Author, philanthropist and chairperson of the Infosys Foundation, Sudha Murthy, was conferred with the Padma Bhushan award on Wednesday along with several other notable people like former Karnataka chief minister S M Krishna and writer S L Bhyrappa.
Two others from Karnataka, Munivenkatappa, a veteran ‘tamate’ (hand drum) player from Chikkaballapura and Rani Machaiah, a folk dancer from Kodagu were awarded the Padma Shri.
Congratulations poured in on social media, with politicians, actors and notable figures lauding Murthy. “So very proud that my dear friend Sudha Murthy was awarded the Padma Bhushan – she has always inspired me with her sense of social equity and I salute her for her untiring endeavour to serve the underserved. Jai Hind,” Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar Shaw tweeted.
Divya Spandana, actor and former MP also wrote, “This is such great news! I love her!! So well deserved. Her love for Kannada cinema is what got us together – she’s always got nice things to say about everyone. Never met anyone with more optimism than Sudha Murthy avare. Amazing human being. Happy, Happy!”
Several other political figures also expressed their best wishes to the author, with Congress MLA Soumya Reddy posting, “Heartfelt congratulations to Mrs. Sudha Murthy, an extraordinary achiever and a proud spectacle, who has been honoured with the prestigious Padma Bhushan Award. Her contribution to rural development and social work has been immense for many decades.”
BJP National General Secretary C T Ravi also joined in, writing, “SUDHA MURTHY ! The person who immensely contributed to the growth of Bharat’s IT Industry has been awarded the prestigious Padma Bhushan Award by PM Shri @narendramodi Government. Amma who inspired crores of Bharatiyas through Her social work truly deserves this Award.”
