Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani has offered a humorous take on the much-debated issue of work-life balance which has been wreaking havoc in the Indian business world. Insisting that enjoying work is essential for achieving work-life balance, Adani quipped in a media interview: “Aath ghanta family ke saath bitayega toh biwi bhaag jaayegi (Wife will run away if eight hours are spent with the family).
Adani said work-life balance is a matter of personal choice. “Your idea of work-life balance shouldn’t be imposed on me and my idea shouldn’t be imposed on you. Let’s say someone spends 4 hours with their family and finds joy in it or someone else spends 8 hours on it and enjoys it , that is your balance between personal and work life…”
Adani’s comments follow NRN suggestion of a 70-hour work week
Talking about work-life balance, Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani said, “Let’s say someone spends four hours with family and enjoys it, or someone else spends eight hours and enjoys it, that’s your work-life balance. However, if you spend eight hours with your family, biwi bhaag jayegi (wife will run away).”
Adani group chairman’s comments came amid ongoing debates and discussions sparked by Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy’s suggestion of a 70 hour work week. Murthy has previously spoken of working up to 90 hours a week during his career and has positioned hard work as a responsibility for those who have benefited from government-subsidized education.
The boss insisted that work-life balance is achieved when people participate in activities they enjoy. “Your work and life are balanced when you do the things you love. For us, it is family or work; we have no other world than that. Our children also notice the same and absorb it. They are also equally hardworking,” Adani said.
He believes that recognizing one’s own mortality simplifies life. “Personal character and humility are the most important things. The rest, in my opinion, is all artificial, including your wealth, etc. What you eat, I eat. What money gives you is the power to decide what and how you can impact by using it. Everyone is going through the journey of life. Nobody is here to live permanently. “When a person understands this, life becomes simpler,” he said.