{"id":16267,"date":"2026-08-25T06:15:52","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T06:15:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=16267"},"modified":"2026-08-25T06:15:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T06:15:52","slug":"in-1981-n-r-narayana-murthy-borrowed-%e2%82%b910000-from-wife-sudha-murty-to-start-infosys-decades-later-it-became-an-it-giant-a-story-of-their-unshakable-bond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=16267","title":{"rendered":"In 1981, N. R. Narayana Murthy borrowed \u20b910,000 from wife, Sudha Murty, to start Infosys; Decades later, it became an IT giant: A story of their unshakable bond |"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-133459418,imgsize-30404,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/narayana-murthy-and-sudha-murtys-50-crore-bengaluru-home-at-ub-city-where-luxury-meets-simplicity.jpg\" alt=\"In 1981, N. R. Narayana Murthy borrowed \u20b910,000 from wife, Sudha Murty, to start Infosys; Decades later, it became an IT giant: A story of their unshakable bond\" title=\"Synopsis: In 1981, Sudha Murty gave Narayana Murthy \u20b910,000 from her savings when he wanted to start Infosys. Their journey since then has been shaped not only by success, but also by disagreements, sacrifice, separate careers and a deep respect for each other.Image Credit: Instagram\/ moti_vationshorts\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"Synopsis: In 1981, Sudha Murty gave Narayana Murthy \u20b910,000 from her savings when he wanted to start Infosys. Their journey since then has been shaped not only by success, but also by disagreements, sacrifice, separate careers and a deep respect for each other.Image Credit: Instagram\/ moti_vationshorts\">Synopsis: In 1981, Sudha Murty gave Narayana Murthy \u20b910,000 from her savings when he wanted to start Infosys. Their journey since then has been shaped not only by success, but also by disagreements, sacrifice, separate careers and a deep respect for each other.Image Credit: Instagram\/ moti_vationshorts<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>N. R. Narayana Murthy and <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/sudha-murty\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sudha Murty<\/a> first met in Pune in the mid-1970s through a mutual friend. Books became one of their early connections. <a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/murthy\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Murthy<\/a> later joked that he tried to impress her with his collection, while she was more interested in the books than in him.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"6\"\/>Their relationship grew before either had become a household name. Murthy was an idealistic young engineer with ambitions of becoming an entrepreneur. Sudha was building her own career and had already established herself as an engineer.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"8\"\/>That difference mattered. Their marriage was never simply the story of one person chasing a dream while the other stood quietly behind.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>The \u20b910,000 decision<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>In 1981, Murthy wanted to start a software company. <!-- -->But there was one immediate problem: money.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"16\"\/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/topic\/infosys\" styleobj=\"[object Object]\" class=\"\" commonstate=\"[object Object]\" frmappuse=\"1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Infosys<\/a>&#8216; own records confirm that the company was incorporated in 1981 with paid-in capital of \u20b910,000, reportedly borrowed from Sudha.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"19\"\/>Sudha later recalled having \u20b910,250 in savings. She kept \u20b9250 and gave the remaining \u20b910,000 to Murthy. Her caution had a reason. His earlier venture, Softronics, had failed within a year.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"21\"\/>She also gave him three years to make the new venture work before finding a proper job again. It was not blind faith. It was a calculated risk taken by someone who understood exactly what could go wrong.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"25\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>She funded Infosys, but was not a founder<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>One of the more complicated parts of their story came after the money was given.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/>Sudha was not included in the Infosys founding team. Murthy later explained that he did not want to build the company as a family-run organisation, even though he acknowledged that she was highly qualified.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/>That decision hurt her for a couple of years. Yet time changed how she viewed it. <!-- -->Sudha later said she was glad she did not become part of Infosys because her work through the Infosys Foundation allowed her to touch many lives.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"34\"\/>This is where their relationship becomes more interesting than the familiar \u20b910,000 anecdote. They did not always agree. They also did not have to build the same career to remain partners.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"36\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>From struggle to a global company<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>The early Infosys years demanded sacrifice from the entire family. Sudha has described building a company as something that requires support and sacrifice from the family.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"40\"\/>The gamble eventually transformed into something far bigger. Infosys, started in Pune by seven engineers, later became India&#8217;s first IT company to be listed on Nasdaq in 1999.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"42\"\/>Murthy has recalled sitting under the bright lights at Nasdaq as one of his proudest professional moments. The \u20b910,000 that once represented uncertainty had become part of a much larger story.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"45\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Decades later, respect remains the strongest thread<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the most revealing part of their relationship is how they speak about each other now.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"49\"\/>Sudha, meanwhile, has spoken more plainly about marriage. \u201cWhen you are married, you are bound to fight,\u201d she said, adding that disagreements are part of being husband and wife.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"51\"\/>That may be the most relatable part of their story. Their bond was not built on never arguing or always agreeing. It survived because both built independent identities while continuing to respect the person beside them.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"53\"\/>The \u20b910,000 was important. But the bigger investment was trust, even when the future was uncertain.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"55\"\/><span class=\"em\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">Disclaimer: This article is based on publicly reported accounts and statements by Sudha Murty, N. R. Narayana Murthy and Infosys.<\/span><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/relationships\/in-1981-n-r-narayana-murthy-borrowed-10000-from-wife-sudha-murty-to-start-infosys-decades-later-it-became-an-it-giant-a-story-of-their-unshakable-bond\/articleshow\/133458836.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Synopsis: In 1981, Sudha Murty gave Narayana Murthy \u20b910,000 from her savings when he wanted to start Infosys. Their journey since then has been shaped not only by success, but also by disagreements, sacrifice, separate careers and a deep respect for each other.Image Credit: Instagram\/ moti_vationshorts N. R. Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty first met [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16268,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/narayana-murthy-and-sudha-murtys-50-crore-bengaluru-home-at-ub-city-where-luxury-meets-simplicity.jp-150x150.avif","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/narayana-murthy-and-sudha-murtys-50-crore-bengaluru-home-at-ub-city-where-luxury-meets-simplicity.jp-300x169.avif","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/narayana-murthy-and-sudha-murtys-50-crore-bengaluru-home-at-ub-city-where-luxury-meets-simplicity.jp.avif","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/narayana-murthy-and-sudha-murtys-50-crore-bengaluru-home-at-ub-city-where-luxury-meets-simplicity.jp.avif","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/narayana-murthy-and-sudha-murtys-50-crore-bengaluru-home-at-ub-city-where-luxury-meets-simplicity.jp.avif","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/narayana-murthy-and-sudha-murtys-50-crore-bengaluru-home-at-ub-city-where-luxury-meets-simplicity.jp.avif","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/narayana-murthy-and-sudha-murtys-50-crore-bengaluru-home-at-ub-city-where-luxury-meets-simplicity.jp.avif","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/narayana-murthy-and-sudha-murtys-50-crore-bengaluru-home-at-ub-city-where-luxury-meets-simplicity.jp.avif","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/narayana-murthy-and-sudha-murtys-50-crore-bengaluru-home-at-ub-city-where-luxury-meets-simplicity.jp.avif","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/narayana-murthy-and-sudha-murtys-50-crore-bengaluru-home-at-ub-city-where-luxury-meets-simplicity.jp.avif","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/narayana-murthy-and-sudha-murtys-50-crore-bengaluru-home-at-ub-city-where-luxury-meets-simplicity.jp.avif","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/narayana-murthy-and-sudha-murtys-50-crore-bengaluru-home-at-ub-city-where-luxury-meets-simplicity.jp.avif","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/narayana-murthy-and-sudha-murtys-50-crore-bengaluru-home-at-ub-city-where-luxury-meets-simplicity.jp.avif","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/narayana-murthy-and-sudha-murtys-50-crore-bengaluru-home-at-ub-city-where-luxury-meets-simplicity.jp.avif"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"Synopsis: In 1981, Sudha Murty gave Narayana Murthy \u20b910,000 from her savings when he wanted to start Infosys. 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