As Infosys founder Narayana Murthy and his author-philanthropist wife Sudha Murty appeared on the Great Indian Kapil Show on Saturday, it was time for some home truths and insights. When Kapil Sharma asked the duo what are the points of disagreement in their marriage, Narayana Murthy pointed out how Sudha treats money. “She is very careful about money. She spends on philanthropy but not on our comfort,” the billionaire said.
Sudha explained that she believes in spending money on philanthropy. “He does shopping. What do we need in life? Good food, not like chana bhaturabut good, healthy food. We don’t need so many clothes. I spend all money on philanthropy. He’ll tell me to buy business class tickets, but I say, ‘Why? I will reach the same destination, at the same time with an economy ticket too.’”
She accepted that they may differ here but also underlined that opposites attract. “This is where we have a difference of opinion. He says I am extreme end, I call him the extreme end. We are opposites, but opposites attract, so we find a compromise zone”, she said.
Narayana Murthy used to travel by economy too
While Narayana Murthy earned kudos for putting his wife’s comfort first, Saleswah CRM CEO Anindya Chatterjee had earlier tweeted how the plutocrat himself used to travel economy. “NM and me was on the same flight Sin-Hkg sector. I was traveling business (upgrade) and the man on the other side of the aisle was him. Early 2000s. The airhostess didn’t recognize him, in fact was brusque when he requested that his jacket be taken away,” he had written. In comments section, another person had pointed out Murthy would often travel economy on the Pune-Bengaluru route.
When Sudha Murty was called ‘cattle class’
Sudha herself had recounted an episode when she was called ‘cattle class’ as she was dressed in a simple salwar kameez while travelling. “Chaar paanch saal pehle mein salwar kameez pehni thi aur business class ka ticket tha mere paas. Mein us queue mein khadi thi, toh unko laga ki salwaar kameez pehen liya toh didi he, behenji he… Aare cattle-class log he. Unko kya pata he economy ke logo ko business class mein ane.. Mein jaake unko puch liya, ki what is ‘cattle-class’?” (Around 4-5 years ago, I had worn a salwar kameez and was standing on the business class queue, so they thought I am poor and told, ‘Oh they are cattle-class people. How will they know what is business class?’ So I went up to them and asked ‘What is cattle-class?’),” she had said while on The Kapil Sharma Show in the past.
