Sudha Murty’s life brings together engineering, education, literature, entrepreneurship and philanthropy. From becoming one of the first women to enter India’s engineering workforce to establishing the Infosys Foundation and becoming a bestselling author, her career has been shaped by persistence, simplicity and a strong sense of social responsibility.
Born on August 19, 1950, in Shiggaon, Karnataka, Murty grew up in a family that placed considerable importance on education. She studied Electrical and Electronics Engineering at B.V.B. College of Engineering and Technology in Hubballi before completing a master’s degree in Computer Science at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru.
Breaking Barriers in Engineering
Murty entered engineering at a time when the profession was overwhelmingly male-dominated. She later became the first woman engineer hired by Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company, now Tata Motors.
Her entry into TELCO followed an unusual episode. After noticing a recruitment advertisement that appeared to exclude women, she wrote to J.R.D. Tata, questioning the policy. She was subsequently invited for an interview and became the first woman engineer hired by the company. She went on to work at TELCO for several years before moving to other professional and academic roles.
Her experience at Tata left a lasting impression. According to Murty, J.R.D. Tata’s advice about treating wealth as something held in trust became an important influence on her later philanthropic work.
Supporting the Early Years of Infosys
In 1978, Sudha Murty married N. R. Narayana Murthy, who later co-founded Infosys in 1981 with six other engineers.
Although she did not join Infosys as an employee because of the company’s policy concerning family members, Murty supported the family financially during its early years while continuing her own career. Her savings also helped her husband during the company’s formative period. Her contribution to the family’s early journey became an important part of the Infosys story.
Her own professional identity, however, extended well beyond her association with Infosys.
Founding the Infosys Foundation
In 1996, Murty founded the Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic arm established to support underserved communities. Under her leadership, the foundation worked across areas including education, healthcare, women’s empowerment, environmental sustainability and public infrastructure.
The foundation has supported projects across India, including schools, hospitals, libraries, sanitation initiatives and programmes aimed at disadvantaged communities. Her work with women from the Devadasi community has also been a significant part of her social work. Murty retired from the foundation in 2021.
Her approach to philanthropy has generally focused on practical interventions rather than publicity. During her years at the foundation, she travelled extensively to understand the needs of communities and evaluate whether projects were producing meaningful results.
A Successful Career as an Author
Murty’s influence is not limited to engineering and philanthropy. She has also built a substantial literary career, writing in both English and Kannada.
Her books span fiction, children’s literature, memoirs, travel writing and social commentary. Some of her best-known works include Wise and Otherwise, Dollar Bahu, Three Thousand Stitches and Grandma’s Bag of Stories. Her books have been translated into Indian languages and have sold millions of copies.
Her writing is known for its straightforward language and stories drawn from ordinary experiences. Rather than relying on complicated prose, Murty often uses everyday people and situations to explore values such as kindness, responsibility, dignity and perseverance.
Recognition for Social Work and Literature
Murty’s contributions have received recognition from both the literary and public-service communities.
She was awarded the Padma Shri in 2006 for her contribution to social work and received the Padma Bhushan in 2023 for her work in social service and literature. She has also received several literary and cultural honours, including the R.K. Narayan Award for Literature and the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award.
In 2024, she entered public life as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha, adding another dimension to a career that had already crossed engineering, education, literature and philanthropy.
A Different Definition of Success
The most distinctive feature of Sudha Murty’s career is perhaps the range of roles she has occupied without allowing any single one to define her.
She began as an engineer in an era when women had limited representation in technical professions. She later became an educator, philanthropist and author, while also playing an important supporting role during the early years of one of India’s most successful technology companies.
Her journey demonstrates that professional success does not have to be confined to wealth or corporate titles. For Murty, education created opportunity, engineering provided a career, writing created a connection with millions of readers, and philanthropy became a means of returning something to society.
That combination has made her one of India’s most recognised public figures, with a career built not around a single achievement but around decades of work across very different fields.
Photo: Oliveboard
Source: Startup Talky
