Out of many prominent philanthropists in India, Sudha Murthy is one among and she is a writer in Kannada and English. Sudha Murthy began her professional career as a computer scientist and engineer. 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 Murthy Classical Library of India’ at Harvard University.
Sudha Murthy initiated a bold move to introduce computer and library facilities in all schools in Karnataka & taught computer science. She got “Best Teacher Award” in 1995 from Rotary Club at Bangalore. Sudha Murthy is best known for her social work and her contribution to literature in Kannada and English.
It is only natural for the rich to take pride in the designer where they don and flaunt. But not Sudha Murthy! One of India’s richest women, the chairman of the Infosys Foundation decided to give up on shopping instead. The last saree she bought was 21 years ago before she went to Kashi.
Yes, it’s true.
When asked her what led to this change, she said, “I was in Kashi to take the holy dip, and when you go to Kashi you have to give up something that you enjoy the most. I gave up shopping, particularly sarees, from thereon. I now only buy the essential items,” Murthy told PTI. “I have to say I feel very happy and free.”
One thing that Sudha Murthy and her husband Narayan Murthy continue to indulge on is books. The couple loves reading, and their massive collection of over 20,000 books neatly arranged in two libraries, stands testimony to it.
Sudha Murthy confesses to hating the idea of lending her books to anyone, even her husband who she thinks can easily afford to buy them. “I tell my husband, ‘how could writers survive if everybody started borrowing their books?’ We, the authors, want people to buy books. “That is the only way we can learn from our royalty,” she quipped.
Murthy, who recently came out with a new book, “Three Thousand Stitches”, has established over 60,000 libraries in Karnataka alone through the Infosys Foundation. “At the time, I told him to bring bread on the table in those three years. And if he could buy a two-wheeler and a two-bed room house, that would be the ultimate for me,” she said.
“I lost many friendships because of my wealth. When my friends met me, they had an agenda in mind. Just because I had money, they expected one thing or the other from me, which they didn’t before. “So yes I have lost some good friends, and this is what hurts me the most,” she added.
“We come from a background that has a solid value system. That’s the reason earning a lot of money never got to our heads. But, yes it definitely provided us with the opportunity to help people in different ways,” she said.
According to Forbes, Narayana Murthy’s net worth at present amounts to USD 1.92 billion.