'800 mn Indians in poverty': Narayana Murthy calls for hard work, ambition

Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy advocates for a 70-hour workweek, urging youth to work hard for India's progress; underlines the importance of job creation as a solution to poverty

Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy recently defended his comments advocating for a 70-hour workweek, emphasising the need for hard work among young people to achieve the goal of making India “number one”.

 

 

Murthy expressed these views during the Indian Chamber of Commerce’s centenary celebrations in Kolkata, which he described as “the most cultured place in the entire country”.

 

Reflecting on Infosys’s aspirations, Murthy remarked, “At Infosys, I said we will go to the best and compare ourselves with the best global companies. Once we compare ourselves with the best global companies, I can tell you we Indians have a lot to do. We have to set our aspirations high because 800 million Indians get free ration. That means 800 million Indians are in poverty. If we are not in a position to work hard, then who will work hard? as reported by NDTV.

 

Shifting perspectives 

Murthy shared memories from his youth, recalling his admiration for Jawaharlal Nehru and socialism during the establishment of the Indian Institutes of Technology. He mentioned how his father frequently spoke about India’s progress during that era. However, his perspective shifted during his time in Paris in the 1970s.

 

“My father used to talk about the extraordinary progress that was happening in the country at the time and we were all sold on Nehru and socialism. I had the opportunity to work in Paris in the early 70s, and I was confused. The West was talking about how filthy and corrupt India was. In my country, there was poverty and the roads had potholes,” he said.

 

Comparing India to the West, Murthy noted, “There (West), everyone was reasonably prosperous and trains ran on time, and I thought this can’t be wrong. I met the leader of the French Communist Party, and he answered all my questions, but not to my satisfaction.”

 

Creating jobs to fight poverty 

Murthy underlined the importance of job creation as a solution to poverty. “I realised the only way a country can fight poverty is by creating jobs that lead to disposable incomes. The government has absolutely no role in entrepreneurship. I also realised entrepreneurs build a nation as they create jobs, they create wealth for their investors and they pay taxes,” he explained.

 

Highlighting his economic philosophy, Murthy said, “Therefore, if a country embraces capitalism, it will create good roads, good trains, and good infrastructure. In a poor country like India where capitalism had not taken roots, I realised if I had to come back and experiment in entrepreneurship, then we have to embrace compassionate capitalism.”

 

Admiration for Kolkata 

Murthy expressed his admiration for Kolkata, saying, “In some way, this is the most cultured place in the entire country. When I think of Kolkata, I think of Rabindranath Tagore, Satyajit Ray, Subhash Chandra Bose, Amartya Sen, and a host of other personalities.”

 

He further emphasised the importance of blending economic systems for India’s growth: “I am very proud of the culture of our country, which goes over 4,000 years. It shows how unbelievably generous this culture was… Embrace compassionate capitalism. It is practicing capitalism while combining it with the best aspects of liberalism and socialism so that this country stands steadily as a stellar example of capitalism.”