Parents should walk the talk, can’t watch movies and ask children to study, says Infosys founder Narayana Murthy

Murthy said that his wife's choice to forego TV and study alongside children set a strong example.

Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy on September 9 said it is for parents to create an environment of discipline at home for children to study. Parents cannot be watching movies and simultaneously asking children to study, Murthy said in response to a question on how students should focus on studies in the era of social media and other distractions.

He and his wife, Sudha, would dedicate more than three and half hours each day to reading with their children Akshata and Rohan Murty during their school years to create an environment of discipline, Murthy said.

From 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm, the family focused on reading and studying, with television banned. The family continued to study together after dinner, from 9 pm to 11 pm, as well as to create a culture of discipline.

“My wife's logic was, if I am watching TV, I cannot tell my children to study. So she said, I will sacrifice my TV time, and I will also study,” Murthy told the media after unveiling Paul Hewitt’s 13th edition of Pearson's best-selling book Conceptual Physics in Bengaluru.

While his work often kept him away from home during the day, his wife's choice to forego TV and study alongside children set a strong example. By doing this, children could clear doubts with their parents but this may not always be feasible as parents may not have studied as extensively as their children.

“But that's not as important as creating an environment of discipline in learning. That leadership by example is the responsibility of the parents,” Murthy said. “If the parents are going and seeing movies and then telling ‘children, no, no, you study’ (that won’t work),” he said.

Akshata is a fashion designer and a venture capitalist. She is married to former British prime minister Rishi Sunak. Rohan is the founder and chief technical officer of AI company Soroco.

Also read: 'I Don’t believe in coaching classes,' says Narayana Murthy of Infosys

Murthy said he does not believe in coaching classes. Only those students who fail to pay attention to their teachers in the classroom need them, the 78-year-old tech czar said.

“Coaching classes are the wrong way to help children to pass examinations, I don’t believe in coaching classes,” he said. “Most people who go to coaching classes, they don't listen to their teachers carefully in the class and poor parents, they are not as competent to help them and therefore they see some value (in coaching classes).” Murthy was responding to questions on a rise in suicides in the coaching hub of Kota and also if coaching institutes were a gateway to IITs and NITs.

The coaching business is booming in India and is estimated at over Rs 58,000 crore a year, growing around 19-20 percent annually. The online market is expected to hit the $ 2 billion mark by next year, growing at over 17 percent CAGR through this decade.