'Would've jumped off a cliff for Narayana Murthy': Nandan Nilekani on working with Infosys co-founder

Nilekani tagged his interview with Murthy as the defining moment of his life, and went on to say how this meeting eventually led to the formation of Infosys in 1981.

Infosys co-founder and business baron Narayana Murthy has been in the spotlight in recent months, thanks to his rather controversial statements, which sparked much debate among Indian professionals. Be it his push for a 70-hour work week in the country, or his views on work-life balance, Murthy has stirred the hornet's nest on a number of occassions in the recent past.

Now, Nandan Nilekani, Murthy's founding partner at Infosys, has shared his experience of working with him in a recent interview with LinkedIn CEO Ryan Roslansky. Nilekani, an IIT Bombay graduate, reminisced about the time he met Murthy for the first time in 1978. A seemingly overwhelmed Nilekani had nothing but praise and admiration for Murthy. He tagged his interview with Murthy as the defining moment of his life, and went on to say how this meeting eventually led to the formation of Infosys in 1981.

"When I heard about this mini-computer company, I said, ‘Wow, this sounds exciting’," Nilekani said during the interview, as he referred to himself as an "accidental entrepreneur". He also revealed how Narayana Murthy played a particularly significant role in his career and life in general. "I was willing to do anything for him. If he had asked me to jump off a cliff, I would have done it. Working with him was an incredible experience," he revealed.

Other than being the co-founder of Infosys along with Narayana Murthy, Nilekani is also credited with being the creator of the Aadhaar.

Earlier this month, 78-year-old Narayana Murthy made the headlines when he revealed that he was disappointed and 'not very happy' when Indian companies moved to a five-day work week from a six-day one in 1986.

“I was not very happy with that. I think in this country, we have to work very hard because there is no substitute for hard work even if you're the most intelligent guy," he said in an interview with CNBC Global Leadership Summit on November 14. Defending his philosophy of a 70-hour work week, he further added, "I don't believe in work-life balance… I am sorry, I have not changed my view; I will take this with me to my grave."