Canada India Foundation announced its latest winner of the prestigious CIF Global Indian Award 2023 – the much-loved social activist and corporate titan, Ms. Sudha Murty. “This announcement is extra special for all of us at CIF for one reason, she is the first ever woman to win the Award. While that fits in with our own efforts to increase diversity and inclusion, Sudha Murty joins the stellar list of past CIF winners, by virtue of her decades of dedicated service to both corporate sector in India as well as her deep and generous social service programs that have touched countless lives.”
Mr. Satish Thakkar, Chair CIF said that “CIF Global Indian Award is an annual event. Award is given to an outstanding person who has demonstrated global leadership, vision, and personal excellence for their extraordinary contributions to society and has been a source of inspiration to millions of people across the globe. Past winners of CIF Global Indian Award include Ratan Tata, Narayana Murthy, Sam Pitroda, Deepak Chopra, Yog Rishi Baba Ramdev, Stephen Harper, Anil Agarwal and others.”
“We are grateful to Ms. Murty for her kind acceptance of our Award and look forward to extending her a very warm and heart-felt welcome in Canada,” added Thakkar.
Though the rest of the world today may know her more as the mother-in-law of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Indians of all shades and inclinations love and admire her for the great contributions she has made to an impressive number of causes.
Married to the co-founder of one of India’s largest IT Services firm, Infosys, Narayana Murty (also a past winner of CIF Global Indian Award) Sudha Murty is often referred to as an engineer, educator, writer, entrepreneur, homemaker and philanthropist. Winner of India’s third highest civilian honour, Padma Bhushan, Murty has won so many accolades for a dizzying range of contributions that any one description does not do full justice to the impact she has had on society.
As beacon of the Infosys Foundation, she guides programs in the areas of education, rural development, healthcare, arts and culture, and destitute care in remote regions of India. Infosys Foundation, USA, supports several science, technology, engineering and mathematics and community building initiatives.
From helping build roads, orphanages and sanitation facilities in India’s remote villages to establishing a centre to study and popularize Indian literature at Harvard University, Sudha Murty has been a force of nature redefining the very meaning of philanthropy and social service. Ms. Murty is quoted as saying: “Vision without action is merely a dream; action without vision is merely passing time; but vision and action together can change the world.” A perfect quote to describe her own life.
Ms. Sudha Murty will be felicitated and given the CIF Global Indian Award at a glittering ceremony scheduled to be held on September 29th, 2023 at Universal Event Space, 6250 Hwy 7, Vaughan, ON L4H 4G3. and will be attended by over 1000 people comprising community & business leaders, academicians, professionals, India watchers and eminent guests of Canada India Foundation.
“The standards for this year are even higher after a record-breaking event last year. For a number of reasons, including the unique charisma of our winner, Ms. Murty, this year we expect an even higher level of interest and participation in the event from the community,” noted Ritesh Malik, National Convener, CIF.
