Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani's 'irritating' advice later became actor-writer Girish Karnad's best investment ever

Girish Karnad, a towering figure in Indian theatre, was a multifaceted personality — playwright, actor, writer, and activist — whose contribution to the cultural landscape of India remains unparalleled. He passed away in 2019 at the age of 81, leaving behind a legacy that spanned literature, cinema, and public discourse. Widely celebrated for his artistic achievements, Karnad was also a Jnanpith Award recipient and a Rhodes Scholar, accolades that underscored his intellectual depth and creative prowess.

However, beyond the stage and screen, Karnad had an interesting, lesser-known connection to India’s IT boom through an early investment in Infosys. The was shared by Rollo Romig, the author of "I Am on the Hit List Murder and Myth-making in South India" while sharing the book excerpt on a news portal Scroll.in. During the company’s formative years, Karnad was encouraged by Nandan Nilekani, one of Infosys' co-founders and a distant relative, to invest in its shares. Both of them also hailed from Dharwad in Karnataka. Initially reluctant and disinterested in the world of finance and investment, Karnad was eventually persuaded to buy some shares for personal and familial reasons. What began as a reluctant gesture turned out to be a life-altering decision.

“I said, no, I don’t want to buy shares, I’m not interested in investment,” Karnad told Rollo Romig. “He (Nilekani) said, take it, take it. I got very irritated; I said to my wife, look, this Nandan Nilekani is irritating me. I told him I don’t want shares, but he won’t let go. And my wife gave a very typical small-town answer: she said, you know, he has such nice parents, they’re such loving relatives to us, why don’t you buy a few shares? So I bought it for family reasons. And suddenly within ten years it had become the miracle firm, and those shares paid for this house. That really pulled me up from being a lower-middle-class family man to a comfortable economic frame. I wish I’d invested more.”

Infosys went public in June 1993 with shares priced at Rs. 95. Over the years, the company’s valuation skyrocketed, and it issued multiple bonus shares, enriching early investors. Karnad’s modest investment in Infosys eventually brought him considerable financial comfort. He once reflected that the returns from those shares were substantial enough to help him buy a house, significantly improving his financial standing and offering him a level of economic stability he hadn’t experienced before.

While Karnad benefited from the IT revolution in an unexpected way, he also remained deeply thoughtful about its broader social consequences. He observed how the rapid transformation of Bangalore into a tech hub had left many local residents feeling alienated.

Despite these reservations, Karnad maintained a personal and professional connection with Nilekani. In 2014, he publicly supported Nilekani during his Lok Sabha election campaign, when the Infosys co-founder contested on a Congress party ticket. Karnad's journey into the world of drama began during his time at Oxford, where he penned his first play, Yayati. At just 26, he wrote Tughlaq, which went on to become one of the most significant works in Indian theatre. He later wrote numerous acclaimed plays in Kannada, cementing his place as a major literary force.