“Once we compare ourselves with the best global companies, I can tell you that we Indians have a lot to do. We have to keep our aspirations high because 800 million Indians get free ration. This means that 800 million Indians are in poverty if we are not in a position to work hard then who will work hard?” Murthy was speaking to RPSG Group Chairman Sanjiv Goenka at the launch of the centenary celebrations of the Indian Chamber of Commerce.
Murthy recalled how his father used to talk about the extraordinary progress being made in the country at the time when Jawaharlal Nehru was Prime Minister and the Indian Institutes of Technology were transformed into reality.
His interactions with people in the West made him realize that the only way a country can fight poverty is to create jobs that lead to disposable income.
“Government has no role in entrepreneurship. I also realized that entrepreneurs build a nation because they create jobs, they create wealth for their investors and they pay taxes.
Therefore, Murthy urged today’s entrepreneurs to embrace compassionate capitalism by integrating the best aspects of socialism. He told that if a country adopts capitalism, it will create good roads, good trains and good infrastructure.
Also read: When Narayana Murthy said we have to work hard, we attribute it to the less fortunate
This is the latest in a number of cases since November 2023 when the Infosys co-founder has defended his 70-hour workweek comments.
Last month, Murthy had also told CNBC-TV18, “I don’t believe in work-life balance… I haven’t changed my approach; I’ll take it to my grave.” He said he was a little disappointed when companies moved from a six-day work week to a five-day work week in 1986.
“I wasn’t very happy with it. I think in this country, we have to work very hard because there is no substitute for hard work, even if you are the smartest person,” he said.
The Infosys founder revealed that he used to go to office every day at 6:20 am and return at 8:30 pm, which was more than 14 hours of work in a day. He said he worked 6.5 days a week until he retired and he was very proud of it. And hence, he is not backing down from his statement that ‘youth should work 70 hours a week.’
first published: December 16, 2024 3:14 pm First
