New Delhi: Philanthropist and author Sudha Murty was nominated to the Rajya Sabha on Friday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauding her contribution in diverse fields.
Modi asserted in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that her presence in the Upper House is a powerful testament to "Nari Shakti" (women power), exemplifying the strength and potential of women in shaping the nation's destiny.
Wishing her a fruitful tenure, he said, "I am delighted that the President of India has nominated Sudha Murty Ji to the Rajya Sabha. Sudha Ji's contributions to diverse fields including social work, philanthropy and education have been immense and inspiring."
Murty, wife of Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy, is also the chairperson of the Murty Trust and Infosys Foundation has authored several books.
The 73-year-old, whose nomination comes on International Women's Day, was awarded the Padma Shri in 2006 and the Padma Bhushan in 2023.
"I'm happy, at the same time I feel I have been given more responsibility. I'll work my level best. On a personal level, I am happy that I'm getting a bigger platform to work for the poor," ANI quoted Sudha Murty as saying. When asked about whether this could be considered a step into the political arena, Murty was clear that she did not consider herself a politician.
"I don't think that I could consider myself as a politician and I'm not a politician. I'm a nominated Rajya Sabha member. My son-in-law's (United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak) politics is for his country and it is different, and my work is different. I'm a government worker now," she said.
Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's appreciation of her being nominated to the upper house Murty said, "It's very nice of him he appreciated my work, I want to thank the Prime Minister very much."
Sudha Murty was born on August 19, 1950, in Shiggaon, Haveri in Karnataka, India, Dr R. H. Kulkarni and Vimala Kulkarni. She belongs to Deshastha Madhwa Brahmin family.
She is also an avid reader and an active netizen. In her Women's Day message posted on X, she said: "Women contribute significantly to the functioning of society and the economy. If they were to stop working, it would create a major imbalance and affect various aspects of daily life."
She is a graduate in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the B.V.B. College of Engineering & Technology (presently known as KLE Technological University). She completed her post-graduation in Computer Science from the Indian Institute of Science. She received a gold medal from the then Chief Minister of Karnataka.
She married N.R. Narayana Murthy while she was employed as an engineer at TELCO in Pune. The couple has two children-- Akshata (daughter) and Rohan (son). Akshata married United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Sudha Murty wrote a postcard to the then TELCO Chairman and complained about the gender bias in the company. After this, she was interviewed and was hired immediately. She became the first female engineer hired at India's largest auto manufacturer TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO).
She was posted first posted in Pune as a Development Engineer and was later posted in Mumbai and Jamshedpur. She also worked with the Walchand group of Industries at Pune as Senior Systems Analyst. In 1996, she established the Infosys Foundation and is currently its Chairperson.
She is also a visiting Professor at Bangalore University. She was also a professor at Christ University. The Government of Karnataka awarded her the prestigious literary award, the 'Attimabbe Award' –for her literary work for the year 2011–12. Her first notable work entitled is ‘How I taught my Grandmother to Read’ & many other short stories.
