Murthy was born in a brahmin family[1] on 2 December 1942 in Tirumakudal Narsipur, Mysore district, in the state of Karnataka, in India.
[3] She has also worked with schist, despite the fact that it is easily split, in consonance with sculptural tradition in the state of Karnataka.
She notably created busts of several classical Carnatic and Hindustani musicians, including Gangubai Hangal, Doraiswamy Iyengar, T Chowdiah, Mallikarjuna Mansur and Bhimsen Joshi.
These include a bust of the poet and writer Kuvempu, located at the west gate of Lalbagh Park, and a fibreglass statue of the Wright brothers at the Visvesvaraya Industrial and Technological Museum.
[9] Murthy spoke in several interviews about the challenges of breaking into the profession of sculpture, which was traditionally male-dominated, as a woman.