New Delhi: NR Narayana Murthy, the co-founder of Infosys, has recently made headlines by gifting shares worth more than ₹240 crore to his four-month-old grandson, Ekagrah Rohan Murty. Ekagrah now holds 1,500,000 shares of Infosys, which represents a 0.04 percent ownership stake in the company. This transaction took place outside the public market, as indicated by an exchange filing.
Following this gift, Mr Murthy’s own stake in Infosys has decreased from 0.40 percent to 0.36 percent, equivalent to 1.51 crore shares. Ekagrah, born in November 2023 to Rohan Murty and Aparna Krishnan, is the third grandchild of Narayan and Sudha Murty, who are also grandparents to two daughters of Akshata Murty and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Ekagrah’s name draws inspiration from the character Arjuna in the Mahabharata, with ‘Ekagrah’ in Sanskrit signifying unwavering focus and determination. Infosys, which commenced its journey with a humble investment of ₹10,000 in 1981, has since emerged as India’s second-largest technology company.
Sudha Murty, an accomplished author and philanthropist, played a crucial role in Infosys’ early days by bootstrap financing the company with her modest savings. After dedicating more than 25 years to leading the Infosys Foundation, she retired from her position in December 2021, continuing her charitable efforts through her family’s foundation. Recently, she assumed office as a member of the Rajya Sabha.
Mr. Murthy sparked a vigorous debate last year when he advocated for young individuals to work 70 hours a week. Making these remarks in a podcast, he argued that the educated populace owes it to the less fortunate to exert themselves “extremely hard.” While some concurred with Mr. Murthy’s stance, others criticized it, expressing concerns about potential burnout. In response to the backlash, Mr Murthy defended his viewpoint, citing support from “good people” and “NRIs.”
