Philanthropist and author in Kannada and English Sudha Murty was nominated to the Rajya Sabha on Friday by President Droupadi Murmu.
Prime Minister Narendra in his post on X lauded the 73-year-old’s contribution in diverse fields, saying that her presence in the Upper House was a “powerful testament to Nari Shakti (women power)“.
Speaking to The Hindu from Thailand where she is on a lecture tour, Ms. Murty said that the nomination had come as a surprise and that she was particularly thrilled as it had come on the International Women’s Day.
“The nomination has come as a pleasant surprise, and I am doubly thrilled to be presented this honour on women’s day,” she said, speaking to the The Hindu over phone.
Infosys Foundation
Ms. Murty, wife of Infosys co-founder N.R. Narayana Murthy and an engineering by training, is the chairperson of the Murty Trust and has authored several books.
She chaired the Infosys Foundation for over two decades, and through the foundation carried out several philanthropic activities. She is a renowned author and motivational speaker in Kannada and English. Her books for children, in particular, have been bestsellers. She is the recipient of the Padma Shri in 2006 and Padma Bhushan in 2023.
Ms. Murty told The Hindu that the honour of being in the Rajya Sabha provided her with the highest public platform in India to serve people.
“The announcement has come out of the blue. So, I am yet to chalk out my plans for my parliamentary tenure. I am in Thailand to deliver a series of lectures. Once I return home, I will see what best I can do to utilise this platform to work for the people of India,” said Ms. Murty, who is mother to venture capitalist Akshata Murty, who is married to U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Woman engineer
Ms. Murty was born in Shiggaon, Haveri district, in North Karnataka, in 1950.
A graduate from the BVB College of Engineering and Technology, Hubballi, she did her master’s from the Indian Institute of Science and was the first woman engineer at Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company, which is now Tata Motors.
