'Mind Over Mindset': Infosys Founder NR Narayana Murthy's Biggest Life Lesson To Entrepreneurs | Legends With Arnab

Narayana Murthy delivered a masterclass in quiet candour when Arnab Goswami pressed him on India’s lingering “mindset” problem in entrepreneurship.

Speaking at the ‘Legends’ With Arnab Goswami, Mr. Murthy offered a framework for overcoming the psychological hurdles that impede high-impact success, directly addressing the sentiment, recently voiced by Union Minister Piyush Goyal, that too many startups are focused on "food delivery" rather than "manufacturing" or deep-tech innovation.

Mr. Murthy shared a lesson taught to him by his friend Ramesh Mishelkar four decades ago, which he believes holds the key to success.

The Eternal Battle: Mind vs Mindset

“Everyone of us is constantly battling between our mindset and our mind,” Murthy recalled Mashelkar telling him four decades ago.

Mindset is the heavy database of past fears, dilemmas, lack of confidence, hopelessness and excuses. Whereas the mind is the fearless engine that declares, “I will overcome that.”

Murthy said, "If you want to succeed, you have to win the battle in favor of mind over mindset when you are confronted with a very tough situation."

For the Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem to truly thrive, Murthy argues, the 'Mind' must dominate the 'Mindset' that restricts ambition and risk-taking.

Why Indian Startups Chase Quick Commerce and Food Delivery

Murthy’s diagnosis is mercilessly clear. When faced with the long, painful, capital-intensive, approval-heavy journey of building something that actually makes things, such as a factory, a semiconductor fab, a new material, a defence component, then the mindset whispers, "Too hard, too much uncertainty, too many chances of failure."

Mr. Murthy also noted that a country's average disposable income directly influences the scale and type of market demand, making basic, mass-market solutions (like food delivery) more immediately feasible than high-risk, capital-intensive manufacturing or deep-tech innovation.

The Three Arenas Where India Must Win the Mind-vs-Mindset Battle

Murthy laid out the battlegrounds with surgical precision.

1. Bureaucracy & Governance

“We have to enhance transparency, enhance accountability… reduce the number of times people have to come to Delhi for approvals...(and) ensure honesty in approvals.”

Until the system stops punishing ambition with endless paperwork and rent-seeking, the mindset of caution will always defeat the mind of enterprise.

2. Entrepreneurs Themselves

For entrepreneurs, the message was a clear directive to think globally and aim for monumental impact, Murthy said, 

"We entrepreneurs, we have to look at a global objective and that is, I want to create 10,000 jobs, 20,000 jobs, 100,000 jobs. And towards that, in the short term and medium term, I am willing to make whatever sacrifice is needed because at the end of the day, I want to reach that aspirational goal."

Also Read: Centre Explores Relief Measures To Boost SEZ Production: Piyush Goyal

3. Education System

Mr. Murthy also drew a direct line from the mindset problem to the education system, advocating for a fundamental change in how the next generation is prepared.

The current system, he noted, "has to change from one of rote learning to one of understanding the problems around us using what is taught in the text." This is not just an academic point; it is a blueprint for fostering the 'Mind' over the 'Mindset.'