Sudha Murthy’s Response To Her Son When He Asked For A Fancy Five-Star Birthday Is Parenting Done Right

For many young Indian women, Sudha Murthy is a true icon. Not only is she an incredible motivational speaker and talented author, but she is also one of the most important women in the STEM discipline. One of the first known female engineers, Sudha worked very hard to reach the place she is today. She met the love of her life, Narayan Murthy while in Pune and the rest, as they say, is history. Sudha has been very humble and has always encouraged women to pursue their dreams in STEM. Despite being one of the richest and most influential women in the world, Sudha Murthy is an epitome of simplicity. Let’s take a look at what she had to say when her son had once asked her for a birthday party in a five-star hotel:

Waste Of Money

Sudha opened up about how her son, Rohan, had once asked her if he could throw a party in a fancy five-star hotel. Rather than flat out reject the idea like most parents would or agree to her son’s wishes, Sudha took the opportunity to teach him a life lesson. She did the math and explained to her son in a logical way how expensive the whole thing would be. She told him how the amount they spent on the party, which was roughly 50,000 rupees for his 50 classmates, could end up funding their driver’s children’s education. She explained how they were bright students just like her son and that with the money provided they could go to a better school.

She even said that she would not deny him a party. She said she would entertain his 50 classmates and provide them with Samosa and Frooti instead. She then gave him a rough estimate of the amount she was willing to spend on not just the 50 children, but the driver and his children as well. She added that she doesn’t’ believe he should spend exorbitant amounts on a birthday celebration that will come every year and simply told him it’s wasteful.

She added that as her children grew older, became teenagers, and entered adulthood, she taught them the importance of hard work and encouraged them to work hard and make a name for themselves. She added that when her son was studying at Cornell University, he thanked her for all that she taught him and told her that he truly appreciated her upbringing. Sudha wanted her children to understand that although she and her husband had money, it didn’t mean that they were extraordinary. Her son even wrote an emotional letter to her where he stated that every mother looks out for her child, but he was proud of her for looking after not just her own children but the driver’s children as well.

Work Hard And Achieve Your Dreams

When it comes to working hard, Sudha Murthy can teach all of us a lesson or two. She was the first female engineering student in her college and despite facing ragging from her male classmates, she went on to beat them at academics. She has always been vocal about the issues she faced when she started out with her career and once spoke about how there wasn’t even a ladies’ washroom ready for her when she was admitted to the college.

Sudha came from a long line of academics and her parents were extremely supportive and encouraging of her life aspirations. After she was rejected from a job role at Tata simply because she was a woman, she wrote a stern letter to Ratan Tata and was hired on the spot. While in Pune, Sudha made the acquaintance of a young man named Narayan Murthy. Initially, they didn’t get along well as their personalities were polar opposites. Sudha was an extroverted, confident, and genuinely jovial person while Narayan was a more shy and reserved person.

Eventually, however, the pair found common ground and became friends. Although their intentions weren’t to get involved with one another, Narayan found himself confessing his feelings for Sudha during dinner one night. He asked her to marry him that night and she took her time making her decision. After all, Sudha wanted to seek permission from her parents first and make sure that they approved of the match before they proceeded further.

An Equal Partnership

She spoke about how her parents were totally against Narayan Murthy after he showed up late for their first meeting and did not have any major goals in life besides joining the communist party. Sudha, however, convinced her parents that she was making the right decisions and the pair continued dating for three full years. Narayan took up a full time 9-5 position as a general manager at Patni Computers. It was only then that Sudha’s father was convinced that he would be the right match for her. The two tied the knot in 1978 at Narayan’s home in Bangalore and kept the whole wedding ceremony a quiet family affair. Sudha once said that their wedding cost a mere 800 rupees and that they had both pitched in half-and-half for it.

Sudha has been the pillar of strength in Narayan’s life and has supported his dreams from the start of his career. She had once lent him money that she had set aside for a rainy day just so he could work on his ambitions. Sudha had even taken on the role of breadwinner of the family when Narayan was still in his struggling days and together they built and amassed an entire empire together in the form of Infosys. Tell us what you love the most about Sudha Murthy? Are there any other influential women who inspire you? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Niharika NayakBA (Media & Communication)

 

Niharika has a passion for all things art, music, and travel and has over 4 years of experience in writing for social media. During her spare time, she likes experimenting in the kitchen, playing video games, and hanging out with stray animals.

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