Sudha Murty: Her inspirational tale from being an engineer to an author-philanthropist

Her colleagues from the 1970s may recall her as an engineer; the Brits identify her as the mother-in-law of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. In the entrepreneurial world, she is the wife of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murty and former chairperson of Infosys Foundation. But most people know her as the author of Three Thousand Stitches,’ ‘Dollar Bahu,’ and many more.

The Indian government has honoured her with the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, and numerous other awards for her contribution to literature. While she absolutely respects all the honours, she might also add - "With my experience in life, I want to tell you that having good relationships, compassion and peace of mind is much more important than achievements, awards, degrees or money.”

Breaking the glass ceiling

Born in Hubli, a small town in Karnataka, Sudha Murty was always focused on academics. After school, she enrolled in Electrical Engineering at the BVB College of Engineering. This was at a time when few women dared to venture into engineering. But that never stopped her. She followed her engineering aspirations and pursued post graduate degree in Computer Science at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. She was the only woman in her Computer Science class. She came across a notice from TELCO and decided to write to them. But the response wasn’t what she had in mind. They asked women to refrain from applying. It was a demanding job, which meant staying back at the factory for long hours, which would extend to late evening, and wasn’t safe for female candidates. That didn’t stop her. In fact, she became the first female engineer to be hired.

The birth of an author

She wasn’t the one who could be boxed. She had stories to tell. Her experiences growing up in a small town and her career as an engineer inspired her to write. She started off writing in her mother tongue, Kannada. Later, she started writing in English as well. From children's literature to memoirs, today, she has authored over 40 books, with many translated into all the major Indian languages and sold more than 60 lakh copies across the nation. Her works, such as ‘How I Taught My Grandmother to Read’ and ‘Wise and Otherwise’ have become staples in Indian households.

Beyond authorship, Sudha Murty is also a philanthropist. As the founder and chairperson of the Infosys Foundation, she took numerous initiatives covering in education, healthcare, poverty alleviation, and rural development sectors.

At 75, Sudha Murty refuses to be boxed in or stop dreaming. Just as she wrote in ‘Wise or Otherwise’, “If you try to please everyone, you will please no one. It is impossible to lead your life for others’ happiness.” She chases happiness, not others, but her! Her journey, her perspective towards life, her words, her creations, basically every fragment of her being inspires generations.