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Bengaluru: Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy was asked to sleep on a large box in a window-less storeroom surrounded by cartons by a temperamental American businessman in the formative years of Infosys.<\/p>\n
Indian-American author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni\u2019s book \u201cAn Uncommon Love: The Early Life of Sudha and Narayana Murthy\u201d has revealed many such interesting snippets about the lives of Narayana Murthy and his wife, Sudha Murthy.<\/p>\n
The storeroom episode dates back many years ago when Narayana Murthy once visited the US for some work and also to meet one of his clients.<\/p>\n
Donn Liles, who helmed \u2018Data Basics Corporation\u2019, was \u201ctemperamental\u201d, as the chapters of the book recall, and was harsh to Narayana Murthy on many occasions.<\/p>\n
The client often delayed the payments and as Narayana Murthy would not budge on the matter, he would become Liles\u2019 target.<\/p>\n
The book recalls that whenever Narayana Murthy or his colleagues visited Liles in Manhattan, they would not get timely authorisation for hotel bookings.<\/p>\n
Once, Narayana Murthy was made to sleep on a large box in the store room, surrounded by cartons, even as his client had a four-bedroom house.<\/p>\n
According to the book, Narayana Murthy was tolerant of Liles\u2019 behaviour \u201cto groom his company\u201d. However, the incident shocked him.<\/p>\n
He had shared the episode with Sudha Murthy, and he recollected his mother saying that \u201ca guest is like a God and the way you treat your guest reveals what you are\u201d.<\/p>\n
Narayana Murthy also remembered how his mother served food to guests and went to bed without dinner.<\/p>\n
Published by Juggernaut Books, the book takes the readers deep inside the mind, heart and values of the Murthys.<\/p>\n
Divakaruni tells the story of the iconic couple from Karnataka with emotional depth, bringing them and their world vividly alive.<\/p>\n
The book is about the sacrifices it takes to forge a powerful and lasting marriage.<\/p>\n
The book also narrates the early story of Infosys and the Indian business scenario before liberalisation.<\/p>\n
The highlight of the book is that it gives insight into the lives of Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murthy, before they became a well-known names and often got credited with transforming business, and the idea of philanthropy.<\/p>\n
The book also delves into Sudha Murthy\u2019s proposal to join Infosys and how Murthy bluntly refused that.<\/p>\n
\u201cInfosys will become a husband-and-wife firm rather than a professional company,\u201d the book reads.<\/p>\n
According to the book, Narayana Murthy did not want Infosys to have the \u201csame horror stories\u201d of family-owned businesses and being perceived as dynastic or nepotistic.<\/p>\n
The book also throws light on Narayana Murthy as a socialist and how he was influenced in his teenage years by his father\u2019s ideologies and late Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru\u2019s open admiration for the erstwhile USSR.<\/p>\n
(IANS)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n