Sudha Murthy Biography- Life, Books and Achievements

Some women are born to inspire. Be it Mother Teresa, Sarojni Naidu, or Kalpana Chawla, women have always been a source of motivation and a catalyst for social change. One such name is Sudha Murty who has made a prominent impact on Indian society. A writer, philanthropist, and entrepreneur, Sudha Murthy is greatly revered for being a prolific writer, facilitating the education of poor children, and being one of the brains behind Infosys, one of India’s leading IT companies. Soberly dressed in traditional Indian attire, Sudha Murthy’s philanthropic work has garnered global recognition.

From becoming the first female Engineer in India to heading a company like Infosys, her seriousness towards making a change in society and her educational journey has played a significant role in her making.

Let us now have a look at Sudha Murthy’s education and her achievements. 

Early Life of Sudha Murthy

Before moving on, let’s start with the beginning. Here are a few important details about Sudha Murthy and her early life:

• On 19 August 1950, Sudha Murthy was born in a Brahmin family in Shiggaon, Karnataka.
• Her father Dr R.H. Kulkarni who was a surgeon and her mother Vimala Kulkarni supported her in her endeavours right from her childhood and raised young Sudha along with her three siblings.
• With constant support from her family in childhood, Sudha Murthy went on to pursue unconventional career choices which were not popular among girls.
• An educated atmosphere in the family instilled in her a passion to do something extraordinary at an early age.
• Sudha Murthy’s brother Srinivas Kulkarni is a renowned astronomer who received the Dan David Prize in 2017.
• Her early life experiences and affinity for her grandmother became the foundation for some of her books. 
• Sudha Murthy’s childhood is often characterized by simplicity and a fire to learn.
• Due to her love for literature, she was often found immersed in literature.

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Education

Sudha Murthy’s education has a major role to play in shaping her as a successful author, even though her educational path was more technical. Her hard work and commitment are clear from the fact that she emerged as a topper during her bachelor’s and master’s degrees.

Sudha Murthy completed her BE in Electrical Engineering from B.V.B College of Engineering, Hubli, where she won a gold medal for her exceptional academic performance. Later on, she considered the option for higher studies and went to pursue her ME in Computer Science in 1974  from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and later received a gold medal from the then Karnataka chief minister for topping both the final exams. 

Career of Sudha Murthy

Sudha Murthy has always been an advocate of women’s rights and a pioneer in the development of education. Once she wrote to Tata Motors, also known as Telco about their men-only policy, and for that, she was called to an interview and later became the first female engineer to be employed in India. Her position at Telco was important in redefining the company’s job policies.

Besides supporting her husband Narayana Murthy in establishing Infosys and giving him the initial investment, she has written a humongous volume of literature which includes books for kids as well. Through her books, she has encouraged the young and elderly to inculcate a habit of reading them.

Sudha Murthy’s education and relentless efforts to contribute to the improvement of society have made her a brand name. Through her Infosys Foundation, she has helped in spreading awareness about education, public hygiene, poverty alleviation, etc. Apart from this, she is also a visiting Professor at Bangle University and has previously worked as a professor at the renowned Christ University.

She is an active member of the Gates Foundation. Her efforts at revolutionizing the Education System of India have been phenomenal in the country where she supported the use of Computer Technology in educational institutions in Karnataka. She also established the Murty Classical Library of India (MCLI) at Harvard.

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Major Achievements

Sudha Murthy’s education and her work in various domains have led her to win many awards. She has received numerous awards for her academic excellence. In the year 2019, IIT Kanpur awarded her an Honorary Doctor of Science (DSc) degree. Her achievements include a list of literary works in many languages. Initially, she started to write in Kannada and later wrote in English as well. They’re all about family, marriage, social problems, etc. She has received several awards and distinctions for her achievements, including the R.K. The Narayan Award for literature.

Sudha Murthy Awards and Accolades

In her long career, Sudha Murthy has learned a lot. Let’s look at them one by one:

• India’s fourth-highest civilian honour Padma Shri in 2006
• Gold medal from Indian Institute of Engineers, India
• Cash award for securing highest marks in SSLC
• Gold medal from Chief Minister of Karnataka Sri Devaraj Urs, for securing the highest marks in B.E in the state
• CS Desai Prize for standing first at University of Karnataka
• Best Teacher Award in 1995 by Rotary Club of Karnataka
• ‘Ojaswini’ Award for excellent social work for the year 2000
• ‘Millenium Mahila Shiromani’ award
• R.K. Narayan’s Award for Literature
• Honorary LLD for her contribution to promoting formal legal education and scholarship in India
• Life Time Achievement Award at the Crossword-Raymond Book Awards
• “Hemmeya-Kannadiga” award from television
• IIT Kanpur awarded her an Honorary degree of Doctor of Science

Infosys and Social Work

Sudha Murthy is also the chairperson and trustee of the Infosys Foundation. With her master’s in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, she started Infosys Foundation in 1996.

• She has built 2300 houses in flood-affected areas through the foundation.
• She also covers public hygiene, healthcare, education, art and culture, and poverty alleviation.
• She has built 7000 libraries in schools and 16,000 toilets. 
• In the year 1996, Sudha Murthy established a Public Charitable Trust.
• So far, the Trust has managed to build around 2,300 houses for people in need in numerous flood-affected areas.

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Best Books Written by Sudha Murthy

Sudha Murthy is a renowned author who writes primarily in English and Kannada language. Some of Sudha Murthy’s widely acclaimed books include The Mother I Never Knew, Three Thousand Stitches, The Man from the Egg, and Magic of the Lost Temple. In 2018, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2019, she was conferred with the Padma Shri which is the highest civilian honour in India. With this compilation, here is a collection of 15 of the best Sudha Murty Books out of the many she’s written.

Kannada Books

• Kaveri inda Mekaangige
• Tumla
• Runa
• Yashasvi
• Nooniya Sahasagalu
• Dollar Sose
• Guttondu Heluve
• Guttondu Heluve
• Athirikthe
• Hakkiya Teradalli
• Paridhi
• Yerilitada Daariyalli
• Compuer lokadalli
• Sukhesini Mattu Itara Makkala Kathegalu
• Samanyralli Asamanyaru
• Astitva
• Mahashweta

English Books

• The Mother I Never Knew
• Here, There, Everywhere
• Magic of the Lost Temple
• The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk
• The Upside Down King
• The Man from the Egg
• The Magic Drum and other favorite stories
• Wise and Otherwise
• Something Happened on the Way To Heavens
• Gently Falls The Bakula
• House of Cards
• The Daughter From A Wishing Tree
• The Old Man And His God
• How The Sea Became Salty
• The magic of the lost temple
• The Bird with the Golden Wings
• How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and other stories
• Grandparents Bag of Stories
• Dollar Bahu
• Three Thousand Stitches
• The daughter from a wishing tree
• The Serpent’s Revenge
• Grandma’s Bag of Stories 1

Quotes by Sudha Murthy

Apart from being a remarkable author, Sudha Murthy is also renowned for her quotes.

¨Life is an exam where the syllabus is unknown and question papers are not set. Nor are there model answer papers.¨

¨Usually, people who are sensitive need more time to understand the real world.¨

¨Money is one thing that rarely unites and mostly divides people.¨

¨Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision is merely passing time. But vision and action together can change the world.¨

“A fire cannot be extinguished with another fire. It is only water that can make a difference.”

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The education of Sudha Murthy and her ideology to lead society towards a better future has inspired many to take philanthropy as a way of living.

Personalities like her inspire us to believe in dreams and working hard towards achieving them. If you have a dream of studying abroad, Leverage Edu can help you realize it. From applying at a university to getting a visa done, our experts will help you with all of it.