Sudha Murty

Sudha Murty was born on 19 August 1950 in Shiggaon, North Karnataka, into a family that placed great importance on education. Stories from the Mahabharata and Ramayana, shared by her grandparents, introduced her to the imaginative power of storytelling. By the age of ten, she was already entertaining her classmates with stories whenever a teacher was absent.

Her education required determination. As the only woman in her engineering class in Hubli-Dharwad, she faced discrimination but graduated with outstanding results. She received a gold medal from the Institution of Engineers, India, and later completed her master’s degree at the Indian Institute of Science with distinction.

Her professional journey also challenged convention. After seeing a TELCO recruitment notice stating that women should not apply, she wrote directly to JRD Tata questioning the policy. She was invited to interview and became the company’s first female engineer. The experience reinforced her belief that barriers should be questioned rather than quietly accepted.

In 1996, she founded the Infosys Foundation. As its chairperson, she helped establish schools, hospitals and orphanages while supporting communities across India. Her work with the Devadasi community became an especially important part of her contribution to women’s empowerment. After retiring from the foundation in 2021, she continued supporting Indian art, culture, heritage, science and environmental restoration through the Murty Trust.

Alongside engineering and philanthropy, Sudha Murty became one of India’s most widely read authors. Her writing draws meaning and humour from ordinary life, making complex values accessible to adults and children alike. Curiosity remains central to her life: she is an enthusiastic reader, a student of Indian history and someone who continues to learn from people, books and experience.