Infy scion motors out of bachelorhood as TVS heiress logs in

“We had absolutely no role in this match,they met through a common friend seven-eight months ago,” said Infosys chairman NR Narayana Murthy. Added TVS’s Venu Srinivasan,“They made the decision last Thursday and when they called us,we were surprised and delighted.”

The duo are well-matched,with Ivy League academic credentials. Rohan Murty,28,who spells his last name like his mother Sudha,graduated from Cornell and is a doctoral student in computer science at Harvard University. His fiancée Lakshmi is a graduate of Yale University and holds a Ph.D. in engineering. In March this year,she joined the board of Sundaram-Clayton,a TVS group company which makes auto components,to oversee strategy. The groom-to-be and his fiancée are individually wealthy. By virtue of his 1.39 percent in Infosys,Rohan is worth over $0.5 billion. Lakshmi is heir to portions of two corporations. While her father heads TVS Motor,her mother Mallika is the vice chairman of Tractor and Farm Equipment,one of the world’s largest farm equipment makers.

Rohan is mathematically-oriented. But friends of the family say he is well-rounded with interests in philosophy,Sanskrit and playing squash. He is witty and has a great sense of humour,says his father. He is very grounded despite his background,his friends describe.

For those who think everybody south of the Vindhyas is “idli-sambhar”,marriages between traditional families from different states are not very common. The Murthys are Kannadiga Madhva Brahmins while the Srinivasans are Tamilian Iyengars. The Madhvas and the Iyengars are traditionally Vishnu worshippers.

Narayana Murthy who founded Infosys is a first-generation entrepreneur. The TVS family dates its entrepreneurial roots back to the early part of the last century.

The Murthys say they are thrilled with the match. “Lakshmi is a great girl,she comes from a wonderful family,” Murthy said.

The wedding date,say the families,will be set by the young couple themselves. “All in the goodness of time,as the saying goes,” said Venu Srinivasan. Will the wedding be a high-profile affair? Srinivasan said pithily,“We are south Indians and not very showy.”