Amitabh Bachchan, Karamveer Sudha Murthy And A Great Show

KBC 11: Sudha Murthy on the show. (Image courtesy: SonyTV)

New Delhi:

The glorious journey of Kaun Banega Crorepati 11 came to an end on Friday. The finale Karamveer episode of the famous quiz show was extra special for many reasons. Host Amitabh Bachchan welcomed author, philanthropist and Infosys Foundation chairperson Sudha Murthy on the show. Sudha Murthy has been an inspiration for many of us. She has been honoured with Padma Shri Award- the country’s fourth highest civilian honour – by late former president Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. She also became the first woman engineer of her village Shiggaon and went on to become the first female engineer at India’s largest auto manufacturer company TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO). Later, Sudha Murthy and her husband N. R. Narayana Murthy founded Infosys Foundation in 1996. She is also a visiting professor at the PG Center of Bangalore University.

When Amitabh Bachchan asked Mrs Murthy about the story when she wrote a postcard to J.R.D Tata complaining gender discrimination at TELCO, she recalled the incident and narrated the whole story. She said: “When I was in college in 1974, I got a scholarship to study in America and I was preparing to go there. However, one day I came across a TELCO job vacancy advertisement but the advertisement mentioned that only men can apply. This made me furious. I decided to write a letter to the company about the matter but since I didn’t know the person to whom I had to address the letter, I wrote the postcard to J.R.D Tata complaining about the “only male” employees policy and stated my point that women work better than men and if they are not given the chance, they won’t be able to prove themselves.”

“J.R.D Tata was a man with an extraordinary vision. He changed the only ‘male employees’ policy and ordered to conduct interviews and examinations for female applicants also,” she added. Sudha Murthy has also helped to open up 60,000 libraries, new schools and over 16,000 washrooms in India.

Sudha Murthy told several of her inspirational stories on the show. From what inspired her to start Infosys to her exemplary contribution for the better cause of women, Sudha Murthy’s amazing life stories made the finale episode of Kaun Banega Crorepati 11 a night to remember. She won Rs 25,00,000 on the show.