Bengaluru: Philanthropist, author and Infosys Foundation former chairperson Sudha Murty was nominated Friday to the Rajya Sabha by President Droupadi Murmu.
Having broken several barriers and as she calls herself, ‘the best investor’, Sudha Murty’s nomination was hailed by political leaders across the spectrum.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Sudha Murty’s nomination and hailed it as “a powerful testament to ‘Nari Shakti’”.
“I am delighted that the President of India has nominated @SmtSudhaMurty Ji to the Rajya Sabha. Sudha Ji’s contributions to diverse fields including social work, philanthropy and education have been immense and inspiring. Her presence in the Rajya Sabha is a powerful testament to our ‘Nari Shakti’, exemplifying the strength and potential of women in shaping our nation’s destiny. Wishing her a fruitful Parliamentary tenure,” PM Modi tweeted.
Unaware of the developments and sitting over 4,000 km away in Thailand, Sudha Murty learnt about her nominations soon after the news went public. Her phone has been ringing off the hook since, she said.
“I did not expect it all and this has come as a surprise news to me on (International) Women’s Day,” she told ThePrint over a call from Thailand.
She had to even abruptly end her call with her husband N.R.Narayana Murthy as well, the Infosys foundation chairperson said.
“He (Narayana Murthy) called to inform me of the news but told him that I will speak to you at night. He is a family man, so I can always speak to him at night,” she said.
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‘Savings in a tin dabba’
Born Sudha Kulkarni on 19 August, 1950 in the home of a gynecology professor in Karnataka’s Shiggaon (formerly under the Bombay presidency until 1956), the 74-year-old is among the most recognisable faces in the country.
She received a gold medal from former Karnataka chief minister Devaraj Urs in 1972 and then bagged another when she topped MTech from Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
She is often found visiting local fairs and other events in and around Bengaluru, especially in the southern part where the family home is.
Sudha Murty even commands a fan club with auto drivers like Manjunath who has plastered the author’s face on his vehicle.
She often describes herself as a ‘simple person’ and recalls on various platforms how she has been singled out in Business class rows at international airports or when UK immigration authorities refused to believe her address as ‘10 Downing Street’.
Sudha Murty’s daughter Akshata is married to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Public perception or even the recent online obsession in mocking her simplicity has done little to change the person, or her persona over the years.
“Sudha Murty is highly accomplished, loves helping people and society, is admired by all, and, hence, will contribute to deliberations in the Rajya Sabha,” Infosys co-founder and ex-CEO Kris Gopalakrishnan told ThePrint.
Her initial investment of Rs 10,000 in her husband’s startup in 1981, which has gone on to become a bellwether company synonymous with Bengaluru and all its monikers, is popular among her admirers.
Appearing on a popular television show, Sudha Murty shared how her then ‘unemployed husband’ asked her to take care of the house while they lived in Bandra, Mumbai as he wanted to open a software company.
She then decided to quit her job at TELCO — where she was the behemoth’s first woman engineer — to back her husband’s entrepreneurial dreams.
“Without (Narayana) Murthy’s knowledge, I saved Rs 10,250 in an old tin dabba,” she said in the show. “I gave him Rs 10,000 and kept Rs 250 for emergency. But, I am the best investor in India since that Rs 10,000 has become a billion.”
As Narayana Murthy was unemployed at the time of marriage, she recalls how her father asked her what he should tell others if they asked what his son-in-law does for a living.
“I told him to say that he is Sudha’s husband.”
The journey onwards
Sudha Murty started the Infosys Foundation in 1996 and has since become the face of the philanthropic arm of India’s leading software exporter.
The foundation works on rural development, healthcare, education, arts, culture and destitute care. It has ongoing programmes in several Indian states across all corners of the country.
Her siblings recalled how Sudha Murty was a voracious reader as well as compassionate.
Her sister Sunanda Kulkarni recalls how Sudha had given her ring as donation to the efforts to raise money for the India-China war. “When the India-China war had started, some people came to our school for donations and said that ‘you are children and give whatever you can’. Children gave 4 Annas, 8 Annas…whatever they could and she gave the ring in her hand,” Sunanda recalled on the show, ‘Weekend with Ramesh’, that was aired about a year ago.
Sudha Murty said on the show that it was her grandmother’s ring but when she returned home, she asked her mother for another since all her sisters had one.
The show, hosted by popular Kannada actor Ramesh Aravind, invites celebrities like film stars and takes them on a nostalgic journey. Both Sudha Murty and her husband have been on the show, indicating the popularity of the couple among the masses.
(Edited by Tony Rai)