Namita Thapar 'shocked' at Sridhar Vembu's 'marry in your 20s' tip: 'Similar to 70-hour work week'

Shark Tank India judge Namita Thapar on Thursday strongly criticised Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu’s recent remarks urging young Indians to marry early. Vembu’s comments, which projected marriage and parenthood in one’s twenties as a “demographic duty,” sparked a heated debate on social media.

In a post on X, Thapar, who is also the executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals, called on influential leaders to focus on “real issues” instead of prescribing personal choices. “A leader with influence has a huge responsibility to use his/her voice responsibly to take up REAL issues,” she wrote. “Ten minutes back, I was shocked to read about this ‘marry in your 20s’ gyan… similar to another favourite number of mine – ‘70-hour work week’!!" she said, referring to Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy's infamous suggestion made in 2023 --  and defended multiple times -- about how the Indian youth should work 70 hours a week for the advancement of the country.

Urging such leaders to also look at other numbers, Thapar added, "Since you love numbers so much, I would like to suggest two real numbers you can give gyan on next time: 1) 57 percent of women have anaemia. 2) Less than 20 percent of women participate in the workforce, and both numbers haven’t budged in years!!!! Would love to hear leaders do their DUTY towards us women by addressing these issues.”

In a video message, Thapar expanded on her criticism, questioning the notion of “duty” in marriage. “I heard a business leader say it’s our duty to marry in our twenties. Duty? Women suffer the most to carry out this ‘duty’,” she said, citing health challenges across a woman’s life cycle—from menstruation and pregnancy to perimenopause. “What about our duty towards prioritising our health, our needs and our dreams? And in that process, if we marry late, so be it. What’s wrong with our leaders? What numbers are we discussing? 70-hour work weeks? Marry in your twenties?”

Vembu, who had earlier advised young entrepreneurs to marry and have children early, defended his stance as a cultural and demographic imperative. “I advise young entrepreneurs I meet, both men and women, to marry and have kids in their 20s and not keep postponing it,” he wrote, acknowledging that his view may seem “old-fashioned” but arguing it will “resonate again.” He described forming a family a “duty” to society and previous generations.