After Apollo Healthcare’s Upasana Konidela urged women to invest in themselves by freezing their eggs and focussing on their career in their 20s, Zoho’s CEO Sridhar Vembu has advised youngsters to have children early. “I advise young entrepreneurs I meet, both men and women, to marry and have kids in their 20s and not keep postponing it,” Vembu wrote on X.
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Sridhar Vembu calls having children in 20s ‘demographic duty’
His response came after Upasana, who is married to actor Ram Charan, recently visited the campus of IIT Hyderabad, where she spoke to young students, and told them that the “biggest insurance” for women was to “save your eggs”. She insisted that by doing this, women can choose when they wish to have children, and can do so when they are financially independent. Her comments have led to a backlash with many questioning Upasana’s advice on the grounds of how expensive the procedure is and how Upasana’s advice doesn’t align with her life choices.
Taking a diametrically opposite stand, Zoho Arattai’s Sridhar Vembu said he advises people to have children young as it is their ‘demographic duty’. He wrote, “I tell them they have to do their demographic duty to society and their own ancestors. I know these notions may sound quaint or old-fashioned but I am sure these ideas will resonate again.”
Upasana Kamineni bats for freezing eggs, gives her own example
Upasana Kamineni, who is married to film actor Ram Charan, recently announced that they were now expecting twins. The couple tied the knot in 2012, and welcomed their first baby, a daughter named Klin Kaara in 2023.In a video shared on Instagram, Upasana can be heard saying, “The biggest insurance for women is to save your eggs because then you can choose when to get married, when you want to have kids on your own terms, when you are financially independent. Today, I stand on my own feet. I earn a living for myself. I’m proudly financially independent. This security made me strong and confident to make bold decisions in my life.”
Upasana continued that one needs to have their career path and goals sorted out before they hit 30 and said that one becomes “unstoppable” if they have a road map ready. “Do things that work the best for you. Before you reach your 30s, have your goals ready. Have your career path set and know how much you’re going to earn at every different point in your life. Earn wealth wise, health wise and relationship wise. If you’re clear about your vision, goal and role in life, you become unstoppable,” she said.
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Upasana chose to freeze her eggs in 20s
Upasana has previously spoken at length about freezing her eggs, and how it changed her life as she did not have to rush into motherhood in accordance with her biological clock. She previously told Masoom Minawala, “People think that it is only for fertility reasons that you freeze your eggs but I think you should do it to be secure. It is like an insurance policy. It is like the best insurance a woman can have for herself where she can decide when she wants to have a child on her own terms.”
In a chat with Mid-day, Upasana said that she and Ram decided to freeze her eggs quite early in their marriage as they believed that they had to focus on their career at that time. She said that they wanted to be at a “stable place where we can afford to take care of the child with the income we are generating by ourselves and give our child that lifestyle and stability.”
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Who is Upasana Konidela
Upasana is the granddaughter of Apollo Hospitals founder Prathap C Reddy and heir to the Rs 77,000-crore business empire. Upasana is a key part of the organisation and helps in running the healthcare empire. At present, she serves as the vice chairperson of CSR at Apollo Hospitals and is the managing director of Family Health Plan Insurance. She also founded UR.Life, a holistic wellness platform. Ram Charan is one of the most popular actors in the Telugu film industry. He is the son of veteran actor Chiranjeevi, one of the original stars of the Telugu industry.
