,” the 78-year-old billionaire told NDTV.
Praise For China
Narayana Murthy pointed out to China, Singapore and Malaysia as examples of different growth models that India may follow.
“I think there are many countries that have shown the path towards betterment. China is a great example. There already are somewhere around six times, or five-and -a-half times the GDP of India, 19.6 trillion or so. Singapore has done a very good job, the per capita GDP is higher than the US. There are countries like Malaysia, Thailand, etc, which have become middle income countries,” said Mr Murthy.
