After Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari Dr Veerendra Heggade and a few others in the fourth season of Weekend with Ramesh, yet another popular personality from Karnataka is occupying the hotseat on Ramesh Aravind-hosted show.
Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy with his wife Sudha Murthy is appearing on Weekend with Ramesh season to share their success story. Their episodes will be aired on Saturday and Sunday (1 and 2 June).
Narayana Murthy was born in Shidlaghatta and raised in Mandya. He graduated from National Institute of Engineering Mysore and specialized in Electrical and Electronics. He got an opportunity to fly to France regarding work, where he was imprisoned for 72 hours which made him loose hopes on capitalism and ultimately led way to starting his company.
Returning to Bengaluru from France, Murthy expressed his love for Sudha Murthy and proposed to her in an auto rickshaw. He married her in the year of 1978 with the condition of receiving no jewelry from Sudha Murthy's father, and to equally share the wedding expenses of 800 rupees. After tying knot, he decided to start his own business, with Sudha Murthy being the first investor. The company started with an investment amount of 10,000 and 6 friends in Pune and is now worth over 3 lakhs 25 thousand crores, with 42 branches all over the world, employing over 2 lakh people today.
Narayana Murthy, an achiever who has received the Padmashri and Padmabhushana, is a man of simplicity. When his lecturer Seetha Ram came on the stage of Weekend with Ramesh, Narayana Murthy bowed to him with utmost respect.
Sudha Murthy is more than just being Narayana Murthy's strong support system. She is known for her modesty and intelligence. Sudha Murthy was born in Shiggavand later relocated to Hubballi with her family. Her house in Hubli is now transformed into a public library which is named after her father, Shri Ramachandra Rao.
She graduated from Bhoomareddi College of Engineering in Hubballi and specialized in Electricals and Electronics as well. During her college, she faced severe issues due to improper sanitation systems. It was this experience that incepted the thought behind constructing over 15,000 toilets in Gulbarga.
Sudha Murthy also fought against Devadasi culture and rescued more than 20,000 women. She made them self-reliant by teaching them various life skills like stitching kaudi (a handmade blanket using small pieces of cloth). She has also written a book named 3000 Stitches which speaks of her mission against the Devadasi culture and the challenges she faced during this journey. As a symbol of protection, she gifts kaudi to her beloved ones.
Sudha Murthy, highly invested in the cause of social service, donates around 400 crores on behalf of Infosys Foundation every year. She has earned various awards including the Padmashri. Despite her bounteous achievements, she remains to be one of India's most humble role model. When her guru, Sumathi Yadappanavar appeared on the show, she stands up to bow to her for curtsey, and does not sit until her guru leaves the stage, as an act of respect.
These were few highlights from the show, to know more about the high-flyers of Karnataka, Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murthy don't miss out on watching Weekend with Ramesh.
