Sudha Murty (Kulkarni; born 19 August 1950) is an Indian educator, author, philanthropist and former chairperson of the Infosys Foundation.
She is married to the co-founder of Infosys, N. R. Narayana Murty.
In 2024, Murty was nominated as Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha on 8th March 2024 for her contribution on Social work & Education.
Sudha Murty was born to a Kannada-speaking family on 19 August 1950 in Shiggaon, Haveri in Karnataka, India, the daughter of R. H. Kulkarni, a surgeon, and his wife Vimala Kulkarni, a schoolteacher.
She was raised by her parents and maternal grandparents.
These childhood experiences form the historical basis for her first notable work entitled How I Taught My Grandmother to Read, Wise and Otherwise and Other Stories.
Murty completed a BEng in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the B.V.B. College of Engineering & Technology (now known as KLE Technological University), and then a MEng in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Science.
Sudha Murty became the first female engineer hired at India's largest auto manufacturer TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO).
She joined the company as a Development Engineer in Pune and then worked in Mumbai & Jamshedpur as well.
She had written a postcard to the company's Chairman complaining of the "men only" gender bias at TELCO.
As a result, she was granted a special interview and hired immediately.
She later joined Walchand Group of Industries at Pune as Senior Systems Analyst.
1996
In 1996, she started Infosys Foundation and to date has been the Trustee of Infosys Foundation and a Visiting Professor at the PG Center of Bangalore University.
She also taught at Christ University.
Sudha Murty has written and published many books which include novels, non-fiction, travelogues, technical books, and memoirs.
Her books have been translated into all major Indian languages.
She is also a columnist for English and Kannada newspapers.
Murty's Infosys Foundation is a public charitable trust founded in 1996.
Sudha Murty married N. R. Narayana Murthy while employed as an engineer at TELCO in Pune.
The couple have two children, including fashion designer Akshata Murty, who is married to the British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Her siblings include Caltech astrophysicist Shrinivas Kulkarni and Jaishree Deshpande (wife of Gururaj Deshpande) who co-founded the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT.
Kannada
Marathi
English
Common yet uncommon 2023
2001
Dollar Bahu, a novel originally authored by her in Kannada and later translated into English as Dollar Bahu, was adapted as a televised dramatic series by Zee TV in 2001.
Runa, a story by Sudha Murthy was adapted as a Marathi film, Pitruroon by director Nitish Bhardwaj.
Sudha Murthy has also acted in the film as well as a Kannada film Prarthana.
2006
Murty was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India, for social work by the Government of India in 2006.
Later in 2023, she was awarded the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in India.
Sudha Murty began her professional career in computer science and engineering.
She is a member of the public health care initiatives of the Gates Foundation.
She has founded several orphanages, participated in rural development efforts, supported the movement to provide all Karnataka government schools with computer and library facilities, and established Murty Classical Library of India at Harvard University.
Murty is best known for her philanthropy and her contribution to literature in Kannada and English.
