Doing the dishes? It’s no big deal

A few years ago, Rohan Murthy was surprised to see his father washing dishes after they had invited friends over for dinner. When he asked, his father replied, “No work is demeaning, son.” The lesson in dignity of labour stuck in his mind and he currently is completing a PhD in computer science at Harvard. His father, incidentally, NR Narayana Murthy, is chief mentor and founder, Infosys.

It was his mother Sudha, though, who played a stellar role in bringing up Rohan and his sister Akshata while NRNM was building Infosys. And she avers that they had no desire to see their children follow in their footsteps. “I told them to think free, be honest, and respect elders. You have these qualities, you will do well for yourself,” says Sudha.

She maintains that Infosys is their marathon. “Every man or woman has his or her race to run. This is our marathon,” says Sudha. “Their life is another race, and they have to excel on their own.” And excelled they have. Akshata has done an MBA from Stanford University, and Rohan is a Cornell grad already.

It’s been quite a journey from when Sudha had to leave her daughter behind in Hubli with her parents as she had to work in Mumbai and contribute to Infosys. “It was so difficult for me as a mother,” she says, but that sacrifice was needed at that time. By the time Rohan was born, Sudha had left her job.

The Murthys made it clear to their children that there was no family succession at Infosys. Merit was the only criterion and the top job would not go to their children just because of their parentage. “I do not know whether they will join Infosys or the Foundation,” says Sudha. She told them to pursue whatever their passion might be, and choose a profession where work is not a burden but is enjoyable.