Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murthy’s Love Story

The Beginnings

Born in a Hindu family at the Southampton General Hospital and grew up in a small house with two younger siblings – Sanjay Sunak (psychotherapist) ^[1]Live Hindustan and Rakhi – Rishi Sunak, as a child, used to deliver medicines on a bicycle to help his mother, Usha, run her pharmacy, whereas his father, Yashvir Sunak, was a general practitioner. Rishi worked part-time at an Indian restaurant – Kuti Brasserie – in the United Kingdom. After completing studies at Winchester College in the UK, Sunak went to Oxford University, where he pursued a degree in electrical engineering & physics and earned a Fulbright scholarship. Akshata Murthy, on the other side, the daughter of an Indian business tycoon and the founder of Infosys N. R. Narayana Murthy, shifted to Mumbai from Hubli, Karnataka, with the family when she was two. Akshata’s mother, Sudha Murthy, made sure that her children were growing up in a normal environment instead of a luxurious life by sending her children to school by auto-rickshaw instead of some luxurious cars. After completing her schooling, Akshata pursued a dual major in economics and French and then did a diploma in fashion design from the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, California. ^[2]The Times of India

A Love Story At Stanford University

When a backpack boy met a high heel girl

In 2004, Akshata enrolled herself in an MBA course at Stanford University, whereas Rishi was on a Fulbright scholarship and was pursuing the same course at the university. Rishi Sunak, a kid with a backpack, met Akshata Murthy, a girl with high heels, during their classes at the university. In an interview, Rishi said that the day he saw Akshata at the university, he felt like there was something attractive about her. Reportedly, Rishi used to reschedule his classes so that he could get more time to spend with Akshata. Over time, the duo fell in love and decided to confess their love to their respective families. ^[3]The Times of India

Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murthy in earlier days

The “Not-So-Big Fat” Wedding

Once the consent of their families was received, on 30 August 2009, the couple entered the magical state of wedlock. The wedding ceremonies were held in Bangalore. The pre-wedding ceremony ‘Beegara Oota (lunch for the groom’s side) was held at the Chamraja Kalyana Mantapa, Jayanagar, and the wedding ceremony was held at Bangalore’s (now Bengaluru) Leela Palace Hotel.

The Murthy family arriving at the Chamraja Kalyana Mantapa, Jayanagar

30 August 2009 – Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murthy walking down the aisle

Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murthy Sunak – The blushing bride and the loving groom

The ceremonies were kept simply elegant. Despite the fact of being financially healthy, the families decided not to organise a ‘fat Indian wedding,’ the guest list, however, included billionaires and big personalities such as Azim Premji, Prakash Padukone, Syed Kirmani, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, Anil Kumble, Nandan M Nilekani, Captain G. R. Gopinath, Girish Karnad, and others. ^[4]The Times of India

The Murthy and Sunak family at Rishi and Akshata’s wedding, standing with then Karnataka governor HR Bhardwaj (second from the left)

Worlds Apart

The perfect match shares different interests, making them completely different personalities. According to Rishi Sunak, the couple is extremely different in terms of lifestyle. According to him, they share different tastes as Rishi is a teetotaler, and Akshata, on the other hand, enjoys wine. According to some sources, Rishi Sunak, however, promised his friends that he would have some shots before his wedding as he was nervous, and he did. ^[5]The Times of India While talking about how specifically different they are, Rishi Sunak, in an interview, said,

I’m incredibly tidy, she’s very messy. I’m much more organised, she is more spontaneous. She is not going to love me for saying this, but I’ll be honest with you, she is not big on the whole tidying thing. She is a total nightmare, clothes everywhere… and shoes… oh God shoes.” ^[6]The Indian Express

The Support and Compatibility

Belonging to different cultures and sharing different interests, Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murthy share the significant fusion of cultures and the feeling of being connected to the origin of their families. The first person of colour to become Prime Minister in British history, Rishi Sunak, while addressing the 12th and final hustings at a concert venue in London’s Wembley, thanked his parents for working hard for him and his wife, Akshata, throughout the campaign, for giving up on her high heels for him, a short kid with a backpack.

31 August 2022: Akshata Murthy Sunak, along with her in-laws, at a hustings event, part of the Conservative party leadership campaign, in London, Britain

While thanking Akshata Murthy at a hustings event, Rishi Sunak said,

You know what you mean to me, and I am incredibly grateful that 18 years ago you chose to give up your high heels and take a chance on the short kid with a backpack.” ^[7]Business Today

A Complete Family

Rishi Sunak with wife and children

The Sunak family during a Tory leadership campaign event in July 2022. From left – Rishi Sunak, Anoushka Sunak, Krishna Sunak, and Akshata Murthy

Reportedly, after residing in California, the couple moved to Yorkshire with their two daughters, and later build a £400,000 leisure complex at their £2 million Yorkshire mansion. According to some sources, the pair own at least four properties including a 5-bedroom luxurious home (worth £7 million) in Kensington and an apartment in Santa Monica.

Rishi Sunak’s mansion