Narayana Murthy's wife Sudha Murthy's Real Life Experience
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THERE are two photographs that hang on my office wall. Everyday when I enter my office I look at them before starting my day. They are pictures of two old people. One is of a gentleman in a blue suit and the other is a black and white image of a man with dreamy eyes and a white beard. People have often asked me if the people in the photographs are related to me.
Some have even asked me, "Is this black and white photo that of a Sufi saint or a religious Guru?"
I smile and reply "No, nor are they related to me. These people made an impact on my life. I am grateful to them."
"Who are they?"
"The man in the blue suit is Bharat Ratna JRD Tata and the black and white photo is of Jamsetji Tata."
"But why do you have them in your office?"" You can call it gratitude."
Then, invariably, I have to tell the person the following story.
It was a long time ago. I was young and bright, bold and idealistic. I was in the final year of my Master's course in Computer Science at The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore, then known as the Tata Institute. Life was full of fun and joy. I did not know what helplessness or injustice meant.
It was probably the April of 1974. Bangalore was getting warm and gulmohars were blooming at the IISc campus. I was the only girl in my postgraduate department and was staying at the ladies' hostel. Other girls were pursuing research in different departments of Science. I was looking forward to going abroad to complete a doctorate in computer science. I had been offered scholarships from Universities in the US. I had not thought of taking up a job in India.
One day, while on the way to my hostel from our lecture-hall ...