Narayana Murthy, Sudha Murty's daughter Akshata Murty opens up about her love story with former UK PM Rishi Sunak, reveals where it all began

Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, revisited their alma mater, Stanford Graduate School of Business, after nearly two decades. The couple was invited as commencement speakers. They shared inspiring words for those beginning their educational journey at the prestigious business school and also offered a glimpse into their personal lives.

Speaking together on stage, the couple's was combined humour and heartfelt reflections from their old days. They shared life lessons, discussed their personal journey, and explained how Stanford had influenced them, both professionally and as partners.

The former UK PM  Rishi Sunak took to his official YouTube channel to share their speech with caption that read, “Watch Akshata and I return to Stanford GSB 20 years later to give the Commencement speech to the Class of '25.”

While, Akshata Murty, in an Instagram video, recounted how she was often annoyed by Rishi Sunak during their college days, particularly when he would insist on joining her for runs and then wouldn't stop talking.

However, she also praised her husband, discussing his ideals and perspectives. "An idealist with nothing to show for it is still just an idealist. A practical idealist can achieve the remarkable," Murty wrote.

Akshata Murty, who spoke about her journey from India to California, adding that Stanford was nothing short of transformational, said, “This is literally where we met.”

“It opened our eyes to a whole new way of thinking. It also changed the course of our lives,” she said.

Murty revealed that their connection might have been destined as a former admissions director once told her, based on their application essays alone, that she and Sunak were meant to be together.

She mentioned that this conclusion was reached by the admissions director after reading their admissions essays, even before the couple had met.

Meanwhile, Sunak shared a three-part framework of lessons they had learned together and from each other. The first was about the “comfort of data.” “I’m a numbers guy,” he said, adding that it helped him bond with his father-in-law, Infosys founder Narayana Murthy.

Rohan Murty posted on LinkedIn, sharing several photos of his sister and brother-in-law. "Nineteen years ago, I watched my sister graduate from Stanford's MBA program. This year, I returned to the same ceremony—but with an incredible twist. My sister, Akshata Murty, and her husband, former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, were the commencement speakers!" Rohan Murty wrote.

He added, “Witnessing the incredible changes in my sister’s life over nearly two decades was truly moving."