Sudha Murthy Biography, Education, Age, Net Worth, Books, Quotes

Know more facts about Sudha Murthy’s Age, Family, Biography, Relationships, and Career. Keep reading more to get interesting about Sudha Murthy

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Sudha Murthy’s Biography

Sudha Murthy is the chairperson of the Infosys Foundation and an Indian educator author and philanthropist. She is married to N. R. Narayana Murthy the co-founder of Infosys. Murthy was awarded the Padma Shri India's fourth highest civilian award in 2006 for his social services by the Government of India.

Murthy is most recognized for her generosity and contributions to Kannada and English literature. Dollar Bahu a novel she wrote in Kannada and later translated into English as Dollar Bahu was transformed into a Zee TV drama series in 2001. Runa a Sudha Murthy story was made into a Marathi film Pitruroon by director Nitish Bhardwaj.

Sudha Murthy is the author of numerous books including novels nonfiction travelogues technical books and memoirs. Her works have been translated into all of India's major languages. She also writes columns for Kannada and English newspapers.
 
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Sudha Murthy’s Age

Sudha Murthy is aged 72 years old as of 2022. Sudha Murthy was born on August 19 1951 in Shiggaon Haveri Karnataka India into a Deshastha Madhva Brahmin family.

Sudha Murthy's Childhood

Sudha Murthy's childhood was enriched by an academic environment in her family which instilled in her a desire to excel since her childhood days. Her father was a surgeon who also taught at a local university and her mother was a teacher.

Sudha Murthy's Education

Murty got a B.Eng. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the B.V.B. College of Engineering & Technology (now known as KLE Technological University) before going on to get an M.Eng. in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Science.

Sudha Murthy's Family

Sudha Murthy was born on August 19 1951 in Shiggaon Haveri Karnataka India into a Deshastha Madhva Brahmin family the daughter of R. H. Kulkarni a surgeon and his wife Vimala Kulkarni a school teacher. Her parents and maternal grandparents raised her. Sudha Murthy is the wife of N. R. Narayana Murthy.

Sudha Murthy's Husband

Many couples can be inspired by Sudha Murthy and Narayana Murthy's love story. The couple dated for four years before marrying on February 10 1978. Sudha was working at TELCO's Pune branch at the time and Prasanna a mutual acquaintance of Narayana's was also training there. Narayana had invited Sudha and her friends to supper at the Green Fields hotel in Pune one evening through Prasanna. She was hesitant to go at first because she was the only girl in the group but Narayana eventually persuaded her.

Sudha used to keep precise records of her money before their marriage whenever they went to a restaurant or a movie theatre in Pune. They used to divide the bill equally when they went out to eat. However anytime Narayana did not have enough money to pay for his share Sudha would pay it and make a note in her notebook. Sudha had gone to Narayana's assistance in this manner.

Sudha's father was initially opposed to Narayana's proposal to marry Sudha because the latter was not making much money as a research assistant. Sudha's father later approved Narayana's request to marry her when he started working as a general manager at Patni computers towards the end of 1977. The whole cost of her wedding was Rs. 800 which was split between Sudha and Murthy.

To this day Narayana Murthy thanks his wife Sudha for the sacrifices she made while taking on the role of a housewife.

Sudha Murthy Career

Sudha Murty was the first female engineer engaged by TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company India's largest automaker (TELCO). She began her career with the organization as a Development Engineer in Pune and has since worked in Mumbai and Jamshedpur. 

She had sent a postcard to the company's Chairman complaining about TELCO's men-only gender inequality. As a result she was given a special interview and was recruited right away. She eventually worked as a Senior Systems Analyst with the Walchand Group of Industries in Pune.

She founded the Infosys Foundation in 1996 and is currently a Trustee of the Infosys Foundation as well as a Visiting Professor at the PG Center of Bangalore University. She was also a professor at Christ University. 

Sudha Murty is the author of numerous books including novels nonfiction travelogues technical books and memoirs. Her works have been translated into all of India's major languages. She also writes columns for Kannada and English newspapers.

Top 5 Sudha Murthy Books

Wise and Otherwise: A salute to Life

This non-fiction book published in 2002 is a collection of 51 inspiring anecdotes from Mrs. Sudha Murthy's life. She delivers eye-opening experiences from our country's nooks and crannies in Wise and Otherwise unraveling different dimensions of human life with each story. Overall the author's basic yet powerful narrative makes the book an engaging read.

A man abandons his elderly father in an old-age facility after calling him a homeless stranger a tribal chief in the Sahyadri hills teaches the author that there is humility in receiving as well and a sick woman remembers to thank her benefactor even as she dies.

These are just a few of Sudha Murthy's sad and eye-opening anecdotes of people from all around the country in this book. She chronicles everything with sardonic humour and directness that hits the heart from wonderful gestures of charity to the meanest things one can expect from men and women.

Gently falls the Bakula

Gently falls the Bakula begins as a heartwarming love story reminiscent of Jeffery Archer's Old Love. As the novel progresses readers realize that it is an adorable glance at how women often sacrifice their hopes and aspirations in order to fulfill their responsibilities as housewives. Mrs. Sudha amazes us yet again with her ability of simple yet intense writing with its captivating storyline and likable characters.

The primary characters in Gently Falls The Bakula is Shrikant and Shrimati. Shrikant and Shrimati were in the tenth grade when the narrative begins. Without a doubt both were outstanding students who were class rivals. As the years pass their casual friendship blossoms into love. Their families had been sworn adversaries for decades and Shrikant and Shrimati were only able to marry after repeatedly lobbying their family members.

Mahashweta

This is an incredible story that highlights the insensitivity of our culture. Mahashweta centers around Anupama who suffers from Vitiligo and is shunned by her in-laws and society. The author brilliantly paints the shallow attitudes of people with maximum honesty in this wonderful story of the protagonist's re-discovery. Mahashweta is an uplifting narrative about bravery and resilience in a world filled with illusions and betrayals. This touching story gives victims of prejudices that still exist in society hope and solace.

How I taught my Grandmother to read and other stories

This collection contains 25 semi-autobiographical stories inspired by her life. The author's grandma was born during a period when women married young. But it is the grandmother's determination to learn from her twelve-year-old granddaughter that distinguishes the novel and makes it a thrill to read.

 The Padma Shri awardee correctly points out in this book that education can be pursued at any age. Sudha Murthy's How I Taught My Grandmother to Read explores the themes of love independence desperation and happiness. The story told in the first person by an anonymous woman is a look back at the narrator's life with her grandmother and how she taught her grandma to read.

Dollar Bahu

Have you ever seen the Zee TV show Dollar Bahu? It was based on Sudha Murthy's well-known novel of the same name. Dollar Bahu which reflects our modern culture was constructed around a concept that is so prevalent in all of our lives today - the insatiable desire for money. This 150-page book resembles a fable and concludes on a moral note conveying an essential message without being overly preachy.

The story of the Gauramma her wealthy bahu Jamuna and her other simpleton bahu Vinuta is told in Dollar Bahu. Gauramma is a greedy little mother of three children Chandru Girish and Surabhi who lives with her husband Shamanna in a little house in Bangalore.

Sudha Murthy Books List

• The Mother I Never Knew
• Three Thousand Stitches
• The Man from the Egg
• Here There Everywhere
• The Magic of the Lost Temple
• The Bird with Golden Wings
• How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and Other Stories
• The Old Man And His God
• Wise and Otherwise
• Mahashweta
• The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk
• The Serpent's Revenge
• Gently Falls The Bakula
• House of Cards
• Something Happened on the Way To Heavens
• The Magic Drum and Other Favorite Stories
• The Bird with the Golden Wings
• How The Sea Became Salty
• How The Onion got its layers
• The Upside-Down King
• The Daughter From A Wishing Tree
• Grandma's Bag of Stories
• Grandparents Bag of Stories
• The Sage With Two Horns
• Dollar Bahu
• The Gopi Diaries

Sudha Murthy Quotes

• We should always have some aim in life that we must try to achieve while being of help to others.
• Rich or poor it is good to do our work and stay fit.
• Life is an exam where the syllabus is unknown and question papers are not set. Nor are there model answer papers.
• There is less unison over money and more division.
• Class does not mean huge possession of money.
• Usually people who are sensitive need more time to understand the real world.
• Men can do certain things and women other things. Men and women are complementary to one another. One need not prove one’s strength.
• Having good relationships compassion and peace of mind is much more important than achievements awards degrees or money.
• If you try to please everyone you will please no one. It is impossible to lead your life for others’ happiness.
• Of all the luxuries in life the greatest luxury is getting freedom of the right kind.

Sudha Murthy's Controversies

Sambhaji Bhide Controversy

A video of author and philanthropist Sudha Murthy bending before the leader of a right-wing organization in Maharashtra has gone viral sparking outrage. Sambhaji Bhide whose feet the wife of Infosys co-founder Narayan Murthy is seen touching in the video was recently served with a notice by the State Women's Commission for refusing to speak with a female journalist because she did not have a bindi on her forehead.

Bhide had instructed the female journalist to put on a bindi before chatting with him so that she did not look like a widow by not putting the coloured dot/sticker in the center of her forehead.

Senior journalist Nikhil Wagle tweeted in reply to the encounter What was gained by touching the feet of such a meeting such a notorious person?

Sudha Murthy's Networth

Sudha Murty's net worth is Rs 775 crore which includes income from her books and short stories as well as the Infosys foundation.

Sudha Murthy's Social Work

She has established several orphanages practiced in rural regions and supported the campaign to supply computers and libraries to all Karnataka government schools. Murthy's Infosys Foundation was established in 1996 as a public charitable trust. Murthy is a trustee of the school.

Through her Foundation she has built 2 300 dwellings in flood-affected communities. Her community service includes public hygiene healthcare education women's empowerment art and culture and poverty alleviation at the grassroots level.

So far she has established around 70 000 libraries in schools. She is assisting rural areas by constructing 16000 toilets as well as numerous toilets in Bengaluru.

Sudha Murthy has dealt with natural calamities such as the tsunami in Tamil Nadu and Andaman the earthquake in Gujarat and floods in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.

Sudha Murthy's Awards

• In 2004 Sudha Murthy won Raja-Lakshmi Award from Sri Raja-Lakshmi Foundation in Chennai
• In 2006 Sudha Murthy won India's fourth-highest civilian award Padma Shri
• In 2006 Sudha Murthy won also received the R.K. Narayana's Award for Literature.
• In 2010 Sudha Murthy won Daana Chintamani Attimabbe Award by Karnataka Government.
• In 2011 Sudha Murthy was conferred honorary LL.D (Doctor of Laws) degrees for contributions to promoting formal legal education and scholarship in India.
• In 2013 Sudha Murthy won Basava Shree 2013 Award which was presented to Narayan Murthy & Sudha Murthy for their contributions to society.
• In 2018 Sudha Murthy received the Crossword Book award in the popular (Non-Fiction) category.
• In 2019 IIT Kanpur awarded Sudha Murthy an Honorary Degree (Honoris Causa) of Doctor of Science.
• National Award from the Public Relation Society of India for outstanding Social Service to the Society
• Award for Excellent Social Service by Rotary South – Hubli
• Millenium Mahila Shiromani award

15 Interesting facts about Sudha Murthy

• Shrinivas Kulkarni Sudha's brother is a US-based astronomer who earned the Dan David Prize in 2017. Sunanda Kulkarni her eldest sister works as a gynecologist in a government hospital in Bangalore. Sudha's elder sister Jaishree Deshpande is the founder of the 'Deshpande Foundation' and is married to Chelmsford co-founder Gururaj Deshpande.
• Sudha was admitted to the college under three conditions. As Sudha was the only female student in a class of 600 he instructed her to always wear a saree avoid going to the canteen and avoid talking to the men in college.
• Even in her late 60s she dared to wear a bob hairstyle and jeans and a t-shirt.
• She graduated first in her class and was awarded a gold medal by Dr. Devaraj Urs Karnataka's then-chief minister.
• She was awarded a gold medal by the Indian Institute of Engineers for finishing first in her post-graduate class.
• She was afterward engaged by TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO) in Pune as the company's first female development engineer.
• There is an interesting story behind her hiring: in February 1974 she stumbled upon a TELCO vacancy announcement but in the footnote it was written: female prospects need not apply.
• She met N. R. Narayana Murthy while working at TELCO. She met him through her friend Prasanna who later went on to become a prominent figure at Wipro. In an interview Sudha recalled her initial meets with Narayana she stated After a few meetings both started liking one other and Narayana proposed to Sudha for marriage. Sudha's father was initially opposed to the marriage because Murthy's research assistant position did not pay well.
• Murthy later began working as a general manager for Patni Computers in Bombay (now Mumbai) earning more than his previous position. So Sudha's father agreed to Murthy's proposal to marry Sudha.
• She made a cameo appearance in the Kannada film 'Uppu Huli Khara' in 2017.
• She resigned from the Tirupati Temple Board in 2019.
• She made an appearance on the Karamveer episode of KBC 11 which aired on November 29 2019. Amitabh Bachchan greeted her by stroking her feet and Sudha gave him a devadasi bed sheet.
• In contrast to her husband she enjoys watching movies.
• In her book Three Thousand Stitches she described her real-life experience at Heathrow Airport when she was referred to as a cattle class for wearing a salwar kameez.
• Sudha had a cameo appearance as a judge in the ETV Kannada television series 'Preethi Illada Mele' in 2006.

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