Sudha Murty is an Indian educator, philanthropist, author, and co-founder of Infosys. She now serves as the Chairperson of the Infosys Foundation. She is the mother-in-law of U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and the wife of N.R. Narayana Murthy, the founder of Infosys. She constantly works toward improving society, like developing rural areas, helping the underprivileged, and empowering women. She was the first female engineer hired at the TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company (TELCO).
Best Sudha Murty Books To Read!
She also received the most prestigious honors, such as the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri awards. She has authored many novels in her mother tongue, Kannada and English. Her personal experiences, her travels across the world, and her conversations with ordinary people with extraordinary minds are the main themes of most of her books. She is also known for writing with her heart rather than a pen. If you are looking forward to reading simple yet impactful books, Sudha Murty’s books can be your perfect choice. Here is a list of her best books:
1. The Man from the Egg: Unusual Tales about the Trinity
This book is a comprehensive collection of Hindu mythological stories that we have been taught and told since childhood. The book describes the Trimurthis – Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma – also called the Trinity. It then proceeds to tell stories about Brahma, known for granting boons. As most of the people who ask for boons from him ask for immortality, he ensures that there is always a tiny loophole left behind so that they can be dead at some point because that is how the cycle of life should continue.
Shiva, the supreme god, marries Dakshayani, the daughter of King Daksha. When she dies, he goes into a deep meditation until he marries Parvati, and they both have a son Karthikeya. The story also follows the life of Ganesha, son of Parvati, the way he got his rat vehicle and the reason behind his love for Durva grass. There are also stories about Chandra, the moon god, describing his waxing and waning phases. If you are looking forward to reading tales on Hindu Gods, this book can be your perfect take! You can get the book here! 📖
2. The Serpent’s Revenge – Unusual Tales from the Mahabharata
Mahabharata forms the core plot of the story. The book starts with the background stories of Shakuntala, who went on to have a child with King Dushyanta, their separation, and the King’s rule after that. The stories of Satyavati, Vidura, Dronacharya, and the birth of Panchali are written like a series that follows one after the other.
Some exciting facts conveyed via the stories include the relevance between Akshaya Tritiya and Akshaya Patra, the reason behind the prevalence of Udupi restaurants across India, and much more. This book is perfect for those looking forward to reading Mahabharata and who would like a recap of all the stories passed on to us since childhood. You can get the book here! 📖
3. How I Taught My Grandmother To Read And Other Stories
Drawn from the author’s experiences in her own life, this is her first book for children. As the name implies, the titular story is the tale of teaching her Grandmother to read and making her independent. Many valuable lessons can be understood from her life experiences. You can get the book here! 📖
- No matter how valuable it is, everything in life perishes over some time. But that doesn’t apply to knowledge. Knowledge is indestructible, regardless of the situation. The more we give, the more we get.
- Help people without expecting anything in return
- Getting the right freedom is the most precious of all luxuries in life
- Become bigger than your problems and obstacles
- Doing what you like is freedom; liking what you do is happiness.
4. The Magic of the Lost Temple
This story is dedicated to Sudha Murty’s granddaughter. After her granddaughter accidentally discovers a pair of gold bangles that Sudha Murty’s daughter hid years ago, Sudha Murty is happy beyond measure. After the incident, she decided to write this book. This novel is about a girl named Nooni and her experiences at her Grandmother’s house.
Nooni, aka Anoushka, lives in Bangalore with her parents. During one summer vacation, Nooni’s mother had to go to Delhi for her training, and her father was too busy with his work, so Nooni was sent to her Grandmother, aka Ajji’s village. She picks up a lot of new skills there, like cycling, gardening, language proficiency, and many others. Along with her experiences is a historical backstory of Somanayaka, Somanahalli, and the stepwell.
This story highlights the cultural disparities between children growing up in big cities and those growing up in small villages. Also, this story addresses the pathetic state of the villages in India that lack even basic amenities like toilets. Reminding us of the yesteryears, with the homemade papads, pickles, and oil baths, this book is a perfect trip down memory lane. A perfect read for kids and adults alike! You can get the book here! 📖
5. Grandparents’ Bag of Stories
Set in the backdrop of the 2020 Covid lockdown in India, the story is about five kids, Aditi, Krishna, Anoushka, Meenu, and Raghu, who stay in their Grandmother’s house due to the lockdown. As the title states, the grandparents have a story for everything starting from rice, wheat, beanstalks, etc. One-liners like, “There are many times when diseases can cure themselves” and “Humans, out of greed, destroy nature and invite problems for themselves” in the story are worth pondering. This story reminds us of our struggles during the Covid times and is a fresh take on the good things still left among humans. You can get the book here! 📖
6. Three Thousand Stitches: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives
This book is a compendium of the author’s life experiences. Sudha Murty recalls a few experiences, along with her learnings from them, starting from her early years through college and her life after her job and the foundation. It’s interesting to read about Sudha Murty’s college experiences, including how she was a path-breaker by choosing an engineering degree and being the only female amid hundreds of male students, how she used her four years of study as a form of penance, and how she ultimately realized her dream.
This book also has the story behind the famous news when Sudha Murty wasn’t recognized in the airport and was called the cattle class by other women. The struggles behind running a Non-profit organization are also explained through relevant incidents. If you are looking forward to reading simple stories with valuable endings or takeaways, this book can be your perfect choice! You can get the book here! 📖
7. Wise and Otherwise: A Salute to Life
Like many other Sudha Murty books, this book is a collection of her experiences. She narrates the stories of many people, especially women of various social strata, like women from rural areas, helpless girls who were pushed into the flesh trade, working women who are being ridiculed and abused, uneducated women taking a firm stand on certain things, and so on. This book also emphasizes that self-sufficiency and financial knowledge are more important, despite the background and profession of the person. Also, not money but a giving heart is needed to donate. Written as a first-person narrative, this book is simple and straightforward. You can get the book here! 📖
8. The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk: Life Stories from Here and There
The titular story is about the day when Sudha Murty gave up on drinking milk. The story behind this was an awkward interaction between her and a couple when she was a guest at a house in Orissa and how that affected her deeply. There are also other beautiful incidents like the change of India’s image over the years, helping a girl go from rags to a respectable position in society, and much more. Reading her life experiences inspires us to be more mindful of our surroundings and learn from every person we meet. These stories also inspire us to do good things without expecting anything in return. Being a simple read, this book can be quickly completed in one sitting. You can get the book here! 📖
9. Mahashweta
Anupama is the daughter of Shamanna, pursuing her M.A. while acting in plays and participating in fundraising programs. Her stepmother Sabakka hates the Anupama since she is more beautiful than her daughters. While Anupama keeps avoiding marriage, and having dreams of her own, all the alliances that Sabakka looks for her daughters prefer Anupama over her daughters, given her beauty.
Anand is a doctor whose mother, Radhakka, is hell-bent on finding him a ‘good’ girl who hails from a wealthy family. Anand, on the other hand, wants the girl to be beautiful. In a quick turn of events, Anand and Anupama mutually like each other and get married in the presence of both families. While Sabakka envies Anupama’s good luck and remains dissatisfied with the marriage, Radhakka accepts the marriage only for her son’s sake.
After their honeymoon period, Anand leaves for England for his higher education. Anupama is left behind because Radhakka wants her to perform the Lakshmi Pooja. Things start turning awful when Anupama develops a patch on her feet which is diagnosed as Leukoderma. Everyone in both her homes mistreats her. Even Anand stops replying to her letters, and Anupama is eventually sent out of the house.
She stays at her maternal home for some time. Soon, everyone considers her a burden, and she leaves for Bombay. What awaits Anupama in store there? This book is a revolutionary take on skin diseases and how it impacts people’s lives. This book tells us that love is not about physical beauty; there is much more to that. A good read if you want to read a short yet meaningful novel. You can get the book here! 📖
10. The Magic Drum and Other Favourite Stories
This book is an anthology of classic folk tales mainly written for children. Many of these tales have been retold in different versions across the country. Unlike Sudha Murty’s collection of life experiences where the endings are real, these are simple moral value stories with the good winning against the bad. This book covers almost every other societal character, from kings and princesses to simple men and women. This book is a simple and perfect read for people across ages. If you are a beginner to reading, you should check out this book! You can get the book here! 📖
So this is the list of Sudha Murty’s best books. How many of the books have you read from the list? What is your favorite? Do let us know in the comments below. Happy reading!