Einstein got this honour. This week, Narayana Murthy's family did too

The Murthy family celebrated three landmark achievements in a single week. Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty received honorary doctorates, while S R Kulkarni earned the Royal Astronomical Society's Gold Medal, whose past recipients include Albert Einstein, Edwin Hubble and Stephen Hawking.Narayana Murthy's son shares family's rare week, featuring an honour won by EinsteinSome weeks are memorable. Others become part of family history. For the Murthys, the past week brought three extraordinary milestones. Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy received his 40th honorary doctorate, while Sudha Murty was conferred her 24th.The celebrations were capped by another landmark achievement as renowned astrophysicist Shrinivas Ramchandra Kulkarni received the Royal Astronomical Society's Gold Medal in Astronomy, one of the world's oldest and most prestigious scientific honours. It's past recipients include Albert Einstein, Edwin Hubble and Stephen Hawking.Rohan Murty shared the family's extraordinary week on X with characteristic humility, joking that while his parents and uncle collected honours, his own contribution was simply "the photographs."A TWO-CENTURY-OLD MEDAL JOINS THE FAMILYThe week's most historic recognition went to Rohan Murty's maternal uncle, renowned astrophysicist Shrinivas Ramchandra Kulkarni, who was awarded the Royal Astronomical Society's Gold Medal in Astronomy. Instituted in 1824, the medal is among the world's oldest and most respected scientific honours. Its distinguished list of recipients includes Charles Babbage, Albert Einstein, Edwin Hubble, and Stephen Hawking. Indian-American Nobel laureate Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar had long been the only Indian associated with this honour, making Kulkarni's recognition a landmark moment for Indian astronomy.ROHAN MURTY'S HEARTFELT TRIBUTESharing the milestones on X, Rohan summed up the week with three numbers: 40, 24, and a medal two centuries old. He then added a touch of humour, writing that his own contribution was "the photographs." Ending his post on an emotional note, he congratulated all three family members, calling them "still the best teachers I've had."The post quickly won praise on social media, with users hailing the Murthys as a family of "legendary personalities" and applauding their relentless pursuit of excellence. Many also pointed out that the post, shared on Guru Purnima, was a fitting tribute to teachers, mentors and the spirit of lifelong learning.While the numbers, 40 honorary doctorates, 24 honorary doctorates, and a 200-year-old scientific medal, are remarkable in themselves, the story is ultimately about a family whose influence spans technology, literature, philanthropy, and science. For Rohan Murty, however, the greatest honour remains learning from the people he proudly calls his best teachers.- EndsPublished By: Apoorva AnandPublished On: Jul 30, 2026 15:39 IST