Sudha Murty is a well-known Indian educator, author, engineer and philanthropist. Born on 19 August 1950 in Shiggaon, Karnataka, India, she has made significant contributions to literature, social work, and education in India.

She started her career in engineering, becoming the first woman engineer to be hired at TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO) and later worked as a systems analyst. She holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s in computer science from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.

Murty is also a prolific writer, with over 40 books in English and Kannada that include novels, short stories, children’s books, memoirs, and essays. Some popular titles include Three Thousand Stitches, Dollar Bahu, Grandma’s Bag of Stories and Wise and Otherwise. Her books have been translated into many Indian languages and sold millions of copies.

In 1996, she founded the Infosys Foundation, a charitable trust that supports education, healthcare, rural development, disaster relief, art and culture projects across India. She served as its chairperson for many years and is also chairperson of the Murty Trust. Murty has received numerous awards for her work, including the Padma Shri (2006) and Padma Bhushan (2023) from the Government of India.

In March 2024, Murty was nominated to the Rajya Sabha (the Upper House of India’s Parliament) in recognition of her contributions to literature, education and social service. She is married to N. R. Narayana Murthy, co-founder of Infosys, and they have two children, including Akshata Murty, who is married to the UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

Sudha Murty