by 2 Cylivers
BANGALORE: Infosys chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy (and Ex-Chairman) has upset an hornet's nest by making his controversial remarks on the Indian national anthem during President Abdul Kalam's visit to the company's new facility in Mysore on Sunday, April 8, 2007.
"We had arranged for five people to sing the anthem. But then we cancelled it as we have foreigners on board here. They should not be embarrassed while we sing the anthem" is what he apparently said when journalists questioned him about Infosys' decision to play an instrumental version of the national anthem.
In a damage-control effort, the company claimed that the context of the statement was not adequately dealt with in the reports. Later on Tuesday, Mr. Murthy tendered an apology. "I apologise to those who may have been hurt by my comments on the instrumental version of the anthem played during President Kalam's visit" he said.
Regardless of the apology and the salvage efforts, the decision somehow indicates Mr. Murthy and / or Infosys' extremeley asinine efforts to be politically correct and sensitive. After all, if an expatriate worker finds the national anthem of the country of his residence to be offensive or embarassing, he or she has no business to be in that country! Period!
