I admire people who provoke me to think. I may not agree with some of their views but I am glad they make me pause, think and re-think. Not many such people are around, and we should be grateful that there are the likes of Mr N. R. Narayana Murthy (NRN) and Mr S. N. Subrahmanyan (SNS). They have earned their place in the world and, during their long and distinguished careers, have cultivated the quality of speaking their minds. People listen to NRN and SNS, and react — some aggressively!
Both NRN and SNS did not inherit wealth. Nor are they employees/industrial workers who draw a salary or wage. They are qualified professionals and have grown from engineers to first-generation entrepreneurs. As such, they have a share in the profits of their enterprises. Their world view is different from the views of ‘inheritors’ and ‘employees’. Consequently, their view of work-life balance is also different.
Inheritors do not have to work their way up from the bottom. They know, and everybody else in the business knows, that the inheritors will reach the top one day. I am afraid most inheritors, except about a dozen old families, did not create value or wealth.
Some, unfortunately, destroyed value and wealth. Just compare the lists of the top 10 business houses of India before 1991 and today. More first-generation entrepreneurs have created wealth. As far as workers and employees are concerned, most of them are content to receive wages/salaries (and periodic revisions thereto). They have neither the skills nor the ambition to grow beyond their present status. I have noticed that, by and large, it is the inheritors and employees who criticized NRN and SNS on their remarks on how many hours should one work in a week.
Norm is not Normal
NRN advocated 70 hours of work a week. SNS allegedly said 90 hours a week. I believe what they said was not outrageous from their point of view. NRN said, “India’s work productivity is one of the lowest in the world….therefore, my request is that our youngsters must say, ‘this is my country, I want to work 70 hours a week’.” When those remarks sparked intense debate, he refused to back down. SNS, in an undated video, said, “I regret I am not able to make you work on Sundays, to be honest. I will be more than happy to make you work on Sundays, I work on Sundays.”
The 8-hour day for industrial workers first became law in Germany in 1918. Since then ‘8 hours labour, 8 hours recreation and 8 hours rest’ has become a universal norm. There is a nice ring to 8-8-8, although I know of no one who spends 8 hours a day on ‘recreation’. I suppose ‘recreation’ includes eating, washing, exercise, playing sports, watching movies, reading newspapers and books, shopping, chatting, gossiping, etc. If you look at it that way, 8 hours doesn’t seem enough for ‘recreation’!
Most industrial workers do repetitive tasks. Few learn new skills and graduate to do more complex jobs. When desk jobs became prevalent, employers copied the 8-8-8 norm. Most desk employees also do repetitive tasks. Hence, I agree that for the vast majority of workers/employees, it makes sense to adopt the 8-8-8 norm. With the advent of automation, robotics and AI, the norm may change to fewer hours of work. They need not work longer hours but need the tools, technology and systems to become more productive. I think NRN’s and SNS’s remarks were not aimed at such workers and employees.
On the contrary, farmers, especially self-employed farmers, do not follow the 8-8-8 norm. In farm work, the first 8 hours is likely to stretch to 10 or 12 hours a day. Similarly, professionals like doctors, lawyers, judges, architects, scientists, actors, etc. do not work just 8 hours a day. I know professionals whose working hours stretch to 12 hours a day and extend into Saturday and, in many cases, Sunday. Few successful professionals complain about the long working hours that they have willingly adopted. Hence, the so-called norm is not a uniform rule applicable to all human beings.
most read
Discover for Oneself
I enjoy working long hours a day, but my definition of ‘work’ includes practising law, parliamentary work, reading, writing, speaking, listening to the public, talking to party workers and attending select social functions. I consider every hour when I am not sleeping as a ‘working hour’. Work-life balance is something that each individual has to discover for himself or herself, and I am happy that I have discovered mine.
Having achieved enormous success and reached the top, I think NRN and SNS are qualified to speak about ‘longer’ hours of work for Indians. I don’t think it has anything to do with financial rewards, as insinuated by some trolls and memes. I know many men and women who are unaffected by large incomes or great wealth: they lead a spartan life, eat simple food, do not drink, dress neatly but not flashily, and are unassuming and kind. I believe NRN and SNS were exhorting the aspirational young generation to imbibe the lesson that it is long hours of productive work that will make a developing country truly rich and improve the lives of millions of people.
In my view, there was nothing controversial about the remarks made by NRN and SNS. If anything, their words may have had the unintended effect of provoking people to think. Which may not be a bad thing in the search for work-life balance!
Discover the Benefits of Our Subscription!
Stay informed with access to our award-winning journalism.
Avoid misinformation with trusted, accurate reporting.
Make smarter decisions with insights that matter.
Choose your subscription package
