“There is no limit to what women can accomplish”. If given a chance to spread their wings, they can fly very high. Sudha Murthy is one such women who took her flight very early in life and helped others to touch the sky.
The journey began hence…
Sudha Murthy was born in Shiggaon, Karnataka on 19th August, 1951 in a Brahmin family. She was raised humble by her mother, a school teacher and father, a surgeon. The seed for independence had been sown by both of her parents at an early age. Her love for her traditions, her south Indian roots can be seen in her writing.
On Her Career Path :
Sudha Murthy is a software engineer. Interestingly she was the only female student in her college. In one of her books, she shares her college experience with humour. She was the first female to be hired by TELCO. She started the Infosys Foundation in 1996 and is now it’s chairperson. At Infosys, help is given to hundreds of people everyday. “But only to the actual needy”, she says. She is married to Narayan Murthy and is a mother of two.
She is a recipient of the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India in 2006 by APJ Abdul Kalam. Apart from this, many literary and social awards have been conferred upon her, the list of which won’t fit within one blog!
She is an author of non fiction, fiction and children’s books. Her writings have been translated in English, Kannada, Marathi and other major languages. Her writing style is simple, uncomplicated. Much of her non fiction work highlights the simplicity and beauty of life. Through her work, she always talks about the various shades of human nature and how every person you meet is capable of teaching you a life lesson! Her writing is heart warming and easy to absorb. Much of her fiction writing revolves around women and domestic life.
Her Personal Life and Persona:
She is a feminist. A ground to earth, intellectual and humble lady with a smiling face. She is straight forward and has a subtle sense of humour. She believes in the inner beauty, the purity of the heart. Her message is – simple living, high thinking. She is a passionate social worker who has built around 70,000 libraries and is herself an avid reader. The hygiene issues that she faced being the only female student in her college days was a reason she build 16,000 public toilets all over India. She emphasizes on healthcare, good education and proper hygiene. She has had many interviews with celebrities such as Mr Amitabh Bachchan in KBC, Shashi Tharoor, Twinkle Khanna, etc. Her interviews and speeches are a dose of inspiration for people of all age groups. She has helped in women and youth empowerment. Her social work has helped many poor students to establish their careers. Her inspiring persona has had an impact on many lives. She is a preacher of knowledge!
Some of her best said and written Quotes:
“Knowledge, nobody can steal, nobody can burn, nobody can bury”.
“People ask me, “How come such wonderful experiences happen to you?”, and I say “You look carefully at your life and you will find that your own life is a storehouse of stories”.
“If you want to protect your feet from getting dirty, either cover the entire earth or wear a pair of footwear”.
“Live the life which you like, not the one which Sudha Murthy lives”.
5 best selling books by Sudha Murthy:
Wise and otherwise: a salute to life (Buy books online India)
In this book Sudha Murthy recollects the life lessons that she learned from extraordinary yet simple people of India. She appreciates there wisdom of life, the way they live in spite of difficulties. There is a story of a man dumping his old father at an old age home after declaring him as a complete stranger, a man trying to show off a non achieved achievement to the author, a beggar unknowingly teaching the author how simple it is to be happy in life, a poor fisher boy reminding the author that much can happen in five rupees. These are just few stories from this book and many more revealing both sides of the coin of human nature.
The Old man and his God (Buy books online)
Old man and his God is a collection of 25 short stories based upon the author’s real life experiences. These stories were hidden with people in slums, villages and natural disasters. At times these people were generous, at times they were selfish. Their voice echoes throughout the book. Stories about women empowerment and struggle, youth, family and mother’s love. From tragedy to love, life’s various shades are captured beautifully in this book.
Three thousand stitches: ordinary people extraordinary life (Buy best seller books)
Three thousand stitches is a short read, a compilation of real life experiences of the author. Sudha Murty talks about her work at Infosys Foundation, her experience of being only female student at engineering college, a precious gift and love received from devadasis and much more. Along with the author’s straight forward writing, the book holds the beauty of human emotions.
Gently falls the Bakula (Buy cheap books online)
Shrimati and Shrikant are each other’s academic competitors especially because they are neighbours with some rivalry between the two families. Shrimati comes first in her school in their board examination followed by Shrikant. Initially there are no feelings but Shrikant starts to feel affection towards Shrimati. The old Bakula tree with its beautiful fragrant white flowers separates the two houses. Shrikant would watch Shrimati picking up these flowers everyday. Eventually they fall in love with each other. They would talk to each other and meet secretly under the tree. The tree becomes a witness of their pristine love. After marriage, Shrikant excelled in his IT career, he becomes busy at work while Shrimati faithfully full filles her duties of being a wife. Shrikant becomes a complete workaholic and Shrimati, on the other hand sacrifices her love for studies and history. The scenario changes when she meets her professor and realizes how different her life had turned out then what she had expected.
The mother I never knew
The mother I never knew consists of two different stories of two different men. The story of Venkatesh, a bank manager, unfolds when he stumbles upon his lookalike. Initially, he is unsure and confused until he probes further and discovers his poor stepmother and his twin.
Mukesh, a young man, after his father’s death, discovers that he is adopted. In his restlessness, he sets out to seek the truth. Many hidden secrets unveil as Mukesh realises that he is just a small part of a big story.
What are you waiting for? Buy best selling fiction, non-fiction and children’s books by Sudha Murty on Bookbins!
