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One woman, many roles(CREDITS TO THE HINDU/ IN SCHOOL )
As an engineer, she changed TELCO’s employment policy; as a writer, she has encouraged many to take to reading — Sudha Murthy, the author in focus
“The great Tatas have always been pioneers. They are the people who
started the basic infrastructure for industries in India, such as iron
and steel, chemicals, textiles, and locomotives. They have cared for
higher education in India since 1900 and they were responsible for the
establishment of the Indian Institute of Science. Fortunately, I study
there. But I am surprised how a company such as TELCO is discriminating
on the basis of gender,” wrote a young Sudha Murthy to JRD Tata in
response to a job application that said “Lady candidates need not
apply.” Little did she know then that she would make history, and become
an icon for women's employment.
Sudha Murthy’s life story has never failed to impress many. Born in
Hubli, a small town in Karnataka, she was always focused on academics.
Once she was finished with school, she decided to take up Electrical
Engineering at the BVB College of Engineering. It was still the early
1970s and engineering was a rare choice for women. Undeterred, Sudha
Murthy went on to receive medals and accolades for her achievements
while pursuing a post graduate degree in Computer Science at the Indian
Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. Back then, in the batch of 1975,
the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, had less than five
women in a class of 306. So, it didn’t come as a surprise when Sudha
Murthy was the only woman in her Computer Science class.
And that’s when she came across the notice from TELCO on the bulletin
board. Surprisingly, she did receive a response that clarified the real
reason behind asking women to refrain from applying. It was that
engineers would be required to stay back at the factory for long hours
that would extend late into the evening. This wouldn’t sit well with
woman candidates as their safety would be a major concern. While that
was an acceptable line of reasoning, Sudha Murthy believed that women
engineers had to be given a chance somewhere. Eventually she became
TELCO’s (and probably India’s) first woman engineer.
Meanwhile, her experiences at work and her memories of growing up in a
small town led to birth the author within Sudha Murthy. She began
writing in Kannada, her native tongue, as well as in English. Her
stories always inspire young readers and inform them about the various
issues that are faced by common people in everyday life. Her collection
of short stories How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and Other Stories chronicle
her memories and experiences with her grandparents and older relatives,
and has been translated into numerous vernacular languages. A Marathi
movie is said to have been based on one of her stories.
Sudha Murthy has always been one to test limits. She did not stop at
short stories but forayed into writing full-fledged novels as well. Her
first novel titled House of Cards chronicles the turbulence faced
by the wife of a successful doctor. Sudha Murthy wove tales with women
as the main characters, and why shouldn’t she? After all, she is one of
the most inspirational women our country has ever seen.
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