Parents cannot be watching movies and asking kids to study: Infosys founder Narayana Murthy

Narayana Murthy's 70 working hour statement might have stirred debate at many levels, but the Infosys founder's recent statement is hard to disagree with.

In an event in Bengaluru, the 78 year old entrepreneur said parents are responsible for creating a study environment in the house. He stressed on parents to be good role models for the kids and not just give them theoretical instructions.

"Parents cannot be watching movies and simultaneously asking children to study," Murthy said.

Murthy's statement highlights the dent in parental responsibilities that many parents are not aware of. Many parents believe that their responsibility culminates after providing the right study material to the kids and giving them the required stationary to study.

Parenting a teenager: Tips to learn from Sudha Murty

He said when his kids were at school, he and his wife Sudha Murthy dedicated more than three hours to reading with their kids Akshata and Rohan. This helped create an environment where kids valued study and maintained the study hours in a disciplined manner. He said in the evening hours from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm the kids studied and television was not allowed. “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.

Murthy emphasized on the leadership qualities of parents and said leading by example is the prime responsibility of the parents. “If the parents are going and seeing movies and then telling ‘children, no, no, you study’ (that won’t work),” he said.

Sudha Murthy too had shared several stories of how she raised her kids in discipline giving them perfect examples. In a school function, Sudha Murthy had narrated how she had persuaded her son to agree for a normal birthday party. She encouraged her son to give the money he wanted to spend for a birthday party to their driver’s kids for their education. Her stories are a testimony to the humble life she leads and the humble way she has raised her kids.


Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murthy's kids Akshata Murthy is a businessperson and a fashion designer and is married to the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak. The couple's son Rohan Murthy is a junior fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows.