She does not need an intro…
Sudha Murthy noticed a vacancy at auto company TELCO that asked women candidates to not apply for the role. Following which she sent the postcard to JRD Tata questioning the company’s policy. Murthy asked him why a socially conscious company like Tata Group was not considering giving women a chance?
After reading her letter, JRD Tata directed his staff to interview Sudha to test her technical skills and asked to hire her if she fits the role. Sudha did well in the interview and successfully secured the job. She also became the first woman technical officer in TELCO.
This was just the beginning –
Some women are born to instigate. Be it Mother Teresa, Sarojni Naidu, or Kalpana Chawla, women have always been a source of motivation and a catalyst for social change. One such name is Sudha Murty who has made an outstanding impact on Indian society. A writer, philanthropist, and also entrepreneur, Sudha Murthy is greatly admired for being a prolific writer, facilitating the education of poor children, and for being one of the brains behind Infosys, which is one of India’s leading IT companies.
“With my experience in life, I want to tell you that having good relationships, compassion, and peace of mind is much more important than achievements, awards, degrees, or money.”
This simple and soberly dressed woman in traditional Indian attire, Sudha Murthy’s philanthropic work has garnered her worldwide appreciation. From becoming the first female Engineer of India to heading a company like Infosys, her seriousness towards making a change in society and her educational journey has played a significant role in her making.
“Life is an exam where the syllabus is unknown and question papers are not set. Nor are there model answer papers.”
Sudha Murthy has always been a campaigner of women’s rights and a pioneer in the development of education. She has written a humongous volume of literature which includes books for kids as well. Sudha Murthy’s inexorable efforts at contributing towards the improvement in society have made her a brand name. Through her Infosys Foundation, she has helped in spreading awareness about education, public hygiene, poverty alleviation, and more. She is an active member of the Gates Foundation. Her efforts at revolutionizing the Education System of India have been extraordinary.
Early years of Sudha Murthy
On 19 August 1950, Sudha Murthy was born in a Brahmin family. Her father Dr. R.H. Kulkarni, who was a surgeon and her mother Vimala Kulkarni supported her in her endeavors right from her childhood. An educated atmosphere in the family instilled in her fervor to do something extraordinary at an early age. Her early life experiences and affinity to her grandmother became the foundation for some of her renowned books.
“If you try to please everyone, you will please no one. It is impossible to lead your life for others’ happiness.”
Education played a strong role in her life
Sudha Murthy’s education has a major role to play in shaping her as a successful author, even though her educational path was more technical. Her hard work and commitment are clear from the fact that she emerged as a topper during her bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
Sudha Murthy completed her BE in Electrical Engineering from B.V.B College of Engineering, Hubli, where she won a gold medal for her exceptional academic performance. Later on, she considered the option for higher studies and went to pursue her ME in Computer Science in 1974 from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and later received a gold medal from Karnataka chief minister for topping both the final exams.
Her simplicity is her strength
In September 2020, a picture of Sudha Murthy got viral online. In the photo, Sudha was sitting amidst the heap of vegetables with the caption that the Co-founder of Infosys foundation Sudha Murthy every year spends a day selling vegetables to scrap her ego and remain down to earth. However, the claim was false.
The reality was, Sudha believes in the practice of seva (public service). And so, every year, she visits the Raghavendra Swamy temple in Bengaluru at 4 am to devote herself to seva. During her seva, she washes utensils, dusts shelves, chops vegetables, and sweeps the floor.
Sudha believes that it is easy to give money but devoting yourself to physical seva is not. She further added that we are all equal in the eye of God but not in the eyes of society.
“I published my first book at 29, but wrote essays from 16 years old!”
Author of over 20 novels and stories in her native language Kannada and English, she is most famously known for her popular book “Dollar Bahu”- a simple tale of wife comparison and mindset in today’s India. Her latest- The Man from The Egg is a dive into one of her most favorite subjects, Mythology and she adds,
” I grew up in a village where there was no other form of entertainment other than reading; I got the love for books from my grandfather. I grew up with mythology, and that’s why it’s a close subject of mine.”
Sudha Murthy Awards and Accolades
In her long vocation, Sudha Murthy has learned a lot.
“Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision is merely passing time. But vision and action together can change the world.”
- India’s fourth-highest civilian honor Padma Shri in 2006 Gold medal from Indian Institute of Engineers, India
- Cash award for securing highest marks in SSLC
- Gold medal from Chief Minister of Karnataka Sri Devaraj Urs, for securing the highest marks in B.E in the state
- CS Desai Prize for standing first in University of Karnataka
- Best Teacher Award in 1995 by Rotary Club of Karnataka
- ‘Ojaswini’ award for excellent social work for the year 2000
- ‘Millenium Mahila Shiromani’ award
- R.K. Narayan’s Award of Literature
- Honorary LLD for her contribution to promoting formal legal education and scholarship in India
- Life Time Achievement Award at the Crossword-Raymond Book Awards
- “Hemmeya-Kannadiga” award from television
- IIT Kanpur awarded her Honorary degree of Doctor of Science
Sudha Murthy’s ideology to lead society towards a better future has inspired many to take benevolence as a way of living. Personalities like her inspire us to believe in dreams and work hard towards achieving them.
