Sudha Murty, the first woman to get Global Indian Award

Digital Desk: The Canada India Foundation conferred the Global Indian Award to Sudha Murty, the renowned author, philanthropist, and wife of Infosys co-founder NR Narayana Murty at the biggest Indo-Canadian gala here.

The Global Indian Award is worth $50,000, and it is given each year to a prominent Indian who has made a major mark in his or her chosen field.

"We are thrilled to give Sudha Murty the Global Indian Award. She is passionate about giving back to society and has dedicated her whole career to paving the road for future generations to succeed in any area they choose," said Satish Thakkar, chairman of the Canada India Foundation.

Sudha Murty expressed her gratitude for receiving the award from Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma by saying, "It is my honour to receive this award from your country."

As she expressed gratitude to the Canada India Foundation (CIF) for giving her this honour, Murthy said, “The CIF is like Krishna in the Mahabharata. Krishna is the son of Devki as well as Yashoda. Devki was his biological mother and Yashoda brought him up. You are born in India but settled here that is Yashoda and your mother is India. You belong to both mothers.”

She praised the Indo-Canadian community for acting as a bridge between the two nations, saying, “You are the carriers of Indian culture in a different land. Please keep it up.”

Sudha Murty said, laughing, "There's a funny thing about this award because Narayana Murty earned it in 2014 and I got it in 2023. My husband received the same prize in 2014. So, we're the first married couple to receive the award."

She gave the prize money to The Field Institute at the University of Toronto, which is well known for fostering collaboration, creativity, and learning in mathematics and across many different fields.

In addition to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Sudha Murty was escorted to the Toronto gala event by her son-in-law's parents.