Sudha Murty, a Rajya Sabha MP celebrated for her contributions as an author and philanthropist, shared a memorable encounter involving a phone call from APJ Abdul Kalam. Initially mistaking the call for her husband Narayana Murthy, she redirected the operator, thinking it was a wrong number.
Reflecting on this incident during a recorded conversation on X, Murty recounted, “One day, I received a call informing me that Abdul Kalam wanted to speak with me. Assuming it was a mix-up because I didn’t know Abdul Kalam personally, I suggested it might be intended for Narayana Murthy.”
“To my surprise, the operator insisted, ‘No, he specifically asked for Mrs. Murty,'” she quoted.
Curious about why Abdul Kalam had called her, Murty later learned that he had appreciated her column addressing the IT divide. She recalled how Abdul Kalam praised her writing, mentioning he regularly read her columns whenever they were published.
In one of her columns, Murty had recounted a telling incident where she purchased fruits priced at ₹100, only to discover that the shopkeeper charged ₹200 for the same fruits when bought by one of her students working at Infosys. The shopkeeper explained the price difference, citing the student’s profession.
Recognized for her outstanding social contributions, Sudha Murty received the Padma Shri in 2006 from President APJ Abdul Kalam and was honored with the Padma Bhushan in 2023 by President Droupadi Murmu for her continued dedication to social work.