Sudha Murthy is an Indian social worker and author. She is known for her philanthropic work through the Infosys Foundation. Among other things, she has initiated a move to provide all government schools in Karnataka with computer and library facilities. She also teaches computer science and writes fiction.
Background
Sudha Murthy was born on August 19, 1950, in Shiggaon in northern Karnataka, India. The daughter of a local physician Dr. S.R. Kulkarni, Murty and her siblings were raised by her parents and maternal grandparents of the Deshastha Brahmin Kadim Diwan-Melgiri-Ron family. These childhood experiences form the historical basis for her first notable work entitled "How I Taught my Grandmother to Read and Other Stories".
Education
She did B.E. in Electrical Engineering from the B.V.B. College of Engineering and Technology, Hubli. She stood first in Karnataka for which she received a gold medal from the Chief Minister of Karnataka. She also completed her M.Tech. in Computer Science in 1974 from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, stood first in her class and received a gold medal from the Indian Institute of Engineers.
Career
Murthy began her professional career as a computer scientist and engineer. After graduation, she became the first female engineer hired at India's largest auto manufacturer TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company or TELCO. Now she is the chairperson of the Infosys Foundation and a member of public health care initiatives of the Gates Foundation. She has founded several orphanages, participated in rural development efforts, supported the movement to provide all Karnataka government schools with computer and library facilities, and established the "The Murthy Classical Library of India" at Harvard University. Murthy also teaches computer science and composes fiction. "Dollar Sose" (English: Dollar Daughter-in-Law), a novel originally authored in Kannada and later translated into English as Dollar Bahu, was adapted as a televised dramatic series by Zee TV in 2001.