Bangalore’s wedding of the year: Infy Murthy daughter

TCI,which bankrolls projects for children across the developing world,is headed by Chris Hohn,one of the ‘new’ philanthropists — the super-rich who give away a large part of their wealth through self-controlled charities.

Akshata,who left Bangalore as a teenager to study as an undergraduate in the US,has said she would love to set up a company that has an India connection. Deeply influenced by the film Rang de Basanti,she has said that people like her should come into the political system to bring about change.

Confirming the wedding,Narayana Murthy said,“The invitations are getting ready.” He said he could elaborate only after he got his daughter’s permission as “she is very private and low key”.

A few hundred of Akshata Murty’s (who spells her last name differently) and Sunak’s friends — many of them batchmates from Stanford — are expected in Bangalore for the wedding. Given Narayana Murthy’s own business and personal connections in India and overseas,the wedding is expected to high-profile.

But those who know the Murthy family are eager to see if it will indeed be a Big Fat Bangalore Wedding. Unlike many Indian entrepreneurs-made-big,the Murthys,despite their dollar billionnaire status,have retained a certain simplicity in both private and public life.

Murthy,now non-executive chairman and chief mentor of Infosys,has famously said that the real power of money comes from giving it away.

Even without their inheritance,a chunk of the family shareholding already belongs to the Murthy children,Akshata,and her younger brother Rohan,who graduated from Cornell University and is currently a doctoral student in computer science at Harvard University. That makes them independently wealthy.

Both Narayana Murthy and his wife,despite their wealth,have led almost ascetic,Gandhian lives. Murthy is known to wash his own plate after eating,and clean the toilets in their house. The couple never even celebrated their children’s birthdays.

For many years,Sudha Murthy,a novelist who drives charity work through the Infosys Foundation,ran her home without any household help. She is a familiar Bangalore figure,often spotted at bookstores and at the drama theatre wearing a cotton sari with flowers in her hair.

Even after the stupendous rise of Infosys,the Murthys have continued to live in their home in Bangalore’s modest Jayanagar neighbourhood. Their self-confessed extravagance is buying and amassing books and music.

The Murthys married in 1978 with only their families in attendance. The wedding expenses came to Rs 800,which the two split. It will be difficult for the children to match up to their parents’ thrift and modesty,in the style of their wedding or otherwise.