He may be worth £3.9bn but Rishi Sunak’s father-in-law, NR Narayana Murthy, lives in the same Bengaluru flat with his wife, Sudha, that he did decades ago, drives a small car, clears up the dishes, and cleans his own toilet.
Murthy is famous in India for co-founding in 1981 the software firm Infosys, now a £9.6bn multinational that employs more than 345,000 people.
The only difference from when he and Sudha were an unknown, ordinary couple is that the flat is filled to the rafters with books.
There is no glitz in their life, no haute couture, no lavish holidays or private jets, no swanky homes, no luxury brands. Everything about them is low-key and subdued. Murthy is an introvert who likes nothing more than to read.
In Sudha’s 2017 book, Three Thousand Stitches, she related how her husband cleans his own toilet, a job many Indians usually leave to employees of a lower caste, and also washes his own plate after meals.
Employees at Infosys have spoken of his belief in the dignity of labour and have seen Murthy fixing small electrical problems in the canteen himself. He is renowned for his integrity and says he has never given a bribe.
After books, philanthropy is another passion. “The real power of money is in giving it away,” is one of his famous sayings. » | Amrit Dhillon in New Delhi | Tuesday, October 25, 2022
