Can India Surpass China? Infosys Founder NR Narayana Murthy On Legends With Arnab

After having triggered a nation-wide storm over how Indians could improve productivity, iconic Founder of Infosys, NR Narayana Murthy, deliberated upon work-life balance, and the roadmap for India to overtake China with the Editor-In-Chief, Republic Media Network, Arnab Goswami.  

What the nation wanted to know was why the retired chairman of the tech mammoth Infosys kept stressing on the relevance of a 70-hour work week to the present-day workforce.

Adding a new dimension to discrediting the concept of work-life balance, NR Narayana Murthy said, "First, we should all get a life and then worry about work-life balance."

"I have spoken to lot of corporate leaders, well-known professors. I used to be on several top universities in the US and in India, of course, also. But one thing has come through and that is no individual, no community, no country has ever come up without hard work," he said at Republic Media Network's ‘Legends’ With Arnab Goswami show. 

Further, he shared that Prime Minister Narendra Modi works for 100 hours a week, and how this served as a shining example for youngsters to work hard and smart to provide opportunities to those less fortunate.

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"I believe that hard work is necessary for success of any individual, any community, any country," he said.

He also validated his 70-hour work-week belief by shedding light on the "996 Rule" followed in China.

"Last year, Catamaran senior and middle level staff went to China and they went to tier 1 cities, tier 2 cities and tier 3 cities. They stayed in tier 3 kind of hotels because we wanted to understand the real China. And you know there is a saying there, 9, 9, 6. You know what it means? 9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week. And that is 72 hours a week, " Murthy said.

On the other hand, when inquired about was it too aspirational to think about overtaking China in manufacturing or anywhere else, he said, "Given that we have moved so far at a reasonable pace, 6.57% economic growth, I do believe that it is possible to catch up with China."

Currently, China is approximately six times India's present gross domestic product (GDP).

Further, Murthy said, "If we have great ideas, if we back it up with extraordinary action in every aspect, every citizen, every bureaucrat, every politician, every corporate leader, every civil society leader, I do think we can do that. But the job is not easy."

"We must realize the job is not easy. It requires each one of us to set high benchmarks for our own actions. And it is the sigma of those that will make India reach China," he said.