Rishi Sunak's rise to power has drawn attention in India. It is not only because he is the first Prime Minister of British-Asian descent.
His wife Akshata Murthy is the daughter of Indian billionaire Narayana Murthy, one of the country's top businessmen, known as the 'Bill Gates of India'.
Akshata Murthy, the heir to a multi-billion-crore fortune, also grabbed a lot of attention when she acquired non-domicile status earlier this year. (Foreign nationals resident in the UK with non-dom status do not need to pay UK government tax on their income earned outside the UK.)
He agreed to pay UK tax on his overseas income after criticism that he had avoided UK tax by using non-dom status.
Despite her family's immense wealth, Akshata Murthy had very humble beginnings.
Her father Narayana Murthy recalled in a collection of letters to his daughter published in 2013 that he heard the news of Akshata Murthy's birth in Hubli in April 1980 from a colleague as his family could not afford a telephone.
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"Your mother and I were young then. Struggling to find our way in life," he wrote.
Live with grandparents...
When he was just a few months old, he was sent to live with his paternal grandparents. Because his mother Sudha Murthy and father focused on advancing their careers in Mumbai.
A year later, Narayana Murthy became one of the founders of Infosys, an IT services company that would make him one of India's richest men.
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Akshata Murthy's parents focused on their two children's education and hard work. "There was no television in their home to allow them to spend time alone for things like reading, discussing, meeting friends," said Narayana Murthy.
Akshata Murthy studied economics and French at the private, liberal Claremont McKenna College in California. He then went on to work at Deloitte and Unilever, earning a diploma from a fashion college. Later he was doing his MBA from Stanford University.
It was then that he met Soonak in the university. They got married in 2009 and have two daughters.
The 42-year-old started her career in finance before launching her own fashion label Akshata Designs in California.
In remote Indian villages...
His Akshata Designs launched its first collection in 2011. She told Vogue India that she collaborates with artists in remote Indian villages to create her designs.
Akshata Murty with Rishi Sunak's parents at a leadership hustings in August
However, The Guardian reported that business collapsed within three years.
One of his main business interests is the London-based arm of Catamaran Ventures, which invests in start-ups and was founded in 2013 by Akshada Murthy and Sunak.
Akshada Murthy is also listed as a director of Digme Fitness in Companies House. It is a paid gym chain.
The company was placed under court-appointed receivership in February this year after revenues fell despite receiving 'furlough' funding during the Covid-19 disaster.
Akshata Murthy's LinkedIn profile also lists her as the director of New & Lingwood, a high-end menswear retailer.
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He holds 0.9% stake in Infosys. According to the company's latest annual report, its value is estimated at around 700 million euros.
His stake in the company became the subject of controversy when the company came under pressure to shut down its operations in Moscow following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In April, the BBC was told that Infosys was closing its office in Russia.
Some questions among common people
More broadly, the immense wealth of the Sunak-Murthy couple raised some questions among the common people. Some raised the question of whether he was out of touch with the common man, especially during the basic expenditure crisis.
In the past, spouses of some Prime Ministers, including Theresa May's husband Philip May, have made big public appearances.
Human rights lawyer Cheri Blair continued her work after her husband Tony Blair moved into the Prime Minister's House. It caught a lot of attention. Cheri Blair often made headlines for her volunteer work and book deals.
So far Akshata Murthy doesn't seem to have sought the attention of the rumours. Instead, recent controversies have thrust him into the media spotlight.
Now that her husband has ascended to the top of British politics, the interest in Akshada Murthy is even greater.
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