Adarsh ​​Samalopanan, vice-chairman of Yes Bank, added a personal twist to the growing debate over L&T’s 90-hour work week controversy.

Sharing an anecdote about his roommate’s job interview with L&T, Samalopanan revealed how even a passion like basketball became a deal breaker in the company’s hiring process.

During the campus internship, his friend faced a difficult dilemma when the interviewer asked, “If you promise to quit basketball and devote all your time to studies, I will hire you.”

His friend, who was the captain of his college basketball team, confidently replied, “Sir, don’t you think that by keeping me healthy through sports, I will be able to provide for the team in the long run?” He added that sports taught him to deliver results under tight deadlines – valuable skills for a position at L&T.

Despite his reasoning, Samalopan’s friend was rejected. Years later, reflecting on the interview in the middle of the 90-hour week line, he joked, “Bhai, I should have told them I was going to quit basketball and work even on Sundays.”

Central trade unions (CTU) on Tuesday condemned the statement of Larsen & Toubro (L&T) chairman SN Subrahmanyan, who advocated extending working hours to 90 hours a week and suggested that employees work on Sundays instead of “looking at their wives” at home. .

Although L&T later clarified that the statement reflected a broader ambition to develop India, it drew widespread criticism from various groups, including women’s rights activists, for its tone and implications for reconciling work and family life.

The Center of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) compared the statements of Mr. Subrahmanyan on Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy’s earlier suggestion of a 70-hour work week, calling it part of a “rogue competition” among business leaders to exploit workers.

CITU General Secretary Tapan Sen criticized the proposal, highlighting its negative impact on the health and social life of workers, especially as Indian employees already work longer hours than those in countries such as China, Europe and the USA Former Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh leader Virjesh Upadhyay also condemned the statement, calling it contradictory to the principles of human dignity and work-life balance. He questioned the justice of these measures coming from people who earn much more than the average worker, and emphasized the need for fair and humane working conditions.