Narayana Murthy's message to son after he won Padma Vibhushan

NR Narayana Murthy received the Padma Bhushan in 2008 and Sudha Murty received it now. (Image: rohan-murty-844695b2/LinkedIn)

Philanthropist Sudha Murty was honoured with the Padma Bhushan from President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Wednesday for her contribution to social work and her proud son Rohan shared on LinkedIn his mother’s extraordinary journey from a teacher at a small girl’s college to running Infosys Foundation.

Rohan Murty, founder of Soroco, also shared two photos of his parents receiving the Padma Bhushan – his father NR Narayana Murthy in 2008 and his mother now.

He also attended the ceremony and wrote that he and his sister UK First Lady Akshata Murty were “very lucky to have been born into a set of circumstances to learn from these two people”.

He even shared a piece of advice from his father Narayana Murty that he got after he received the Padma Bhushan in 2008.

“I asked him then what is the lesson he would like me and others to learn from his life. He said, "with a lot of luck, perhaps, the circumstances of one's birth need not determine their fate". He reminded me that luck defines nearly everything but we still have agency over the choices we make. That lesson has stayed with me. Both my parents have lived lives that that have reinforced these ideas,” Rohan Murty wrote.

He also wrote in brief about his mother’s contribution and how she was always immersed in social work.

“In the early 90s my mother taught computer science in a small women's college in Bangalore. While she loved this life, she often felt she could have done even more. She often felt she was as capable, if not more, than my father or any of his colleagues at his work. But as I grew up, I watched her turn this desire into a more positive force. She re-grouped and eventually founded and ran Infosys Foundation for 25 years. Inevitably, when I was in high school, my mother was almost never home. She was constantly in the middle of relief work for floods, earthquakes, working with tribal communities in remote jungles, among other activities. I saw, first hand, how this work impacted lives, gave her meaning and purpose, and a tremendous satisfaction that this was the purpose of her birth -- to help those she can,” he wrote in a LinkedIn post.

He continued: “Along the way she rediscovered her passion for writing and also turned out to be a pretty successful writer. Her example, for me, has been one of purpose, to be able to re-define oneself with good intent, passion, extreme hard work, and a lot of humility.”

Sudha Murty, 72, Murty dedicated the Padma Bhushan to the people of India. “I hope my recognition today inspires the younger generation to take up social welfare as a vocation. It is needed for the continuous development of our great nation. I always feel that generosity of a few is hope for a million,” she said on Wednesday.