Murali was born to Seetha and T.A. Sundaram, in Colombo, Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) on August 22nd, 1943.  He was the third of three boys. His eldest brother Ramanan was 10 years old and his other brother, Shankar, was 5 years old at the time of his birth. He spent his early school years on the island where he developed his keen love of and talent for cricket. Although he was always a strong student, if he had his choice he would spend every hour of the day playing cricket. In addition, during this time, he became quite proficient in table tennis. He represented Ceylon at the All India National Championship in 1955.  He attended St. Thomas Prep for elementary school and Royal College for middle and high school; however, due to the civil unrest brewing in Ceylon, he transferred to Madras Christian College High School in Chennai (formerly Madras), India. It was in India he became well-known as a junior table tennis champion.  He was ranked as India’s junior no. 3 and Ceylon’s no. 1.  He attended Loyola College for pre-med and attended Guntur Medical College where he met his ex-wife, Radha Naidu. 

Radha and he married in 1968 and their first son, Gautam was born in Vijayawada, India. The young family moved to England in 1969 where Murali completed his radiology training at the  Royal Manchester Infirmary and bought their first house Hale, Altrincham.  Both his daughters, Priya and Aparna, were born during their time in England. In 1975, the Sundaram family moved to St. Louis, MO in the United States. Murali was offered a fellowship at St. Louis University and embarked on what would become a  distinguished career in musculoskeletal radiology.  During his 50-plus year career, he worked at  St. Louis University, the Mayo Clinic, and the Cleveland Clinic. In addition to his clinical work, he  published more than 330 peer-reviewed journal articles, authored four books, held 135 visiting professorships, and was editor of Skeletal Radiology for 25 years.  However, what Murali may most be remembered for is his unwavering commitment and dedication to mentoring, teaching, and collaborating with those with whom he worked. In addition, as deeply as he loved his work, Murali would always say that the philosophy of Vedanta and his lifelong meditation practice is what guided and sustained him.

Many people described Murali as the quintessential "gentleman," but as Gautam often noted, the more accurate description was a "gentle man."  Murali moved through the world presuming the best about everyone he encountered. He was genuinely interested in striking up a conversation with anyone, had a profound generosity of spirit and a knack for seeing and valuing people for who they were. For many, Murali was the best-read (his appetite for books was vociferous)  and the most widely traveled person they had ever met, and they marveled whenever he knew something about their hometown, country of origin, favorite poet, sports hero, musician, or more. For his children and his grandchildren, he was not only a human encyclopedia but an enthusiastic cheerleader and constant source of love and support. They inherited his love of sports, ocean swimming, Scrabble, reading, travel, and good conversation.

Although Murali ultimately succumbed to his brain cancer, he stayed active until his final days. He swam daily for a decade post-diagnosis and spent his last few years taking long walks multiple times a day. He attended his last exercise class just a week before he passed away. 

Murali is survived by his daughters, Aparna Sundaram (Carlos Reyes) and Priya Sundaram; his four grandchildren Coda Max, Lyla Simonelli, Rohan Reyes Sundaram, and Rahul Reyes Sundaram; and his brothers, Shankar Sundaram and SV Ramanan. He was predeceased by his beloved son Gautam Sundaram in 2001. 

Murali was a loyal friend, supportive colleague, devoted teacher, loving father, and doting grandfather. He took particular joy in championing his grandchildren and celebrating their achievements, big or small. They will miss their Peepa dearly.