Mrs. Sudha Murty, born on August 19, 1950, in Shiggaon, North Karnataka, completed her engineering in Electronics & Electrical Engineering from B.V.B College of Engineering & Technology, Hubli, in 1972, and her master’s in computer science from IISc, Bangalore, in 1974. She was the first woman engineer at TELCO (now Tata Motors), working there for eight years.
Mrs. Murty played a crucial role in the birth of Infosys in 1981 and later established Infosys Foundation, where she supported healthcare, education, art, women’s empowerment, and public hygiene projects. Notably, she rehabilitated over 3,000 Devadasis, supported relief efforts during sixteen natural disasters, and built libraries, toilets, and dormitories across Karnataka.
She started the ‘Avishkar Dil Se’ competition for social entrepreneurship, recognizing organizations like Inali Foundation, which supplies artificial limbs. A prolific writer, Mrs. Murty has penned numerous bestselling books in English and Kannada, with over 60 lakh copies sold. Her titles include Grandmother’s Bag of Stories, Gently Falls the Bakula, and Wise and Otherwise.
Recognized with awards like the Padma Bhushan, Padma Shri, and Sahitya Academy Awards, Mrs. Murty has served on several university boards and government committees, and has received over fifteen honorary doctorates. Recently, she was nominated as a Member of Parliament by the President of India, providing her a larger platform to serve the country.