Author and philanthropist Sudha Murty recently revealed why she spells her surname differently from her husband Narayana Murthy, the co-founder of Infosys. In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Sudha Murty said that having “t-h-y” in her surname is not in sync with the Sanskrit pronunciation of the same. The 73-year-old explained, “Sanskrit is the perfect language, and for every pronunciation, there is a letter. So when I said ‘t-h-y’ it sounds like थ”. She elaborated that Murty in Sanskrit means statue so it cannot be “t-h-y”. Instead using “t-y” is accurate with the Sanskrit pronunciation. The bestselling author added that she insisted on using “Murty” as her surname at the time of her marriage.
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Narayana Murthy said that he had no issues with his wife and their children using a different spelling as he is very open-minded about such things. He highlighted the importance of respecting each other’s beliefs and reaching a comprise. The billionaire businessman said, “We should agree to disagree without being disagreeable.” He added throughout his life he tried to lead by example and believed that forcing his will on his wife about picking his version of their surman did not align with his values.
Previously, in a 2015 interview with The Telegraph, Sudha Murty revealed that her preference for “t-y” over “t-h-y” dates back to her college days with Narayana Murthy.
She recalled, “I met Murthy long back. He was a good friend of mine. From the college days I knew him. So I used to tell Murthy, your surname is spelt wrong. He said my family’s surname is this and I shall continue like this…. And then when we decided to marry, I said Murthy, I am not convinced. Why should I be M-u-r-t-h-y? That’s the wrong spelling.”
Sudha Murty said that initially, she wanted to stick to her maiden name, Kulkarni. However, her father objected to it and insisted that she take up her husband’s surname after marriage. She acquiesced but stuck to her version of the correct spelling. She recalled, “I was not convinced that t-h-y is the correct spelling of Murthy. So I made it M-u-r-t-y. Murthy uses t-h-y, I use t-y. When my son grew up I said, ‘Beta, your father uses the wrong spelling. Even at the Murty Classical Library, I made it M-u-r-t-y. It’s not about spellings, it’s about what I believe. If it is legally, ethically right, I feel I should do it.”
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