Murty vs Murthy: Sudha Murty on why her surname is spelt different from husband's

Sudha Murty, philanthropist and wife of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy, revealed the rationale behind spelling her surname as M-U-R-T-Y instead of the conventional M-U-R-T-H-Y, that her husband uses. The reason is deeply embedded in Sanskrit tradition.

Sudha Murty, a staunch believer in the perfection of Sanskrit, explained, "Sanskrit is the perfect language, and for every pronunciation, there is a letter."

Emphasizing the visual imagery associated with the name Murthy, she clarified that 'THY' doesn't align with the Sanskrit spelling. This condition, she revealed, was a crucial aspect of her marriage agreement – a decision rooted in preserving their cultural origins.

“And Murthy in Sanskrit is, you know, Narayana Murty, Vasudeva Murty, this is a kind of name where you can visualize that. Murthy is a statue. So it cannot be ‘THY’,” she shared.

When asked if her husband, Narayana Murthy, had any objections to this distinctive choice, he said he was “open-minded” and “quite modern” about such matters. He stressed the importance of compromise and respecting each other's beliefs, stating, "We should agree to disagree without being disagreeable."