Sudha Murty: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Indian educator and author (born 1950)}}

{{BLP sources|date=June 2020}}

| name              = Sudha Murthy

| image              = File:Sudha Murthy ji in 2023.jpg

| caption            = Murty in April 2023

| image_size        = 250px

| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1950|08|19}}

| birth_place        = [[Shiggaon]], [[Bombay State]] (present-day [[Karnataka]]), India

| alma_mater        = {{Unbulleted list||[[B.V.B. College of Engineering and Technology]] | [[Indian Institute of Science]]}}

[[Cornell University]], [[Ithaca, New York]]

| awards            = [[Padma Shri]]<br />[[Daana Chintamani Attimabbe Award]]<br />[[Padma Bhushan]]

| notable_works      = {{Unbulleted list|''[[How I Taught My Grandmother to Read]]''|''[[Mahashweta]]''|''[[Dollar Bahu]]''}}

 

Sudha Murty began her professional career in computer science and engineering. She is the chairperson of the [[Infosys Foundation]] and a member of the public health care initiatives of the [[Gates Foundation]].<ref>[http://www.tata.com/company/Media/inside.aspx?artid=v1rSpAy0c20= Ratan Tata, Rahul Dravid on Gates Foundation board] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522221452/http://tata.com/company/Media/inside.aspx?artid=v1rSpAy0c20= |date=22 May 2013 }}. ''tata.com''. 15 July 2003. Retrieved 8 December 2011.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2003-12-31 |title=The Hindu : Gates Foundation's AIDS initiative launched |url=http://www.hindu.com/2003/12/06/stories/2003120609520800.htm |access-date=2022-05-02 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031231111353/http://www.hindu.com/2003/12/06/stories/2003120609520800.htm |archive-date=31 December 2003 |url-status=dead}}</ref> 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]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 April 2010 |title=Murty family gift establishes Murty Classical Library of India series |url=https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/04/murty-family-gift-establishes-murty-classical-library-of-india-series/ |access-date=8 March 2022 |website=Harvard Gazette |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Murthy, wife gift Harvard $5.2 mn to publish Indian classics – Indian Express |url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/murthy-wife-gift-harvard--5.2-mn-to-publish-indian-classics/607637/ |access-date=8 March 2022 |website=archive.indianexpress.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=R |first=Prerna |date=2011-01-23 |title=Sudha Murthy: Humility personified |work=Business Standard India |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/beyond-business/sudha-murthy-humility-personified-111012300060_1.html |access-date=2022-05-02}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-12-02 |title=I'm enjoying my acting stint: Sudha Murthy – The Times of India |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-18/news-interviews/30296207_1_sudha-murthy-narayan-murthy-drama-festival |access-date=2022-05-02 |website= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202231103/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-10-18/news-interviews/30296207_1_sudha-murthy-narayan-murthy-drama-festival |archive-date=2 December 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Murty Classical Library of India |url=https://www.murtylibrary.com/ |access-date=2022-05-02 |website=www.murtylibrary.com |language=en}}</ref>

Murty is best known for her philanthropy and her contribution to literature in Kannada and English. ''Dollar Bahu'' ({{lit.|Dollar Daughter-in-Law}}), a novel originally authored by her in [[Kannada language|Kannada]] and later translated into English as ''Dollar Bahu,'' was adapted as a [[Dollar Bahu|televised dramatic series]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Why Sudha Murthy feels men should be better at household work than women |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/relationships/love-sex/why-sudha-murthy-feels-men-should-be-better-at-household-work-than-women/articleshow/93525552.cms |website=The Times of India}}</ref> by [[Zee TV]] in 2001.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Sunday Tribune – Spectrum – Article |url=https://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010930/spectrum/main5.htm |access-date=2022-05-02 |website=www.tribuneindia.com}}</ref> ''Runa'' ({{lit.|Debt}}), a story by Sudha Murthy was adapted as a Marathi film, ''[[Pitruroon]]'' by director [[Nitish Bharadwaj|Nitish Bhardwaj]]. Sudha Murthy has also acted in the film<ref>{{Cite web |title=Author Murthy makes acting debut with Pitruroon – Indian Express |url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/author-murthy-makes-acting-debut-with-pitruroon/1204533/ |access-date=2022-04-15 |website=archive.indianexpress.com}}</ref> as well as a Kannada film ''Prarthana''.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Sudha Murty makes cameo appearance in Kannada movie |work=The Economic Times |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/sudha-murty-makes-cameo-appearance-in-kannada-movie/articleshow/61815761.cms?from=mdr |access-date=8 March 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1 December 2017 |title=Acting in films isn't easy, says Sudha Murthy after playing cameo in Kannada film |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/acting-films-isnt-easy-sudha-murthy-72472 |access-date=8 March 2022 |website=The News Minute |language=en}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==

Sudha Murty was born into a [[Kannada language|Kannada

]]-speaking [[Deshastha Madhva Brahmin]] family<ref>{{Cite web |last=Murty |first=Sudha |title="A woman's place is in the kitchen": My experience as the only girl in engineering school in 1968 |url=https://qz.com/india/1038178/sudha-murthy-wife-of-infosys-founder-nr-narayana-murthy-recalls-being-only-girl-in-her-engineering-college/ |access-date=2021-12-22 |website=Quartz |date=26 July 2017 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Passion, Pages, Philanthropy |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/trending/passion-pages-philanthropy-101629375440952.html |publisher=Hindustan Times |date=19 August 2021}}</ref> on 19 August 1951 in [[Shiggaon]], [[Haveri]] in [[Karnataka]], India, the daughter of R. H. Kulkarni, a surgeon, and his wife Vimala Kulkarni, a school teacher. 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 & Otherwise|Wise and Otherwise and Other Stories]]''.<ref name="charityfocus1">{{Cite web |title=About Mrs. Narayan Murthy |url=http://nipun.servicespace.org/inspire/infosys.html |access-date=2022-05-02 |website=nipun.servicespace.org}}</ref> Murty completed a [[Bachelor of Engineering|BEng]] in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the [[B.V.B. College of Engineering & Technology]] (now known as KLE Technological University), and then a [[Master of Engineering|MEng]] in Computer Science from the [[Indian Institute of Science]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=28 June 2015 |title=Nobody believed I was an IISc graduate: Sudha Murty |url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/150628/nation-current-affairs/article/nobody-believed-i-was-iisc-graduate-sudha-murty |access-date=8 March 2022 |website=Deccan Chronicle |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last= |date=3 July 2015 |title=One woman, many roles |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/in-school/signpost/one-woman-many-roles/article7382659.ece |access-date=8 March 2022 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

== Career ==

Sudha Murty became the first female engineer hired at India's largest auto manufacturer [[TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company]] (TELCO).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Digita |first=Et now |date=6 June 2021 |title=Throwback: When Sudha Murthy's letter to JRD Tata led her to become 1st woman engineer to work for TELCO |url=https://www.timesnownews.com/business-economy/companies/article/throwback-when-sudha-murthys-letter-to-jrd-tata-led-her-to-become-1st-woman-engineer-to-work-for-telco/766917 |access-date=12 June 2023 |website=timesnownews |language=en}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rana |first=S Gautam |date=24 October 2022 |title=Sudha Murthy still fond of Tatas {{!}} Patna News – Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/sudha-murthy-still-fond-of-tatas/articleshow/26112280.cms |access-date=8 March 2022 |website=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> She later joined [[Walchand group|Walchand Group]] of Industries at Pune as Senior Systems Analyst.

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]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Presenting Harmony's silvers – sparkling lives, success stories, accounts of endurance, courage, grit, and passion |url=http://www.harmonyindia.org/hportal/VirtualPageView.jsp?page_id=501 |website=harmonyindia.org |access-date=2 December 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924025313/http://www.harmonyindia.org/hportal/VirtualPageView.jsp?page_id=501 |archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref>

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.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=17 January 2018 |title=On sanitation and heritage restoration: Sudha Murty, Infosys Foundation |work=[[The Economic Times]] | url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/opinion/interviews/on-sanitation-and-heritage-restoration-sudha-murty-infosys-foundation/articleshow/57807577.cms |access-date=8 March 2022}}</ref>

== Philanthropy ==

{{Main|Infosys Foundation}}

[[File:Sudha murthy.jpg|thumb|250px|Sudha Murty at the Infosys Foundation]]

Murty's [[Infosys Foundation]] is a public charitable trust founded in 1996.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sundar |first=Pushpa |url=http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199470686.001.0001/acprof-9780199470686 |title=Giving with a Thousand Hands: The Changing Face of Indian Philanthropy |date=2017-02-16 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-947068-6 |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199470686.003.0008}}</ref>

== Personal life ==

Sudha Murty married [[N. R. Narayana Murthy]]<ref>{{cite web |first=Malabika |last=Sarkar |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/murty-not-murthy-my-husband-spells-his-name-wrong-says-sudha-murty-as-she-talks-books-marriage-and-infosys-at-an-authors-afternoon-only-t2-was-there/cid/1563069 |title=Murty, not Murthy – My husband spells his name wrong, says Sudha Murty |work=[[The Telegraph (India)|The Telegraph Online]] | language=en |date=19 February 2015 |access-date=26 October 2022}}</ref> while employed as an engineer at TELCO in Pune.<ref>[http://www.tata.com/article/inside/aIWX4x9jXOU=/TLYVr3YPkMU= JRD's words inspired me in philanthropy: Sudha Murthy] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522222152/http://tata.com/company/Media/inside.aspx?artid=aIWX4x9jXOU=|date=22 May 2013}}. tata.com (23 October 2002). Retrieved on 8 December 2011.</ref> The couple have two children, including fashion designer [[Akshata Murty]], who is married to the current 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

* 2004: [[Raja-Lakshmi Award]] by [[Sri Raja-Lakshmi Foundation]] in Chennai<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 August 2004 |title=Raja-Lakshmi Award for Sudha Murty |url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/2004/08/15/stories/2004081501332200.htm |archive-date=5 December 2006 |access-date=8 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205073744/http://www.hinduonnet.com/2004/08/15/stories/2004081501332200.htm}}</ref>

* 2006: India's fourth highest civilian award [[Padma Shri]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=India's Finest |url=https://www.rediff.com/money/2006/mar/21sld5.htm |website=rediff.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Padma Awards Dashboard |url=http://www.dashboard-padmaawards.gov.in/?Name=Sudha%20Murty |website=padmaawards.gov.in}}</ref>

* 2006: She also received the R.K. Narayana's Award for Literature.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-08-10 |title=R.K. Narayana's Award for Literature |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/company/corporate-trends/infosys-foundation-chairperson-sudha-murty-achieves-another-milestone/articleshow/15437651.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2022-08-01 |website=EconomicTimes |language=en}}</ref>

* 2010: [[Daana Chintamani Attimabbe Award]] by [[Karnataka Government]].<ref name="ATTIMABBE">{{Cite web |title=Daana Chintamani Attimabbe Awards |url=https://karnataka.gov.in/page/Awards/State+Awards/Daana+Chintamani+Attimabbe+Awards/en |access-date=5 Nov 2020 |website=Department of Kannada and Culture Official website of Government of Karnataka}}</ref>

* 2011: Murty was conferred honorary LL.D (Doctor of Laws) degrees for contributions to promote formal legal education and scholarship in India.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-03-01 |title=Santosh Hegde, Sudha Murthy to be conferred honorary doctorate |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/55619/santosh-hegde-sudha-murthy-conferred.html |access-date=2022-05-02 |website=Deccan Herald |language=en}}</ref>

* 2013: Basava Shree-2013 Award was presented to Narayan Murty & Sudha Murty for their contributions to society.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Narayana Murthy, Sudha Receive Basava Shree Award |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/2014/feb/03/Narayana-Murthy-Sudha-Receive-Basava-Shree-Award-571577.html |access-date=2022-05-02 |website=The New Indian Express}}</ref>

* 2018: Murty received the [[Crossword Book Award|Crossword Book award]] in popular (Non-Fiction) category.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=20 December 2018 |title=Sudha Murthy, Ruskin Bond, Snigdha Poonam among winners of this year's Crossword Book Awards |url=https://scroll.in/latest/906481/sudha-murthy-ruskin-bond-snigdha-poonam-among-winners-of-this-years-crossword-book-awards |access-date=8 March 2022 |website=Scroll.in |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=IANS |date=21 December 2018 |title=Tharoor, Sudha Murthy, Bond, Soha Ali Khan conferred Crossword Book Awards |work=Business Standard India |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/tharoor-sudha-murthy-bond-soha-ali-khan-conferred-crossword-book-awards-118122100412_1.html |access-date=8 March 2022}}</ref>

* 2019: [[Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur|IIT Kanpur]] awarded her Honorary Degree ([[Honorary degree|''Honoris Causa'']]) of Doctor of Science.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 29, 2019 |title=IIT Kanpur honours India's national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand with honorary doctorate degree |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/news/story/iit-kanpur-honours-india-s-national-badminton-coach-pullela-gopichand-with-honorary-doctorate-degree-1558639-2019-06-29 |access-date=2020-08-19 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref>

* National Award from Public Relation Society of India for outstanding Social Service to the Society{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

* Award for Excellent Social Service by Rotary South – Hubli{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

* "Millenium Mahila Shiromani" award{{citation needed|date=March 2022}}

* 2023: [[Padma Bhushan]] by the [[Government of India]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-01-25 |title=Full list of 2023 Padma awards |language=en-IN |work=[[The Hindu]] | url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/full-list-of-2023-padma-awards-mulayam-singh-yadav-sm-krishna-zakir-hussain-kumar-mangalam-birla-among-recipients/article66433516.ece |access-date=2023-01-26 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

* 2023: Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2023 |url=https://www.sahitya-akademi.gov.in/pdf/Pressrelease_BSP-2023.pdf |website=sahitya-akademi.gov.in |access-date=29 June 2023}}</ref>

* ''The Mother I Never Knew''

* ''[[Three Thousand Stitches]]''

* ''The Man from the Egg''

* ''Here, There, Everywhere''

* ''The Magic of the Lost Temple''

* ''The Bird with Golden Wings''

* ''[[How I Taught My Grandmother to Read]] and Other Stories''

* ''The Old Man And His God''

* [[Wise & Otherwise|''Wise and Otherwise'']]

* ''[[Mahashweta]]''

* ''The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk''

* ''The Serpent's Revenge''

* ''Gently Falls The Bakula''

* ''House of Cards''

* ''Something Happened on the Way To Heavens''

* ''The Magic Drum and Other Favorite Stories''

* ''How The Sea Became Salty''

* ''How The Onion got its layers''

* ''The Upside Down King''

* '' The Daughter From A Wishing Tree''

* ''Grandma's Bag of Stories''

* ''Grandparents Bag of Stories''

* ''The Sage With Two Horns''

* ''[[Dollar Bahu]]''

* '' The Gopi Diaries ''

== See also ==

== References ==

== External links ==

 

* {{LibraryThing author|murtysudha}}

* {{IMDb name}}

{{Rishi Sunak}}

{{Authority control}}

{{Padma Shri Award Recipients in Social Work}}

{{Padma Bhushan Award Recipients 2020–2029}}

{{Portal bar|Biography|India|Literature|Business|Society}}

[[Category:20th-century Indian engineers]]

[[Category:21st-century Indian engineers]]

[[Category:21st-century Indian novelists]]

[[Category:21st-century Indian women scientists]]

[[Category:21st-century Indian women writers]]

[[Category:English-language writers from India]]

[[Category:Kannada people]]

[[Category:Kannada-language writers]]

[[Category:Karnatak University alumni]]

[[Category:Living people]]

[[Category:Madhva Brahmins]]

[[Category:Murthy family]]

[[Category:Women scientists from Karnataka]]

[[Category:Women writers from Karnataka]]

[[Category:Writers from Bangalore]]