Why is N.R. Narayana Murthy a legendary figure in Indian IT?

N. R. Narayana Murthy is a prominent figure in the field of IT for co-founding Infosys, the global software consulting company headquartered in Bangalore. Murthy has played a key role in taking the company to a global platform after serving as its chairman and CEO.

Born on 20th August 1946, in Sidlaghatta, Karnataka into a middle class family, Murthy stood out as a meritorious student since an early age. He completed engineering at the National Institute of Engineering, and his master’s degree at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. Soon after, he found himself flooded with job offers. However, Murthy chose to work at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmadabad as a chief systems programmer.

After a brief stint at the IIM, Murthy went overseas only to return to his homeland, and start a company named Softronics. It was a failure, and he joined Patni Computer Systems in Pune.

In 1981, Murthy and six other software professionals founded Infosys. He served as its CEO for long 21 years and made significant contributions. He designed and developed what is known as the Global Delivery Model for IT services outsourcing from India. Murthy was also the chief mentor of the company till his retirement in 2011.

Now he is the Chairman Emeritus of Infosys. Murthy was often described as the ‘father of Indian IT sector’.