Some women are born to inspire. One such name is Sudha Murty who has made a prominent impact on Indian society. A writer, philanthropist, and entrepreneur, Sudha Murthy is greatly revered for being a prolific writer, facilitating the education of poor children, and being one of the brains behind Infosys, one of India’s leading IT companies. Soberly dressed in traditional Indian attire, Sudha Murthy’s philanthropic work has garnered global recognition. From becoming the first female Engineer in India to heading a company like Infosys, her seriousness towards making a change in society and her educational journey has played a significant role in her making.
Murty was the recipient of the R.K. Narayan Award for Literature and the Padma Shri the fourth highest civilian award in India, for social work by the Government of India in 2006, and on 5 April 2023, President Droupadi Murmu awarded her the Padma Bhushan the third highest civilian award in India for her work in the social work area.
Sudha Murthy’s education and relentless efforts to contribute to the improvement of society have made her a brand name. Through her Infosys Foundation, she has helped in spreading awareness about education, public hygiene, poverty alleviation, etc. Apart from this, she is also a visiting Professor at Bangle University and has previously worked as a professor at the renowned Christ University.
She is an active member of the Gates Foundation. Her efforts at revolutionizing the Education System of India have been phenomenal in the country where she supported the use of Computer Technology in educational institutions in Karnataka. She also established the Murty Classical Library of India (MCLI) at Harvard.
Murty’s social work covers the healthcare, education, empowerment of women, public hygiene, art and culture, and poverty alleviation at the grassroots level.
Her vision of a library for each school has resulted in the setting up of 50,000 libraries so far. Through the Infosys Foundation, she has built 2,300 houses in the flood-affected areas.
According to Sudha Murthy, money always exchanges hands and helping the community greatly increases goodwill. Her strong involvement in social work for women’s empowerment, education, public health, and public hygiene is a testament to her high moral standards.
“With my experience in life, I want to tell you that having good relationships, compassion and peace of mind is much more important than achievements, awards, degrees or money.”
List Of Books You Will Absolutely Love
Wise And Otherwise
Wise And Otherwise, a non-fiction book, is a collection of fifty vignettes of the real-life incidents of Sudha Murty where she encounters ordinary people and extraordinary minds during her travels, and which left a profound impression on her.
How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and Other Stories
How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and Other Stories is a collection of 25 semi-autobiographical short stories written by Murty. Each of the stories is simple and touching and is packed with values.
Funny, spirited and inspiring, the book teaches a valuable lesson about the importance of doing what you believe is right and having the courage to realize your dreams.
Gently Falls the Bakula
Gently falls the Bakula is the story of Shrikant and Shrimati who belong to two hostile communities and fall in love. The best thing about the book is its character depiction.
Sudha Murty’s writing hits home where many of us have seen this happening in and around us. The story is simple, follows a single plot and focuses on the two main characters only.
Mahashweta
Mahashweta is an inspiring story of courage and resilience in a world marred by illusions and betrayals.
This is the story of Anupama whose marriage falls apart when she is diagnosed with leukoderma. Overcoming the social stigma of a married woman who is left by her husband, she moves to Bombay where she finds success, respect and rebuilds her life.
Dollar Bahu
Dollar Bahu is the story of the Gauramma, her Dollar Bahu Jamuna and her other simpleton bahu Vinuta.
Between Jamuna’s Dollars and Vinuta’s selfless devotion, Gauramma always finds her favour with the dollars and ignores what is truly priceless - Vinuta’s devotion and selfless love.
The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk
The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk is a collection of heartwarming experiences of Sudha Murty, written as she walks the roads of rural and urban India.
She weaves the everyday life of men and women in India into short stories and each story has a unique takeaway that you’ll never forget.
The title story is a story about Sudha Murty’s visit to Odisha and about the poor tribals she met there.
The Old Man and His God: Discovering the Spirit of India
Told simply and directly from the heart, is a collection of snapshots of the varied facets of human nature and a mirror to the souls of the people of India.
There are stories about people’s generosity-and selfishness-in times of natural disasters like the tsunami; women struggling to speak out in a world that refuses to listen to them and tales of young professionals trying to find their feet as they climb up the corporate ladder.
Grandma’s Bag of Stories
Sudha Murty’s Grandma’s Bag of Stories brings forth memories of a grandparent spinning tales around animals and mysterious characters.
The story starts with Anand, Krishna, Raghu and Meena arriving at their Ajji and Ajja’s house in Shiggaon. They spend the summer listening to their Ajji as she opens her big bag of stories.
She tells stories of kings and cheats, princesses and onions, monkeys and mice and scorpions and hidden treasures.
House of Cards
House of Cards portrays the clash of the simplicity of village life and the complexity of city life.
This is the story of Mridula, an energetic yet simple village girl who moves to Bangalore after her marriage to Sanjay, a doctor.
The story is about their family life, and how they rise in status in the city, but begin to find differences in their relationship.
Three Thousand Stitches
Three Thousand Stitches is a collection of 11 short stories that draw from Sudha Murty’s real-life experiences, as an individual and as the chairperson of Infosys Foundation.
The book narrates many stories - the rescue and rehabilitation of 3,000 devadasis in Karnataka, her experience as the only girl studying engineering in a college full of boys, her encounter with Bollywood across the world etc.
The Mother I Never Knew
The Mother I Never Knew comprises two novellas that explore two quests by two different men — both for mothers they never knew they had.
The book is a poignant, dramatic book that reaches deep into the human heart to reveal what we really feel about those closest to us.
Something Happened on the Way to Heaven: 20 Inspiring Real-Life Stories
Something Happened on the Way to Heaven is edited by Sudha Murty. It is a collection of 20 memorable true-life stories handpicked by Sudha Murty from a writing contest run by Penguin.
The stories capture the hope, faith, kindness and joy that life is full of, even as we make our way through the daily grind.
The Magic of the Lost Temple
The Magic of the Lost Temple is heart-warming, charming and absolutely unputdownable. Nooni, a city girl, comes to her grandparents’ village to spend her summer vacations.
She is surprised at the pace of life in her grandparents’ village. But she quickly gets used to the gentle routine there and involves herself in a flurry of activities, including papad making, organising picnics and learning to ride a cycle, with her new-found friends.
Things get exciting when Nooni stumbles upon an ancient fabled stepwell right in the middle of a forest.
Something Happened on the Way to Heaven: 20 Inspiring Real-Life Stories
Something Happened on the Way to Heaven is edited by Sudha Murty. It is a collection of 20 memorable true-life stories handpicked by Sudha Murty from a writing contest run by Penguin.
The stories capture the hope, faith, kindness and joy that life is full of, even as we make our way through the daily grind.
The Serpent’s Revenge: Unusual Tales from the Mahabharata
In The Serpents Revenge, Sudha Murty reintroduces the fascinating world of India’s greatest epic, Mahabharata, through the extraordinary tales in this collection, each of which is sure to fill you with a sense of wonder and bewilderment.
Many of the tales in this book stand out - the story of Chandrahasa, that of Babruvahana (Arjuna’s son who kills his own dad), the golden mongoose, the story of Duryodhana’s good brother Vikarna and Ghatothkacha’s son Barbarika.
The Bird with Golden Wings: Stories of Wit and Magic
Delightful colour illustrations bring to life tales of magical creatures, princesses and kings, ordinary witty men and women in this book, The Bird with Golden Wings.
This collection of 21 short stories is another one of Sudha Murty’s priceless gifts to children conveying life lessons in a readable and relatable manner.
The Man from the Egg: Unusual Tales about the Trinity
In The Man from the Egg, Sudha Murty weaves enchanting tales of the three most powerful gods of India - the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
This book is a collection of wonderfully short, crisp stories that take us on a magical journey to a land of gods, demigods, asuras, rakshasas, handsome valiant princes, beautiful strong-willed princesses, learned sages, proud kings and a lot more!
The Daughter from a Wishing Tree
The Daughter from a Wishing Tree is the fourth book in Sudha Murty’s popular mythology series. It is divided into three parts and consists of twenty-four stories.
The stories are about the important roles that women have played in our mythology. Apart from the famous ones like Sita, Ganga and Draupadi, there are many other lesser known characters like Ashokasundari, Shakambhari, Karambha etc.
The Gopi Diaries
The Gopi Diaries is a series of three books for children about a dog called Gopi.
Told in Gopi’s voice, the first book, Coming Home, begins with Gopi going to his new home, and tells the story of how he settles down with his loving, human family.
How Gopi sees the world around him and what he thinks of the people in his life give the story a truly unique flavour.
The Upside Down King: Unusual Tales about Rama and Krishna
The Upside Down King is a collection of 23 short stories based on Indian mythology. It is divided into two halves- Tales from the life and lineage of Lord Ram, and tales from the life and lineage of Lord Krishna.
After every tale there is also description of the place which is known for that story.
Bestselling author Sudha Murty takes you on an arresting tour, all the while telling you of the days when demons and gods walked alongside humans, animals could talk and gods granted the most glorious boons to common people.
How the Onion Got Its Layers
How the Onion Got Its Layers seeks to answer several questions related to the onion, like its many layers and why it brings tears to the eyes when cut.
India’s favourite storyteller brings alive this timeless tale with her inimitable wit and simplicity. Dotted with charming illustrations, this gorgeous chapter book is the ideal introduction for beginners to the world of Sudha Murty.
How the Sea Became Salty
How the Sea Became Salty is the first chapter book in Puffin’s Chapter Book series. The book is set a long time ago, in a time when the sea’s water was supposedly sweet and indeed drinkable. It narrates the tale of how the sea came to be salty.
It is suitable for very young readers and is a perfect way to introduce them to the beauty of Sudha Murty’s writing.
Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision is merely passing time. But vision and action together can change the world.
“A fire cannot be extinguished with another fire. It is only water that can make a difference.
”Money is one thing that rarely unites and mostly divides people.
Padma Bhushan Award Ceremony from President Droupadi Murmu for her contributions in social work.
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