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N. R. Narayana Murthy Age, Wife, Children, Biography & More

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Age: 78 Years
Wife: Sudha Murthy
Hometown: Shidlaghatta, Karnataka

N. R. Narayana Murthy

Bio/Wiki
Full NameNagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy
ProfessionEntrepreneur
Physical Stats & More
Heightin centimeters- 163 cm
in meters- 1.63 m
in feet & inches- 5’ 4”
Eye ColourBlack
Hair ColourSalt & Pepper
Career
Awards, Honours, Achievements 2000: Padma Shri from the Government of India
2003: Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award
2007: IEEE Ernst Weber Engineering Leadership Recognition by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
2007: Honorary Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by the Government of United Kingdom
2008: Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India
Narayana Murthy Receiving Padma Vibhushan
2008: Officer of the Legion of Honor by the Government of France
2011: NDTV Indian of the Year’s Icon of India by NDTV
2013: The Asian Awards for Philanthropist of the Year
Note: He has many more accolades to his name.
Personal Life
Date of Birth20 August 1946 (Tuesday)
Age (as of 2024) 78 Years
BirthplaceShidlaghatta, Chikkaballapura District in Karnataka
Zodiac signLeo
NationalityIndian
HometownShidlaghatta, Chikkaballapura District in Karnataka
SchoolSharada Vilasa Boys High School, Mysore
College/University• University of Mysore
• Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur
Educational Qualification(s)• Bachelor of Electrical Engineering
• M.Tech in Electrical Engineering [1]Tech.in
ReligionHinduism
CasteBrahmin [2]Wikipedia
HobbiesReading Books and Listening to Old Hindi and Kannada Songs
Controversies• In 2013, Infosys was fined $34 million; as they did a visa fraud by unlawfully using B-1 visa holders to work as skilled labour which is only allowed for H-1B visa holders. [3]Gadgetsnow
• In 2017, Infosys board accused Narayana Murthy of passing harsh statements against the board which resulted in the stepping down of CEO and MD, Vishal Sikka from his position. [4]Economic Times
Relationships & More
Marital StatusMarried
Affairs/GirlfriendsSudha Murthy (Author and Co-Founder of Infosys Foundation)
Marriage Date10 February 1978
Family
Wife/SpouseSudha Murthy
Sudha Murthy with N. R. Narayana Murthy
ChildrenSon- Rohan Murty (Founder of the Murty Classical Library of India)
Narayana Murthy With His Son
Daughter- Akshata Murthy (Venture Capitalist)
Narayana Murthy with Her Daughter- Akshata Murthy and Son-in-Law- Rishi Sunak
Son-in-law- Rishi Sunak

Note: On 25 October 2022, his son-in-law, Rishi Sunak, became the first person of color to become Prime Minister in British history. [5]The New York Times
ParentsFather- N. Rama Rao (Teacher)
Mother- Padavathamma Murthy
SiblingsHe has seven siblings.
Style Quotient
Car CollectionSkoda Laura [6]Daily Hunt
Money Factor
Net Worth (approx.)$2.47 billion [7]Forbes

N. R. Narayana Murthy

Some Lesser Known Facts About N. R. Narayana Murthy

  • N. R. Narayana Murthy is the co-founder of Infosys, a multinational corporation of India.
  • Murthy was born into a lower-middle-class family in a small village of Karnataka.
  • Murthy’s favourite subjects in school were Physics and Maths.

    A Childhood Picture of Narayana Murthy

    A Childhood Picture of Narayana Murthy

  • His father wanted him to be a civil servant, but Murthy wanted to pursue his career in engineering. He had cleared the IIT entrance exam but was not allowed to join, as his father could not afford the fees. So, he had to join a local engineering college.
  • Since there were fewer computer engineers back then, he got job offers from a number of firms and organizations such as ECIL, Telco, Air India, and IIM Ahmedabad. Murthy chose the last one i.e., IIM Ahmedabad where he was paid Rs. 800 a month.
  • He worked on India’s first time-sharing computer system. He has also designed and implemented a BASIC interpreter for Electronics Corporation of India Limited.

    An Old Picture of N. R. Narayana Murthy

    An Old Picture of N. R. Narayana Murthy

  • Later, he started a company ‘Softronics,’ but the company failed.
  • Murthy met Sudha through a common friend, Prasanna, in Pune. Murthy and Sudha became good friends and after a few days, Murthy proposed her for marriage. While proposing he said,

    I want to tell you something. I am 5’4″ tall. I come from a lower-middle-class family. I can never become rich. You are beautiful, bright, intelligent and you can get anyone you want. But will you marry me?”

  • Sudha liked his honesty and fixed a meeting of Murthy with her parents.

    An Old Picture of Sudha Murthy and N. R. Narayana Murthy

    An Old Picture of Sudha Murthy and N. R. Narayana Murthy

  • Murthy reached two hours late of the decided time, wearing a bright red shirt. Sudha’s father was unimpressed by him; as he reached late.
  • Murthy was almost rejected by Sudha’s father when he said that he wanted to become a politician and open an orphanage to which Sudha’s father replied,

    I don’t want my daughter to marry somebody who wants to become a communist and then open an orphanage when he himself didn’t have money to support his family.”

  • After working hard for almost three years, in 1977, Murthy got a job of general manager at Patni Computers in Bombay (now Mumbai).

    An Old Picture of N. R. Narayana Murthy with His Colleagues

    An Old Picture of N. R. Narayana Murthy with His Colleagues

  • Sudha’s father finally agreed for the marriage. Murthy and Sudha got married at Murthy’s home in Bangalore. It was a small ceremony in the presence of their families only. The expenditure on marriage was Rs. 800, which was shared by both of them.

    A Marriage Picture of Sudha Murthy and N. R. Narayana Murthy

    A Marriage Picture of Sudha Murthy and N. R. Narayana Murthy

  • In 1981, Murthy, with his six partners, co-founded Infosys, with its head office in Pune with an investment of Rs. 10,000. He did not have the money for the investment so, Sudha gave him the money which she had saved for the rainy days.
  • The seven founders of Infosys include N.R. Narayana Murthy, Nandan Nilekani, S. Gopalakrishnan, S. D. Shibulal, K. Dinesh, N. S. Raghavan, and Ashok Arora.

    Founders of Infosys

    Founders of Infosys

  • In 1983, Infosys shifted its office to Bengaluru, Karnataka. It was in 1984 that they got their first computer and a telephone line.
  • Murthy did not let his wife Sudha join Infosys earlier. In an interview, he called himself “Wrongly Idealistic” for making that decision. [8]NDTV According to Sudha, one of her friends had suggested that she should work with Infosys, but Murthy said husband and wife cannot work in one organisation. Sudha, in an interview, said,

    Murty said he did not want a husband and wife team at Infosys. I was shocked since I had the relevant experience and technical qualifications. He said, Sudha if you want to work with Infosys, I will withdraw, happily. I was pained to know that I will not be involved in the company my husband was building and that I would have to give up a job that I am qualified to do and love doing. It took me a couple of days to grasp the reason behind Murty’s request. I realized that to make Infosys a success one had to give one’s 100 per cent. One had to be focussed on it alone with no other distractions.”

  • After having served as the CEO of Infosys for about 21 years, Murthy stepped down in 2002, giving away his post to Nandan Nilekani. Murthy went on to become chairman of the board, a post he quit in 2006.
  • In 2002, he appeared in Zee TV’s talk show Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai.

    N. R. Narayana Murthy at Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai

    N. R. Narayana Murthy at Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai

  • Murthy has served as an independent director on the corporate board of HSBC and director on the boards of DBS Bank, Unilever, ICICI, and NDTV. He is also a member of the advisory boards and councils of various educational and philanthropic institutes.
  • In 2006, Time Magazine named him as one of the Asian heroes along with the former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi, who brought about some revolutionary changes in the nation since its freedom in 1947.
  • In August 2011, Murthy stepped down from Infosys chairmanship, taking the title Chairman Emeritus.
  • Fortune Magazine listed Murthy as one of the ’12 greatest entrepreneurs of our time in 2012.’ The list was topped by Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple.
  • In 2019, Sanjay Tripathy announced that he will make a Bollywood film on the life of N. R. Narayana Murthy.
  • Narayana Murthy’s suggestion for young Indians to work 70 hours per week to boost national productivity sparked a social media debate. Some well-known entrepreneurs, including Bhavish Aggarwal, Ashneer Grover, and Harsh Goenka, shared their perspectives. While some supported Murthy’s idea, others raised concerns about the potential health and other issues related to such long working hours. [9]India Today

    Ashneer Grover's post on X in response to N. R. Narayana Murthy's suggestion

    Ashneer Grover’s post on X in response to N. R. Narayana Murthy’s suggestion

  • In March 2024, he gifted shares worth over Rs. 240 crores to his four-month-old grandson Ekagrah Rohan Murty, reducing Narayana Murthy’s share in Infosys to 0.36 per cent from 0.40 per cen.