Sudha Murty, the epitome of philanthropy, education, and women’s rights advocate has been an instrumental figure in the society. Sudha Murty was born on August 19, 1950, in Shiggaon, Karnataka and her educational and career journey can be described in the following manner. Sudha Murty belongs to the Deshastha Madhwa Brahmin family and had the privilege of growing up in a family that gave education paramount importance.
Her father Dr. RH Kulkarni and mother Vimala Kulkarni always encouraged her to excel academically from childhood. She completed her bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from BVB College of Engineering & Technology which is now called KLE Technological University. Her academic achievements came to the fore when she received a gold medal at her graduation level which was presented to her by the then Chief Minister of Karnataka. She then proceeded to do a postgraduate in Computer Science at the Indian Institute of Science. This advanced education prepared her with the technical knowledge that was to characterize her profession.
Her accomplishments in the academic field were not only the degrees she had earned, but also the creativity and the problem-solving skills that were noted in her, something that would help her in further activities. Her working experience started with a very risky decision that made her stand against the traditional norms of society. She sent a postcard to the Chairman of TELCO (now Tata Motors) why the company does not recruit female engineers.
This act of courage saw her being interviewed and the company offered her the position which made her the first woman engineer at TELCO. She also worked as a Development Engineer in TELCO and also as a Senior Systems Analyst with the Walchand Group of Industries in Pune. These positions not only helped her to develop her technical skills but also gave her insights of the corporate world and its problems. In 1996 she established the Infosys Foundation, a charitable trust that works for the cause of education, health and rural development.
She is the Chairperson of the foundation and has been involved in establishing more than 70000 libraries in India, constructing 2300 houses in the flood-prone areas and 16000 public toilets. She dreamt of a library in every school and her efforts have greatly boosted the development of school libraries and provision of reading materials to many students. She has been a patron of education not only through her charitable organization.
She has been a visiting professor at Bangalore University and before that was a professor at Christ University where she shared her experiences with the students. She has been a recipient of many honors for her contributions to society at large. In 2024 she was appointed as a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha for her excellent work in social welfare and education. She has also been honored with Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India for her relentless work towards education and the upliftment of society.
