Narayana Murthy defends 70-hour workweek philosophy again, says ‘800 million Indians get free ration’

Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy has reiterated his stance on the importance of a 70-hour workweek, urging young people to embrace hard work for the betterment of India. During his visit to Kolkata, which he described as “the most cultured place in the entire country,” Murthy emphasised the need for Indians to strive for excellence.

“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?” Murthy said, speaking at the Indian Chamber of Commerce’s centenary launch alongside RPSG Group Chairman Sanjiv Goenka.

Reflecting on his journey to entrepreneurship, Murthy shared his early years as a Leftist during Jawaharlal Nehru’s tenure as Prime Minister, when the Indian Institutes of Technology were established. He recalled working in Paris in the early 1970s, where he was confronted with a contrasting perspective on India’s development. “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,” Murthy said.

“Everyone there was reasonably prosperous, 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. 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,” he added.

Emphasis on entrepreneurs 

Murthy stressed that entrepreneurs play a crucial role in building nations by creating wealth and generating employment. “Entrepreneurs build a nation as they create jobs, they create wealth for their investors and they pay taxes. Therefore, if a country embraces capitalism, it will create good roads, good trains, and good infrastructure,” he said.

He also spoke fondly of Kolkata’s rich cultural heritage, noting, “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.”

Murthy concluded with a call for greater responsibility among young people: “Human beings can think and express. When God has given us the ability to think, this behoves us to think about people less fortunate than us. It is to make sure that the rest of the world respects India. The rest of the world respects India for performance. Performance leads to recognition, recognition leads to respect, respect leads to power.”

Addressing the notion of productivity, Murthy shared a telling comparison: “A gentleman here told me a Chinese worker is 3.5 times more productive than an Indian. It is very easy for us to write all kinds of nonsense and remain wretched, filthy, and poor and shunned by the world. Therefore, I don’t think we should say we are all comfortable and I will not go to the office. My request to all the people assembled here is to dedicate their lives to realising their value.”