Congress MP Karti P Chidambaram has taken a dig at Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy for saying that he was “disappointed” with India’s shift from a six-day workweek to a five-day workweek in 1986.

Mr Murthy has repeatedly called for a 70-hour workweek, saying that India’s development requires sacrifice, not relaxation.

Speaking at an event last month, Mr Murthy had drawn attention to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 100-hour workweeks.

“When PM Modi is working that hard, the only way to show our appreciation for what’s happening around us is by working just as hard,” he said.

The 78-year-old also shared personal insights into his work ethic, revealing that throughout much of his career, he maintained an intense schedule of 14-hour days, six and a half days a week. He would arrive at the office by 6:30 am and leave at around 8:40 pm. “I’m proud of it,” he said.

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Mr Chidambaram, however, differed with Mr Murthy, saying working longer was “meaningless” and the focus should be on “efficiency”.

“Daily life is as it is a struggle, battling inefficient and substandard infrastructure and amenities. Work-life balance is most important for good social order and harmony,” he wrote on X on Sunday.

He also said that India should in fact move to a 4-day working week.

“12 noon on Monday to 2 pm on Friday,” the Congress MP said.

Working longer is meaningless, focus should be on efficiency. Daily life is as it is a struggle, battling inefficient & substandard infrastructure & amenities. Work life balance is most important for good social order & harmony. We should infact move to a 4 day working week. 12… https://t.co/EOOer6AgnK

— Karti P Chidambaram (@KartiPC) December 22, 2024

Mr Chidambaram’s comments came days after his party colleague, Gaurav Gogoi, also disagreed with the tech tycoon’s statement supporting long working hours.

Taking to his official handle on X on December 4, Mr Gogoi posted, “I also disagree with the view of Narayan Murthy on work-life balance. After all, what is life but looking after your children, cooking for them, teaching them, taking care of your elderly parents, being there for your friends in their times of need, and making sure that your house in order. The above is just as much a man’s job as it is a woman’s.”

“Traditionally working women don’t even have the choice to cut away life from work. It is a luxury that traditionally men have and one that they have to forego in the modern world,” he added.

Narayana Murthy On Why He Wants 70-Hour Workweek

Narayana Murthy, earlier this month, defended his 70-hour workweek comment. He said young people have to realise that “we have to work hard and work towards making India number one.”

“At Infosys, I said we will go to the best and compare ourselves with the best global companies. Once we compare ourselves with the best global companies, I can tell you we Indians have a lot to do. We have to set our aspirations high because 800 million Indians get free ration. That means 800 million Indians are in poverty. If we are not in a position to work hard, then who will work hard?” Mr Murthy said at an event while speaking to RPSG Group chairman Sanjiv Goenka.

“A gentleman here told me a Chinese worker is 3.5 times more productive than an Indian. It is very easy for us to write all kinds of nonsense and remain wretched, filthy, poor and shunned by the world. Therefore, I don’t think we should say we are all comfortable and I will not go to the office. My request to all the people assembled here is to dedicate their lives to realising their value,” the billionaire added.

Kolkata/New Delhi:

Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy has defended his 70-hour workweek comment, again. During a visit to Kolkata, which Mr Murthy described as “the most cultured place in the entire country”, he said young people have to realise that “we have to work hard and work towards making India number one.”

“At Infosys, I said we will go to the best and compare ourselves with the best global companies. Once we compare ourselves with the best global companies, I can tell you we Indians have a lot to do. We have to set our aspirations high because 800 million Indians get free ration. That means 800 million Indians are in poverty. If we are not in a position to work hard, then who will work hard?” Mr Murthy said at the Indian Chamber of Commerce centenary launch. He was speaking to RPSG Group chairman Sanjiv Goenka.

Recalling the experiences that motivated him to become an entrepreneur, Mr Murthy said he was at one point a Leftist, when Jawaharlal Nehru was Prime Minister and the Indian Institutes of Technology were made into a reality.

“My father used to talk about the extraordinary progress that was happening in the country at the time and we were all sold on Nehru and socialism. I had the opportunity to work in Paris in the early 70s and I was confused. The West was talking about how filthy and corrupt India was. In my country there was poverty and the roads had potholes.

“There (West), everyone was reasonably prosperous and trains ran on time and I thought this can’t be wrong. I met the leader of the French Communist Party and he answered all my questions, but not to my satisfaction.

“I realised the only way a country can fight poverty is by creating jobs that lead to disposable incomes. The government has absolutely no role in entrepreneurship. I also realised entrepreneurs build a nation as they create jobs, they create wealth for their investors and they pay taxes.

“Therefore, if a country embraces capitalism, it will create good roads, good trains and good infrastructure. In a poor country like India where capitalism had not taken roots, I realised if I had to come back and experiment in entrepreneurship, then we have to embrace compassionate capitalism,” Mr Murthy said.

He said he was always excited to come to Kolkata. “In some way, this is the most cultured place in the entire country. When I think of Kolkata, I think of Rabindranath Tagore, Satyajit Ray, Subhash Chandra Bose, Amartya Sen and a host of other personalities.”

“I am very proud of the culture of our country which goes over 4,000 years. It shows how unbelievably generous this culture was… Embrace compassionate capitalism. It is practising capitalism while combining it with the best aspects of liberalism and socialism so that this country stands steadily as a stellar example of capitalism,” Mr Murthy said.

“Human beings can think and express. When God has given us the ability to think and this behoves us to think about people less fortunate than us. It is to make sure that the rest of the world respects India. The rest of the world respects India for performance. Performance leads to recognition, recognition leads to respect, respect leads to power. I wanted youngsters to know that we have a greater responsibility to fulfil the vision of our founding fathers. That’s the reason why we all have to work hard.

“A gentleman here told me a Chinese worker is 3.5 times more productive than an Indian. It is very easy for us to write all kinds of nonsense and remain wretched, filthy and poor and shunned by the world. Therefore, I don’t think we should say we are all comfortable and I will not go to the office. My request to all the people assembled here is to dedicate their lives to realising their value,” the billionaire said.

Infosys founder Narayana Murthy
| Photo Credit: PTI

After Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy reignited debates on work-life balance, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Wednesday (December 4, 2024) responded and expressed his disagreement to the tech tycoon’s statement supporting grinding, relentless work hours — an ‘overwork culture.’

Gaurav Gogoi countered Narayana Murthy’s beliefs of work-life balance as an indulgent myth and highlighted the perspective where the traditional division of labor between men and women in the household is being challenged, in context to work-life balance. Mr. Gogoi shared his disagreement with Narayan Murthy’s view on work-life balance, who is known for his strong stance on the importance of work-life balance. Mr. Gaurav Gogoi suggested that the concept of a “work-life balance” is not as straightforward or achievable for everyone, especially women.

Taking to his official handle on X, Mr. Gogoi posted, “I also disagree with the view of Narayan Murthy on work-life balance. After all what is life but looking after your children, cooking for them, teaching them, taking care of your elderly parents, being there for your friends in their times of need, making sure that your house in order. The above is just as much a man’s job as it is a women’s.”

Mr. Gogoi describes life not only in terms of professional work but also as a combination of various personal responsibilities — raising children, caring for elderly parents, managing the household, and supporting friends. This paints a picture of life as a balancing act between multiple roles, all of which are demanding and require time and energy. Mr. Gogoi points to an egalitarian view where both men and women share the burden of maintaining the household and raising children.

His post further read, “Traditionally working women don’t even have the choice to cut away life from work. It is a luxury that traditionally men have and one that they have to forego in the modern world.” Mr. Gogoi suggests that in the modern world, men no longer have the same luxury of “cutting away life from work,” implying that both men and women are now required to manage work and life responsibilities more equally and that the concept of work-life balance is a challenge for everyone, not just women.

Mr. Gogoi calls for a more equitable sharing of all roles within the family and workplace. His response comes after a user on X shared an open letter to Narayana Murthy, respectfully disagreeing with his opinion on work-life balance. “I respectfully disagree with you sir on work-life balance. Employees are not slaves. Working longer hours doesn’t mean better productivity. Several countries have switched to a 4-day work week and are doing better. Women don’t have the luxury of working 70/80 hours a week either,” shared the user on X with an attachment of the letter.

Mr. Murthy at the CNBC Global Leadership Summit championed a 70-hour workweek as essential for India’s economic rise.”I don’t believe in work-life balance,” said Narayana Murthy, sparking debates on the subject. (ANI)