Sudha Murthy is currently the chair of the Infosys Foundation, a recipient of the Padma Shri award, and actively involved in Gates Foundation’s public health care initiatives. However, her journey from a small Karnataka town to being the first female engineer hired at TELCO is itself a tale of overcoming gender inequality and stereotypes.
EARLY LIFE
Sudha Murthy was born to Vimla Kulkarni and Dr. R. H. Kulkarni in Shiggaon, Karnataka. Her father was a surgeon, and Srinivas Kulkarni, his brother, is a well-known astronomer. In 2017, he was also awarded the Dan David Prize.
The mother of Sudha always encouraged her kids to pursue their dreams. Sudha Murthy’s family was the one who instilled in her the drive to accomplish great feats and extraordinary things in life.
When Sudha was a college student at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, she stumbled upon a job posting for the renowned company TELCO, which is now known as Tata Motors. According to the advertisement, the company is looking to hire young, motivated engineers with a strong academic background. The pamphlet’s bottom, however, contained a line that caught the attention of young Sudha and broke her heart. Women Candidates Need Not Apply, according to the job posting.
Sudha, who had consistently performed at the top of her class in every subject, could not ignore the ad’s clear promotion of discrimination against women. Sudha didn’t waste any time in writing a letter on a postcard to JRD (Jehangir Ratanji Dadabhoy) Tata, the chairman of the Tata Group, expressing her rage.
The country’s biggest automaker at the time hired Sudha Murthy, the country’s first female engineer. In a letter to TELCO’s chairman, she expressed her dissatisfaction with the company’s gender discrimination policies.
Sudha received a response from TELCO within ten days, and she was invited to an interview in Pune. The business even offered to cover her travel and other expenses. Sudha’s life was changed forever by the letter she wrote to the chairman denouncing the discrimination. Sudha became the first female engineer at the company when she was hired by TELCO.
As a senior system analyst, Sudha has also worked for the Walchand Group of Industries in Pune, where she spent seven years (1974–1981). When he first began his career, her husband Narayan Murthy worked as a research assistant.
They met through a mutual friend, Prasanna (global head of Wipro), shortly after Sudha joined TELCO. Narayana Murthy was shy and introverted. After the family expressed some reservations, Sudha and Narayana grew close friends and eventually persuaded their parents to approve of their marriage in 1978.
Sudha Murthy enjoyed acting as well. She made her acting debut in Pitruroon, a Marathi film based on her novel Rhun. She claims to watch 265 films a year because she enjoys watching them so much. She also stated in one of the interviews that she would have chosen the career of a film journalist instead of engineering.
Narayana didn’t have enough money in 1981 to realize his dream of founding the software company “Infosys,” but he still wanted to do it. At that point, Sudha, a pillar of strength, urged Narayana to pursue his goals and gave him Rs 10,000 to launch his own business. Today, Sudha serves as the foundation of the Infosys Foundation, a charitable organization that helps the less fortunate members of society.
Sudha Murthy is renowned for her advocacy of both Kannada and English literature as well as her social work. As the chairman of the Infosys Foundation, Sudha has promoted awareness of issues like education, good public health, and poverty reduction.
Recently, when the entire nation was battling the novel coronavirus, Infosys Foundation gave an additional 100 crore to help the government and front-line staff fight COVID-19 in India. The foundation has contributed 200 crores in total, including 100 crores from the previous year.
A wonderful and well-known author is Sudha Murthy. Her writings are centred on her personal experiences, evolving perspectives, hospitality, and charity. Her Kannada books have been adapted into numerous English books and television shows.
She travelled to the United States for the publication of her first book, which she dedicated to her husband Narayana Murthy when she was 29 years old. She began writing English-language books when she was 50 years old. She has written numerous short stories, picture books, fiction, novels, and a lot more to date.
The life of Sudha Murthy encourages us to dream big and have faith in our ability to accomplish seemingly impossible goals. She embodies motivation and encourages us to keep working hard without getting caught up in the outcome because success will come if our intentions and tenacity are sound.If you try to please everyone, you will please no one. It is impossible to lead your life for others’ happiness – Sudha Murthy.