Subject: Love Story of Narayana Murthy and Sudha ( From Sudha's
Autobiography)
Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2007 16:32:23 +0530
Love Story of Narayana Murthy and Sudha ( From Sudha's Autobiography)
It was in Pune that I met Narayan Murty through my friend Prasanna who is
now the Wipro chief, who was also training in Telco. Most of the books that
Prasanna lent me had Murty's name on them which meant that I had a
preconceived image of the man. Contrary to expectation, Murty was
shy,bespectacled and an introvert. When he invited us for dinner. I was a
bit taken aback as I thought the young man was making a very fast move.
I refused since I was the only girl in the group. But Murty was relentless
and we all decided to meet for dinner the next day at 7.30 p.m. at Green
Fields hotel on the Main Road,Pune.
The next day I went there at 7' o ! clock since I had to go to the tailor
near the hotel. And what do I see? Mr. Murty waiting in front of the hotel
and it was only seven. Till today, Murty maintains that I had mentioned
(consciously!) that I would be going to the tailor at 7 so that I could
meet him...And I maintain that I did not say any such thing consciously or
unconsciously because I did not think of Murty as anything other than a
friend at that stage. We have agreed to disagree on this matter.
Soon, we became friends. Our conversations were filled with Murty's
experiences abroad and the books that he has read. My friends insisted that
Murty as trying to impress me because he was interested in me. I kept
denying it till one fine day, after dinner Murty said, I want to tell you
something. I knew this as it. It was coming. He said, I am 5'4" tall.
I come from a lower middle class family. I can never become rich in my life
an! d I can never give you any riches. You are beautiful, bright, and
intelligent and you can get anyone you want. But will you marry me? I asked
Murty to give me some time for an answer. My father didn't want me to marry
a wannabe politician, (a communist at that) who didn't have a steady job
and wanted to build an orphanage...
When I went to Hubli I told my parents about Murty and his proposal. My
mother was positive since Murty was also from Karnataka, seemed intelligent
and comes from a good family. But my father asked: What's his job, his
salary, his qualifications etc? Murty was working as a research assistant
and was earning less than me. He was willing to go dutch with me on our
outings. My parents agreed to meet Murty in Pune on a particular day at10
a. m sharp. Murty did not turn up. How can I trust a man to take care of my
daughter if he cannot keep an appointment, asked my father.
At 12noon Murty turned up in a bright red shirt! He had gone on work to
Bombay, was stuck in a traffic jam on the ghats, so he hired a taxi(though
it was very expensive for him) to meet his would-be father-in-law.
Father was unimpressed. My father asked him what he wanted to become in
life.
Murty said he wanted to become a politician in the communist party and
wanted to open an orphanage. My father gave his verdict. NO. 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.
Ironically, today, I have opened many orphanages something, which Murty
wanted to do 25 years ago. By this time I realized I had developed a liking
towards Murty which could only be termed as love. I wanted to marry Murty
because he is an honest man. He proposed to me highlighting the negatives
in his life. I promised my father that I will not marry Murty without his
blessings though at the same time, I cannot marry anybody else. My father
said he would agree if Murty promised to take up a steady job. But Murty
refused saying he will not do things in life because somebody wanted him
to. So, I was caught between the two most important people in my life.
The stalemate continued for three years during which our courtship took us
to every restaurant and cinema hall in Pune. In those days, Murty was
always broke. Moreover, he didn't earn much to manage. Ironically today, he
manages Infosys Technologies Ltd., one of the world's most reputed
companies. He always owed me money. We used to go for dinner and he would
say, I don't have money with me, you pay my share, I will return it to you
later. For three years I maintained a book on Murty's debt to me.. No, he
never returned the money and I finally tore it up after my wedding. The
amount was a little over Rs 4000. During this interim period Murty quit his
job as research assistant and started his own software business. Now, I had
to pay his salary too! Towards the late 70s computers were entering Indiain
a big way.
During the fag end of 1977 Murty decided to take up a job as General
Manager at Patni Computers in Bombay. But before he joined the company he
wanted to marry me since he was to go on training to the USafter joining.
My father gave in as he was happy Murty had a decent job, now.
WE WERE MARRIED IN MURTY'S HOUSE IN BANGALOREONFEBRUARY 10, 1978 WITH ONLY
OUR TWO FAMILIES PRESENT.I GOT MY FIRST SILK SARI. THE WEDDING EXPENSES
CAME TO ONLY RS 800 (US $17) WITH MURTY AND I POOLING IN RS 400 EACH.
I went to the US with Murty after marriage. Murty encouraged me to see
America on my own because I loved travelling. I toured Americafor three
months on backpack and had interesting experiences which will remain
freshin my mind forever. Like the time when the New Yorkpolice took me into
custody because they thought I was an Italian trafficking drugs in Harlem.
Or the time when I spent the night at the bottom of the Grand Canyonwith an
old couple. Murty panicked because he couldn't get a response from my hotel
room even at midnight. He thought I was either killed or kidnapped.
IN 1981 MURTY WANTED TO START INFOSYS. HE HAD A VISION AND ZERO
CAPITAL...initially I was very apprehensive about Murty getting into
business. We did not have any business background .. Moreover we were
living a comfortable life in Bombaywith a regular pay check and I didn't
want to rock the boat. But Murty was passionate about creating good quality
software. I decided to support him. Typic! al of Murty, he just had a dream
and no money. So I gave him Rs 10,000 which I had saved for a rainy day,
without his knowledge and told him, This is all I have. Take it. I give you
three years sabbatical leave. I will take care of the financial needs of
our house. You go and chase your dreams without any worry. But you have
only three years!
Murty and his six colleagues started Infosys in 1981,with enormous interest
and hard work. In 1982 I left Telco and moved to Pune with Murty. We bought
a small house on loan which also became the Infosys office. I was a
clerk-cum-cook-cum-programmer. I also took up a job as Senior Systems
Analyst with Walchand group of Industries to support the house. In 1983
Infosys got their first client, MICO, in Bangalore. Murty moved to
Bangaloreand stayed with his mother while I went to Hubli to deliver my
second child, Rohan. Ten days after my son was b! orn, Murty left for the
USon project work. I saw him only after a year, as I was unable to join
Murty in the USbecause my son had infantile eczema, an allergy to
vaccinations. So for more than a year I did not step outside our home for
fear of my son contracting an infection. It was only after Rohan got all
his vaccinations that I came to Bangalorewhere we rented a small house in
Jayanagar and rented another house as Infosys headquarters. My father
presented Murty a scooter to commute. I once again became a cook,
programmer, clerk, secretary, office assistant et al. Nandan Nilekani (MD
of Infosys) and his wife Rohini stayed with us. While Rohini babysat my
son, I wrote programs for Infosys. There was no car, no phone, and just two
kids and a bunch of us working hard, juggling our lives and having fun
while Infosys was taking shape. It was not only me but also the wives of
other partners too who gave their unstinted support. We all knew that our
men were trying to build something good.
It was like a big joint family,taking care and looking out for one another.
I still remember Sudha Gopalakrishna looking after my daughter Akshata with
all care and love while Kumari Shibulal cooked for all of us. Murty made it
very clear that it would either be me or him working at Infosys. Never the
two of us together... I was involved with Infosys initially.
Nandan Nilekani suggested I should be on the Board but 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 qualifi! ed 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 percent.
One had to be focussed on it alone with no other distractions. If the two
of us had to give 100 percent to Infosys then what would happen to our home
and our children? One of us had to take care of our home while the other
took care of Infosys.
I opted to be a homemaker, after all Infosys was Murty's dream. It was a
big sacrificebut it was one that had to be made. Even today, Murty says,
Sudha, I stepped on your career to make mine. You are responsible for my
success.
Great !!! . That's the Power of Love.
Every man needs a woman to motivate him and to give him a better Reason to
live..
Cheers
Sujata
From India, Faridabad
3Autobiography)
Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2007 16:32:23 +0530
Love Story of Narayana Murthy and Sudha ( From Sudha's Autobiography)
It was in Pune that I met Narayan Murty through my friend Prasanna who is
now the Wipro chief, who was also training in Telco. Most of the books that
Prasanna lent me had Murty's name on them which meant that I had a
preconceived image of the man. Contrary to expectation, Murty was
shy,bespectacled and an introvert. When he invited us for dinner. I was a
bit taken aback as I thought the young man was making a very fast move.
I refused since I was the only girl in the group. But Murty was relentless
and we all decided to meet for dinner the next day at 7.30 p.m. at Green
Fields hotel on the Main Road,Pune.
The next day I went there at 7' o ! clock since I had to go to the tailor
near the hotel. And what do I see? Mr. Murty waiting in front of the hotel
and it was only seven. Till today, Murty maintains that I had mentioned
(consciously!) that I would be going to the tailor at 7 so that I could
meet him...And I maintain that I did not say any such thing consciously or
unconsciously because I did not think of Murty as anything other than a
friend at that stage. We have agreed to disagree on this matter.
Soon, we became friends. Our conversations were filled with Murty's
experiences abroad and the books that he has read. My friends insisted that
Murty as trying to impress me because he was interested in me. I kept
denying it till one fine day, after dinner Murty said, I want to tell you
something. I knew this as it. It was coming. He said, I am 5'4" tall.
I come from a lower middle class family. I can never become rich in my life
an! d I can never give you any riches. You are beautiful, bright, and
intelligent and you can get anyone you want. But will you marry me? I asked
Murty to give me some time for an answer. My father didn't want me to marry
a wannabe politician, (a communist at that) who didn't have a steady job
and wanted to build an orphanage...
When I went to Hubli I told my parents about Murty and his proposal. My
mother was positive since Murty was also from Karnataka, seemed intelligent
and comes from a good family. But my father asked: What's his job, his
salary, his qualifications etc? Murty was working as a research assistant
and was earning less than me. He was willing to go dutch with me on our
outings. My parents agreed to meet Murty in Pune on a particular day at10
a. m sharp. Murty did not turn up. How can I trust a man to take care of my
daughter if he cannot keep an appointment, asked my father.
At 12noon Murty turned up in a bright red shirt! He had gone on work to
Bombay, was stuck in a traffic jam on the ghats, so he hired a taxi(though
it was very expensive for him) to meet his would-be father-in-law.
Father was unimpressed. My father asked him what he wanted to become in
life.
Murty said he wanted to become a politician in the communist party and
wanted to open an orphanage. My father gave his verdict. NO. 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.
Ironically, today, I have opened many orphanages something, which Murty
wanted to do 25 years ago. By this time I realized I had developed a liking
towards Murty which could only be termed as love. I wanted to marry Murty
because he is an honest man. He proposed to me highlighting the negatives
in his life. I promised my father that I will not marry Murty without his
blessings though at the same time, I cannot marry anybody else. My father
said he would agree if Murty promised to take up a steady job. But Murty
refused saying he will not do things in life because somebody wanted him
to. So, I was caught between the two most important people in my life.
The stalemate continued for three years during which our courtship took us
to every restaurant and cinema hall in Pune. In those days, Murty was
always broke. Moreover, he didn't earn much to manage. Ironically today, he
manages Infosys Technologies Ltd., one of the world's most reputed
companies. He always owed me money. We used to go for dinner and he would
say, I don't have money with me, you pay my share, I will return it to you
later. For three years I maintained a book on Murty's debt to me.. No, he
never returned the money and I finally tore it up after my wedding. The
amount was a little over Rs 4000. During this interim period Murty quit his
job as research assistant and started his own software business. Now, I had
to pay his salary too! Towards the late 70s computers were entering Indiain
a big way.
During the fag end of 1977 Murty decided to take up a job as General
Manager at Patni Computers in Bombay. But before he joined the company he
wanted to marry me since he was to go on training to the USafter joining.
My father gave in as he was happy Murty had a decent job, now.
WE WERE MARRIED IN MURTY'S HOUSE IN BANGALOREONFEBRUARY 10, 1978 WITH ONLY
OUR TWO FAMILIES PRESENT.I GOT MY FIRST SILK SARI. THE WEDDING EXPENSES
CAME TO ONLY RS 800 (US $17) WITH MURTY AND I POOLING IN RS 400 EACH.
I went to the US with Murty after marriage. Murty encouraged me to see
America on my own because I loved travelling. I toured Americafor three
months on backpack and had interesting experiences which will remain
freshin my mind forever. Like the time when the New Yorkpolice took me into
custody because they thought I was an Italian trafficking drugs in Harlem.
Or the time when I spent the night at the bottom of the Grand Canyonwith an
old couple. Murty panicked because he couldn't get a response from my hotel
room even at midnight. He thought I was either killed or kidnapped.
IN 1981 MURTY WANTED TO START INFOSYS. HE HAD A VISION AND ZERO
CAPITAL...initially I was very apprehensive about Murty getting into
business. We did not have any business background .. Moreover we were
living a comfortable life in Bombaywith a regular pay check and I didn't
want to rock the boat. But Murty was passionate about creating good quality
software. I decided to support him. Typic! al of Murty, he just had a dream
and no money. So I gave him Rs 10,000 which I had saved for a rainy day,
without his knowledge and told him, This is all I have. Take it. I give you
three years sabbatical leave. I will take care of the financial needs of
our house. You go and chase your dreams without any worry. But you have
only three years!
Murty and his six colleagues started Infosys in 1981,with enormous interest
and hard work. In 1982 I left Telco and moved to Pune with Murty. We bought
a small house on loan which also became the Infosys office. I was a
clerk-cum-cook-cum-programmer. I also took up a job as Senior Systems
Analyst with Walchand group of Industries to support the house. In 1983
Infosys got their first client, MICO, in Bangalore. Murty moved to
Bangaloreand stayed with his mother while I went to Hubli to deliver my
second child, Rohan. Ten days after my son was b! orn, Murty left for the
USon project work. I saw him only after a year, as I was unable to join
Murty in the USbecause my son had infantile eczema, an allergy to
vaccinations. So for more than a year I did not step outside our home for
fear of my son contracting an infection. It was only after Rohan got all
his vaccinations that I came to Bangalorewhere we rented a small house in
Jayanagar and rented another house as Infosys headquarters. My father
presented Murty a scooter to commute. I once again became a cook,
programmer, clerk, secretary, office assistant et al. Nandan Nilekani (MD
of Infosys) and his wife Rohini stayed with us. While Rohini babysat my
son, I wrote programs for Infosys. There was no car, no phone, and just two
kids and a bunch of us working hard, juggling our lives and having fun
while Infosys was taking shape. It was not only me but also the wives of
other partners too who gave their unstinted support. We all knew that our
men were trying to build something good.
It was like a big joint family,taking care and looking out for one another.
I still remember Sudha Gopalakrishna looking after my daughter Akshata with
all care and love while Kumari Shibulal cooked for all of us. Murty made it
very clear that it would either be me or him working at Infosys. Never the
two of us together... I was involved with Infosys initially.
Nandan Nilekani suggested I should be on the Board but 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 qualifi! ed 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 percent.
One had to be focussed on it alone with no other distractions. If the two
of us had to give 100 percent to Infosys then what would happen to our home
and our children? One of us had to take care of our home while the other
took care of Infosys.
I opted to be a homemaker, after all Infosys was Murty's dream. It was a
big sacrificebut it was one that had to be made. Even today, Murty says,
Sudha, I stepped on your career to make mine. You are responsible for my
success.
Great !!! . That's the Power of Love.
Every man needs a woman to motivate him and to give him a better Reason to
live..
Cheers
Sujata
From India, Faridabad
thats a great love story of legend who made india proud. "apart from professional, u made us came to know abt murthy sir’s personal life too thanks for sharing, keep posting regards venkatesh
From India, Vijayawada
From India, Vijayawada
Dear Sudha,
It was a Nice love story which taken place in Your Live,your Life is a History that shows the kind of Confidence and Courage which you had in your own,Love makes bravery and gives lot of pleasure,changes in life,so
May your love Extend and live Eternal.....
Thanks for Sharing You history,seeking one more Terrific Movement Story in Your Life Pls
[IMG]https://www.citehr.com/misc.php?do=email_dev&email=cmFtYW5hbl9zbWlsZUB5YW hvby5jby5pbg==[/IMG]
Regards
Raman
From India, Madras
It was a Nice love story which taken place in Your Live,your Life is a History that shows the kind of Confidence and Courage which you had in your own,Love makes bravery and gives lot of pleasure,changes in life,so
May your love Extend and live Eternal.....
Thanks for Sharing You history,seeking one more Terrific Movement Story in Your Life Pls
[IMG]https://www.citehr.com/misc.php?do=email_dev&email=cmFtYW5hbl9zbWlsZUB5YW hvby5jby5pbg==[/IMG]
Regards
Raman
From India, Madras
Dear Sujatha,
It was a Nice love story which taken place in Your Live,your Life is a History that shows the kind of Confidence and Courage which you had in your own,Love makes bravery and gives lot of pleasure,changes in life,so
May your love Extend and live Eternal.....
Thanks for Sharing You history,seeking one more Terrific Movement Story in Your Life Pls
[IMG]https://www.citehr.com/misc.php?do=email_dev&email=cmFtYW5hbl9zbWlsZUB5YW hvby5jby5pbg==[/IMG]
Regards
Raman
From India, Madras
It was a Nice love story which taken place in Your Live,your Life is a History that shows the kind of Confidence and Courage which you had in your own,Love makes bravery and gives lot of pleasure,changes in life,so
May your love Extend and live Eternal.....
Thanks for Sharing You history,seeking one more Terrific Movement Story in Your Life Pls
[IMG]https://www.citehr.com/misc.php?do=email_dev&email=cmFtYW5hbl9zbWlsZUB5YW hvby5jby5pbg==[/IMG]
Regards
Raman
From India, Madras
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