A '70s ROMANCE

For the Murthys, life is all about learning and improving. Sudha Murty, who is stepping into a new chapter in her life as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha, puts it thus: "for learning, age no bar".

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N.R. NARAYANA MURTHY

Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Infosys

SUDHA MURTY

Author, Philanthropist, Chairperson of the Murty Trust and Rajya Sabha Member

It comes as no surprise then that it was the love of books that first brought the two of them together. The couple who inspired writer Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's 2023 publication, An Uncommon Love: The Early Life of Sudha and Narayana Murthy, were introduced by a mutual friend in Pune in the mid-1970s. "I knew the only hope I had of impressing her was with my impressive array of books," reminisced Narayana Murthy. Among the unusual authors in his collection was the Hungarian-British humorist George Mikes. "She was very much impressed by George Mikes, not so much by me. And that was good enough for me," he quipped.

MESSAGE TO YOUNG COUPLES

"When you are married, you are bound to fight. No. 1, accept that. No. 2, when one person is upset, the other should be cool....you should never get upset together because that is a recipe for further fights. The third thing is, life is about give and take. There is no perfect life, no perfect couple... No. 4, all men in this generation should help their wives in the kitchen" Sudha Murty

In those early days of courtship, they would often meet at a fruit juice shop called Darshan, where she would order a "queen-sized orange juice" and Murthy would settle for a "king-sized banana milkshake".