• Source:JND
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Narayana Murthy Viral Post: Just when people thought the long debate around work hours had finally cooled down, a familiar voice has brought it back into the spotlight. Infosys founder Narayana Murthy, whose earlier call for a longer work week sparked huge arguments online, has once again shared his thoughts, and this time he’s comparing India’s work culture to China’s.

The earlier storm had begun when he suggested that Indian companies should consider a “70-hour work week,” a statement that led to endless discussions, memes, opinions, and even fights on social media. Months later, the noise had almost died out, until now. In a recent interview with Republic TV, the 79-year-old businessman doubled down on his idea by pointing towards China’s work pattern. He highlighted a popular phrase used there: “There is a saying in China, 9, 9, 6. You know what it means? 9 am to 9 pm, 6 days a week. And that is 72 hours work-week.”

For many Indians, this comparison came as a surprise. China’s 9-9-6 schedule is common across many companies, but workers have strongly criticised it for exhausting them, harming their work-life balance, and increasing stress. In fact, China’s own Supreme Court declared this routine illegal back in 2021.

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Still, Murthy’s remark spread quickly online. The clip was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by the handle ‘IndianTechGuide,’ and within hours, it recieved 1.8 million views as people jumped back into the debate, some in support, many questioning, and everyone talking.

"There’s a saying in Europe, 10, 5, 5. You know what it means - 10 am to 5 pm, 5 days a week. They go for walks, trekking, meet friends, and “enjoy” life. Please guide India in the right direction, uncle. We wanna live," a user wrote. "You can't expect 100km mileage on a drop of oil; similarly, one cannot expect to work overtime with a peanut salary and 0 hike," a second user wrote.

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"Quoting China’s 9-9-6 as a benchmark sounds great on paper, but India doesn’t even have the basic ecosystem for it, fair salaries, work-life balance, mental health support, or productivity-focused culture. Harder hours won’t fix deeper structural issues," wrote a third user. "Great idea, sir, but first give China-level salaries, infrastructure, and cost of living. Then we’ll talk," added a fourth user.

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