Sudha Murty is a trailblazing Indian educator, author, and philanthropist who has redefined success across multiple domains. Born in 1950 in Shiggaon, Karnataka, she became India’s first female engineer at TATA Engineering, challenging gender barriers through a bold postcard to the company’s chairman. As the founder-chairperson of Infosys Foundation, she has transformed countless lives through extensive social work, establishing over 60,000 libraries, constructing 16,000 public toilets, and supporting numerous educational initiatives.
A prolific writer with over 30 books and 200 titles in Kannada and English, Murty has earned prestigious awards including the Padma Shri in 2006 and Padma Bhushan in 2023, embodying the spirit of social change and intellectual excellence. Continue with the article to know more of Sudha Murty’s Story.
Sudha Murty : Early Life and Education
Sudha Murty was born on August 19,1950 in Shiggaon, Karnataka in an elegant family. Her father Dr. R.H. Kulkarni was a surgeon and mother Vimala Kulkarni was a school teacher. Growing up in an intellectually stimulating environment, she was deeply influenced by her family’s emphasis on education and social service. Her early life was marked by a passion for learning, often spending hours reading stories from the Mahabharata and Ramayana told by her grandparents.
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Academically excellent, Murty completed her Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical and Electronics from B.V.B. College of Engineering & Technology, where she graduated at the top of her class. She further pursued her Master’s in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Science.
Sudha Murty : Beginning of the Professional Works
After completing her Master’s in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Science, Sudha Murty wrote a postcard to TATA’s chairman regarding the gender biased hiring practices prevalent in the company. As a result of this, Sudha Murty was hired at the TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO) becoming the first female engineer. This was the beginning of the milestones Sudha Murty achieved in her life.
Sudha Murty : Authored Several Books
Her early writing was deeply influenced by her grandparents’ storytelling. The book “How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and Other Stories” is a semi-autobiographical collection directly inspired by her family experiences. Her childhood memories of listening to mythological stories from her grandparents significantly shaped her narrative style, particularly evident in her mythology and children’s books.Murty has written over 30 books in English and Kannada, with her works translated into multiple Indian languages.Here are some major books by Sudha Murty
- Gently Falls the Bakula (her debut novel in 1972)
- The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk
- Three Thousand Stitches
- Mahashweta
- Dollar Bahu
- Here, There and Everywhere
- The Serpent’s Revenge: Unusual Tales from the Mahabharata
- The Man from The Egg
- Grandma’s Bag of Stories
- How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and Other Stories
Sudha Murty : Chairman at the Infosys
After joining TELCO, Sudha Murty’s life took a transformative turn when she met Narayan Murthy. In 1981, she became a crucial early supporter of Infosys by lending her husband Rs. 10,000 from her personal emergency fund, becoming the company’s first investor. In 1982, she left TELCO and moved to Pune with Murthy, where they bought a small house that also served as the Infosys office.
During the startup phase, Sudha played multiple roles – cook, programmer, clerk, and office assistant. She even took a job as a Senior Systems Analyst with Walchand Group to support their household. Despite her technical qualifications, Narayan Murthy insisted that only one of them work at Infosys, leading her to prioritize family care while supporting the company’s growth.
In 1996, she founded the Infosys Foundation, establishing numerous schools, hospitals, and orphanages across India. She served as its chairperson until her retirement in 2021, dedicating herself to social development and philanthropy.
Sudha Murty : Major Awards
Some of the Awards given to Sudha Murty are:
- Raja-Lakshmi Award by Sri Raja-Lakshmi Foundation in 2004
- Padma Shri in 2006 for social work
- R.K. Narayana’s Award for Literature in 2006
- Daana Chintamani Attimabbe Award by Karnataka Government in 2010
- Crossword Book Award in 2018
- Honorary LL.D from IIT Kanpur in 2019
- Padma Bhushan in 2023 for social work and literature
- Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar in 2023
- Global Indian Award in 2023
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