Narayana Murthy Defends 70-Hour Workweek Again, Urges Young Indians To Embrace Hard Work

Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy has once again defended his comment about working a 70-hour week.

Speaking during a visit to Kolkata, which he described as "the most cultured place in the entire country," he stated that young people must understand the importance of hard work in helping make India the leading nation, reported NDTV.

"At Infosys, I said we will compare ourselves with the best global companies. Once we compare ourselves with the best, I can tell you that we Indians have a lot to do. We must set our aspirations high because 800 million Indians receive free rations, meaning they are in poverty. If we are not willing to work hard, who will?" Murthy said at the Indian Chamber of Commerce centenary event. He was speaking alongside RPSG Group chairman Sanjiv Goenka.

Reflecting on the experiences that led him to become an entrepreneur, Murthy shared that he was once a Leftist during Jawaharlal Nehru's tenure as Prime Minister when the Indian Institutes of Technology were established.

"My father used to talk about the extraordinary progress happening at the time, and we were all supporters of Nehru and socialism. I had the chance to work in Paris in the early 70s, and I was confused. The West criticised India as filthy and corrupt, while in my country there was poverty and the roads were full of potholes," he recalled.

"In the West, everyone was reasonably prosperous, and trains ran on time, which led me to believe they couldn't be wrong. I met the leader of the French Communist Party, and although he answered my questions, I was not satisfied. I realised the only way to fight poverty was to create jobs that lead to disposable incomes. The government has no role in entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs build a nation by creating jobs, wealth for investors, and taxes."

Murthy said that in a poor country like India, where capitalism had not taken root, he realised that if he returned to experiment with entrepreneurship, it would require embracing compassionate capitalism.

"Compassionate capitalism combines the best aspects of liberalism and socialism while practising capitalism, ensuring that this country stands as a stellar example of it," he explained.

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 many other prominent figures."

He further stated, "I am very proud of our culture, which has existed for over 4,000 years. It shows how unbelievably generous our culture is. It's important to embrace compassionate capitalism. It is about thinking of others and making sure the world respects India, not just as a nation, but for our performance. Performance leads to recognition, recognition leads to respect, and respect leads to power."

Murthy emphasised the need for youngsters to understand their responsibility in fulfilling the vision of India's founding fathers. "A gentleman here told me that a Chinese worker is 3.5 times more productive than an Indian. It's easy for us to sit and complain and remain poor and unrespected. We should not be comfortable in our inaction. My message to all gathered here is to dedicate yourselves to realising your value," said the billionaire.