Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy recently said that parents should create a disciplined environment at home for children to study. He pointed out that parents can't watch movies while expecting their children to focus on their studies. Murthy was responding to a question about how students can concentrate in the age of social media and other distractions.

Murthy shared that he and his wife, Sudha, spent over three and a half hours each day reading with their children, Akshata and Rohan, during their school years to foster a disciplined environment.

Between 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm, the family devoted their time to reading and studying, with the television switched off. After dinner, they extended their study session from 9 pm to 11 pm, demonstrating their commitment to fostering a culture of discipline.

Murthy explained that his wife believed if she was watching TV, she couldn't ask their children to study. So, she decided to give up her TV time and study alongside them. He shared this after unveiling Paul Hewitt’s 13th edition of Conceptual Physics in Bengaluru.

“My wife's logic was, if I am watching TV, I cannot tell my children to study. So she said, I will sacrifice my TV time, and I will also study,” Murthy told the media.

Although his work kept him away during the day, Murthy's wife set a strong example by giving up TV and studying with their children. This allowed the children to ask questions and get help from their parents. However, this might not always be possible if parents haven't studied as much as their children.

“But that's not as important as creating an environment of discipline in learning. That leadership by example is the responsibility of the parents,” Murthy said. “If the parents are going and seeing movies and then telling ‘children, no, no, you study’ (that won’t work),” he said.

Akshata is a fashion designer and venture capitalist, married to former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Rohan is the founder and chief technical officer of the AI company Soroco.

Murthy, 78, said he does not believe in coaching classes. He thinks they are only needed by students who don't pay attention to their teachers in the classroom.

“Coaching classes are the wrong way to help children to pass examinations, I don’t believe in coaching classes,” he said. “Most people who go to coaching classes, they don't listen to their teachers carefully in the class and poor parents, they are not as competent to help them and therefore they see some value (in coaching classes).”

Murthy addressed concerns about the increase in suicides in Kota, a coaching hub, and whether coaching institutes are necessary for admission to IITs and NITs.

The coaching industry in India is flourishing, with an annual value of over ?58,000 crore and a growth rate of around 19-20 percent each year. The online market is projected to reach $2 billion by next year, with a growth rate of over 17 percent per year throughout this decad