(MENAFN- Live Mint) In a forceful public response, Shark Tank India judge and Emcure Pharmaceuticals executive director Namita Thapar has sharply criticised Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu for his recent advice urging young Indians to marry and have children in their twenties.

Vembu's comments, which he framed as a“demographic duty” to society and one's ancestors, ignited a fierce debate on social media - and Thapar has now demanded that influential leaders concentrate on more substantive social issues.

How did this controversy begin?

The controversy began when Vembu responded to a post by Upasana Konidela, vice-chairperson of CSR at Apollo Hospitals and spouse of actor Ram Charan, following her visit to IIT Hyderabad. According to Konidela, when she asked students how many of them wanted to marry,“more men raised their hands than the women,” prompting her to comment that“women seemed far more career-focused... This is the new – Progressive India.”

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In response, Vembu wrote on X that he advises“young entrepreneurs... to marry and have kids in their 20s and not keep postponing it.” He justified this by arguing that forming a family early is“a demographic duty to society and their own ancestors.” He acknowledged that his views may sound“quaint or old-fashioned,” but expressed confidence that they would“resonate again.”

What did Namita Thapar have to say to Sridhar Vembu's take?

Namita Thapar hit back swiftly. On X, she posted a withering critique, calling on powerful figures like Vembu to tackle“real issues” rather than prescribing deeply personal life decisions.“A leader with influence has a huge responsibility to use his/her voice responsibly to take up REAL issues,” she wrote.

In her post, Thapar sarcastically compared Vembu's“marry in your 20s” prescription to the now-infamous call for a 70-hour work week.“Ten minutes back, I was shocked to read about this 'marry in your 20s' gyan... similar to another favourite number of mine – '70-hour work week'!!” she said, referencing comments made by Narayana Murthy in earlier years.

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Thapar didn't stop there. She proactively offered numbers she believes deserve public discussion:“Since you love numbers so much, I would like to suggest two real numbers you can give gyan on next time: 1) 57 per cent of women have anaemia. 2) Less than 20 per cent of women participate in the workforce, and both numbers haven't budged in years!!!!”

To drive her point home, Thapar posted a video wherein she questioned Vembu's use of the word“duty.” She argued that such“duty-laden” rhetoric often imposes the greatest burden on women - physically, emotionally, and socially.“Women suffer the most to carry out this 'duty',” she said, citing the life cycle challenges faced by many women: from the onset of menstruation at a young age, through pregnancy, childcare and even perimenopause.

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Thapar demanded a re-thinking of what“duty” should mean in modern India:“What about our duty towards prioritising our health, our needs and our dreams? And in that process, if we marry late, so be it. What's wrong with our leaders? What numbers are we discussing? 70-hour work weeks? Marry in your twenties?”

Thapar framed these as issues of real consequence - systemic challenges that affect women's health, economic independence, and long-term well-being - and said such matters should command far more attention than prescriptive social advice rooted in tradition.

Internet reacts

Thapar 's comments resonated widely on social media, drawing praise from many young professionals and gender-equity advocates who wrote comments like, "Absolutely agree! Leaders have a powerful platform and a responsibility to focus on real, impactful issues. It's crucial to break free from societal expectations and focus on what truly matters-whether it's work-life balance or individual growth. Let's lead by example and focus on substance over superficiality (sic)".

Another person wrote,“Well said, @namitathapar!!! 👏👏👏To everyone telling women when to marry or have kids: your opinion is neither useful nor required (sic).”

However, the other section, who did not agree with Thapar, wrote, "Women should marry, give birth to child, maintain family, do community duties, do Pooja path, be a supportive wife and basis of healthy family and eventually society. And housewife should, will have highest respect. Don't b a corporate slave (sic)."

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Similarly someone commented,“Aren't women finding comfort in homemaking. Every year govt launches multiple schemes and each scheme has something extra for women, still their participatory level at the grassroots level is not increasing and it's not women's fault that they don't want to work, it has so much ingrained in their mindset not to come out of their comfort zone, so many are voting on laadli behen yojna (sic).”

Namita Thapar's response shows that many people, especially women and progressives, are tired of being told how they should live their lives based on traditional expectations.

he wants public discussions to move away from giving personal life advice and instead focus on real, long-standing problems in society.

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