Indian Billionaires Hunker Down In Safety Bubbles As Covid Rages On

"I've been indoors with my family and our staff, that's my story," said Kris Gopalakrishnan, one of the billionaire-cofounders of IT giant Infosys Ltd.

Some of India's richest people are forming bubbles with their families and staff, while others are leaving for homes outside of major cities as a virus resurgence overwhelms the country's medical system and spurs other nations to shut out Indian travelers. "I've been indoors with my family and our staff, that's my story," said Kris Gopalakrishnan, one of the billionaire-cofounders of IT giant Infosys Ltd. who now runs a Bangalore-based venture to support startups. The group are shunning outside contact and only eating home-cooked meals, he said. Another Infosys co-founder, Nandan Nilekani said in a text message that he was also holed up in his home in the Indian tech capital, as a second, more lethal wave of coronavirus cases sweeps the nation of 1.3 billion people. The return of the virus spurred many wealthy families to flee India, some on private jets, before countries from Australia to the U.K. started to ban flights from what is now the coronavirus epicenter of the world. Others are hunkering down, running vast empires from their homes and helping provide essential aid like oxygen supplies and protective equipment. Byju Raveendran, the billionaire founder of India's most valuable startup, online-education provider Byju's, is confined with his extended family in a series of houses in Bangalore's HSR Layout neighborhood -- popularly referred to as Unicorn Row given it's home to a bevy of startups valued at more than $1 billion.