Trailblazers: Sudha Murthy

                 Sudha Murthy is an Indian social worker and author. She was born in 1950 in Shiggaon in Northern Karnataka. She is the daughter of a famous surgeon Dr. R.H. Kulkarni. She began her professional career as a computer scientist and engineer. Sudha and her siblings were 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 & Other Stories’.

                She is the chairperson of the Infosys Foundation and a member of public health care initiatives of the Gates Foundation. She has founded several orphanages, participated in rural development activities, supported the movement to provide computers and library facilities to all Karnataka government schools and established 'The Murthy Classical Library of India' at Harvard University. 

                    She completed B.E. in Electrical Engineering from the B.V.B. College of Engineering & Technology. As she stood first in her class, she received a gold medal from the then Chief Minister of Karnataka. She completed M.E. in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Science and received a gold medal from the Indian Institute of Engineers.

             After graduation, Murthy had applied to the company and was told that only men were eligible to apply. Then , she  had written a postcard to the Chairman J R D Tata, complaining about the gender bias at TELCO. As a result, she was granted a special interview and hired immediately when found eligible. Murthy became the first female engineer hired at India's largest auto manufacturer, TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company or TELCO. She met  Narayana Murthy at TELCO, and the they got married. Murthy is recognized as the seed investor of the Infosys. She teaches computer science and composes fiction.

                    In 2004, Murthy was presented “The Raja Lakshmi Award" by Sri Raja-Lakshmi Foundation in Chennai, in recognition of her outstanding contribution to social work. In 2006, Murthy was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest-ranking civilian award from the Government of India, and received an honorary doctorate for her contribution in the spheres of social work, philanthropy and education. In 2011, Murthy was conferred honorary LL.D (Doctor of Laws) degree for her contribution in promoting formal legal education and scholarship in India.

                     She is a prolific fiction writer in Kannada and English. She has published several books that spell out her philosophical views on charity, hospitality and self-realization through fictional narratives. She was the recipient of the R.K. Narayana Award for Literature.