Narayana Murthy says he used to work 6.5 days a week: 'Leave home at 6 am'

Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy staunchly defended his controversial advice urging young Indians to embrace a 70-hour work week in a recent interview with CNBC-TV18. Facing criticism for his remarks, Murthy clarified his stance, emphasising the need for hard work in a country where many endure demanding professions, such as farming and factory work.

Murthy, sitting in for the interview with his wife Sudha Murty, faced probing questions about the backlash surrounding his recommendation for a 70-hour work week a few months ago. Since then, he has made his stance clear.

Addressing the criticism, Murthy told CNBC-TV18, "I rationalised it this way. If anybody that has performed much better than me in their own field, not necessarily in my field, I would respect, I would call them, and I would say, where do you think I was wrong in saying this? But I didn't find. A lot of my western friends, a lot of NRIs, a lot of good people in India called me, and without exception, they were all very happy."

He further justified his stance by highlighting the hard work put in by the less privileged in India, stating, "The issue is that we have to work hard in this country because the poor farmer works very hard. You know, the poor factory worker works very hard. So, therefore, those of us who received education at a huge discount, thanks to the subsidy from the government for all these education, owe it to the less fortunate citizens of India to work extremely hard."

Sudha Murty, echoed this sentiment, drawing from her family's medical background, "My father used to work more than 70 hours a week. My sister is a doctor. She also works more than 70 hours. Murthy has worked 90 hours a week."