Sudha Murty

Founder

Sudha Murty is the founder of Murty Trust (2017)[1], an Indian non-profit working on arts & culture and environment from Bengaluru.

Sudha Murty (born 19 August 1950) is an Indian engineer, author and philanthropist. She was the founder-chairperson of the Infosys Foundation, the charitable arm of Infosys, which she established in 1996, and is the founder of the Murty Trust, a registered public charitable trust supporting work on India's heritage, on underrepresented communities and on scientific research.

She has written extensively in Kannada and English, including fiction, travelogues and children's books. In March 2024 she was nominated to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament, for her contribution to social work and education.

Early life and education

Murty was born on 19 August 1950 at Shiggaon in Karnataka. She took a BE in electrical and electronics engineering from B.V.B. College of Engineering and Technology in Hubli and an ME in computer science from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Career

Murty joined the Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO) as a development engineer in Pune, becoming the first woman engineer hired by the company, after writing to the chairman about its men-only recruitment notices. She later worked as a senior systems analyst with the Walchand group.

In 1996 she founded the Infosys Foundation and served as its chairperson, directing grants to health care, rural development, education, the arts and disaster relief. She subsequently founded the Murty Trust, which supports organisations working on Indian heritage, the environment and scientific research.

As an author she has published widely in Kannada and English. Her novel Dollar Bahu was adapted as a Zee TV television series in 2001.

She was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by President Droupadi Murmu on 8 March 2024, International Women's Day, and took the oath as a member on 14 March 2024. She is married to N. R. Narayana Murthy, a co-founder of Infosys.

Recognition

Murty was awarded the Padma Shri in 2006 and the Padma Bhushan in 2023, the fourth- and third-highest Indian civilian honours. In 2023 she also received the Sahitya Akademi's Bal Sahitya Puraskar.[2][3][4][5]

Murty Trust

Murty Trust, the registered public charitable trust of the Murty family led by Sudha Murty, supports initiatives that celebrate Indian heritage, protect biodiversity and advance scientific research. It works by funding and partnering with organisations across these three areas.