Sudha Murty Books

Sudha Murty, is an Indian writer, philanthropist, author, social worker, and chairman of the Infosys Foundation. She was born on 19th August 1950 in Karnataka. Murty was the first woman Engineer hired at the TELCO after she had written a personal letter to Mr. J.R.D Tata against the practice of only interviewing and appointing men for the job, in reply to which she was screened on a special interview and immediately hired by TELCO. She had also been awarded Padma Shree in 2006. She married the co-founder of Infosys Mr. Narayana Murty and has two children.

Sudha Murty has written quite a lot of books that have been translated into all major Indian languages, and they include short stories, complete novels, and children’s books. She has also written actively for newspapers. 

Some of her notable works are:

Three Thousand Stiches- 

As she’s a philanthropist and a social worker which takes her around India and the world, she’s a cave of many stories and interesting experiences. Three Thousand Stiches is one such book that talks about the experiences she had had on the Indian or the foreign soil. Easy to read and light-hearted storytelling teaches you the basic values of life.

Mahashweta

Anupama looked into the mirror and shivered with shock. A small white patch had now appeared on her arm.’ Anupama’s fairy tale marriage to Anand falls apart when she discovers a white patch on her foot and learns that she has leukoderma. Abandoned by her uncaring in-laws and insensitive husband, she is forced to return to her father’s home in the village. The social stigma of a married woman living with her parents, her stepmother’s continual barbs, and the ostracism that accompanies her skin condition forces her to contemplate suicide. Determined to rebuild her life against all odds, Anupama goes to Bombay where she finds success, respect, and the promise of an enduring friendship.

 Mahashweta is an inspiring story of courage and resilience in a world marred by illusions and betrayals. This poignant tale offers hope and solace to the victims of the prejudices that govern society even today.

Dollar Bahu

Vinuta is a young woman, who marries Girish, who is a bank clerk. Vinuta then begins to live in Bangalore, with Girish's family and starts to get accustomed to her new family. She gets used to this new change quite well and spends her life looking after her in-laws and her husband. She even tries her level best to ignore the taunts of her mother-in-law, Gouramma. Things take a turn for the worse, when Chandru, Girish's elder brother, gets married. Chandru is based in the US, with his wife, the ‘Dollar Bahu' and they live quite an extravagant life, because of the fact that Chandru earns well. Vinuta now faces constant comparisons between her and her new sister-in-law, much to Vinuta's dismay. Now Gouramma, Vinuta's mother-in-law, decides to pay Chandru a visit in the US, which turns things around. Gouramma now looks at the other side of life in the US, where she realizes that she will never get the respect there, which she gets in India. Even though middle-class life in India is difficult and bound by rules, it is one that is full of love and respect. Can this enlightening trip bring about a change in Vinuta and Gouramma's relationship? Dollar Bahu has been published by Penguin India, in the year 2007 and is available in paperback. Key Features The story is one that middle-class Indian people can easily relate to. The novel portrays the delicate relationships that exist in every family in a heart-touching way.

And Gently Falls the Bakula

Shrikant has always been attracted to Shrimati, his school companion, and after Shrimati also realizes having fallen in love with Shrikant, both get married. After Shrikant joined an IT company, he dedicates his entire focus on being successful in career. Shrimati dilutes her own aspirations and stays back at home supporting Shrikant. Shrikant has turned into a successful corporate person while Shrimati has been with him in his journey. The life of both was fine until one day Shrimati realises while speaking to an old professor about what she had missed in her life. In the modern work-style, she had lost her own identity, while just remaining the wife of a successful man.

This story of Shrimati’s confession to her inner emptiness and the extraordinary presentation of the dark side of corporate lifestyle is the main theme of the book. The readers would find the book to be a philosophical and beautiful depiction of a common topic, and would be able to relate to many lives around. Penguin India published Gently Falls: The Bakula in 2008 in paperback.

Wise And Otherwise:

This book contains fifty vignettes that showcase the myriad shades of human nature - a man dumps his aged father in an old-age home after declaring him to be a homeless stranger, a tribal chief in the Sahyadri hills teaches the author that there is humility in receiving too, and a sick woman remembers to thank her benefactor even from her deathbed. These are just some of the poignant and eye-opening stories about people from all over the country that Sudha Murty recounts in this book. From incredible examples of generosity to the meanest acts one can expect from men and women, she records everything with wry humour and a directness that touches the heart. First published in 2002, "Wise and Otherwise" has sold over 30,000 copies in English and has been translated into all the major Indian languages. This revised new edition is sure to charm many more readers and encourage them to explore their inner selves and the world around us with new eyes.

House Of Cards:

House of Cards is the story of Mridula, a bright young woman with enormous enthusiasm for life who hails from a Karnataka village. A chance meeting with Sanjay, a talented but impoverished doctor, leads to love and the couple marry and settle in Bangalore. The more Mridula sees of the world, the more she realizes how selfish and materialistic people can be, but she does not take the ups and downs of life to heart and lives each day with positive energy. Trouble brews when Sanjay quits his government job and starts an immensely successful private practice. With affluence comes the never-ending ambition for more and the inevitable slide into corrupt practices. For a long time, Mridula has no idea that Sanjay has sold his soul. When the truth hits her, she has no recourse but to walk out on him, but can she really find a space of her own? This intricately woven novel explores human relationships in telling detail and holds up a mirror to our society with candour and with conviction.

The Mother I Never Knew

Two Novellas is a poignant tale of two men, Venkatesh and Mukesh, as they set out on a journey to find out the mothers they never knew. Both men are happy and settled in their respective lives when they come across a shocking truth. When Venkatesh realises, he has a half-brother from his father's extramarital liaison, his world changes. He finds his step-mother out and is pained to see the pitiful condition she is living in. He must make amends for what his father has done but the question that haunts him deep within is if it is really possible to undo everything. Mukesh is in a similar state of agony when he comes to know that he was adopted as a kid. Pushed by impulse, he decides to find his biological mother. But the farther he goes, the more unclear the picture becomes. He must decide towards whom his true love and loyalty lies: the woman whom he called his mother all his life and who raised him or the woman who has given him birth. The two men are bound by the same dilemma and the same complexity of emotions. and it is important for them to find their way back to bring stability in their lives. The core interest of the book is in exploring if it is really possible to come to terms with a reality as blaring and as deceiving as that of Venkatesh and Mukesh.

The Daughter from The Wishing Tree

Did you know that the Trinity often turned to goddesses to defeat the asuras? Did you know that the first clone in the world was created by a woman? The women in Indian mythology might be fewer in number, but their stories of strength and mystery in the pages of ancient texts and epics are many. They slay demons and protected their devotees fiercely. From Parvati to Ashokasundari

 and from Bhamati to Mondadori, this collection features enchanting and fearless women who frequently led wars on behalf of the gods, were the backbone of their families and makers of their own destinies. India's much-loved and bestselling author Sudha Murty takes you on an empowering journey-through the yarns forgotten in time-abounding with remarkable women who will remind you of the strong female influences in your life.

The Old Man and His God

The old man and his God: Discovering the spirit of India Sudha Murthy once told someone that when people often wondered why so many interesting things happened only to him, he replied that he, like all of us, meets strangers and some of these strangers have left a lasting impact on his life. All he does is that he embraces those encounters and that is what makes his life so interesting. He believes that if you have a sensitive mind and record your observations regularly, you will see that your life too is a vast storehouse of stories. This is the essence of this book 'The old man and his God '. While reading the book, do not expect nerve wracking story of magic and supernatural powers. It contains what the author has been referring to as 'real’ because real is what we experience. As far as the reality of India is considered, this book can show you many layers of it. If one wants to know what the soul of India says (and not necessarily how they look or speak), this is an ideal read. These aren't complex stories. They are simple and honest. Many unspoken areas of human life have been touched upon. There are accounts of struggles and hardships that the people of India face on a daily basis. The emotions that emerge out of this short story collection range from love to friendship to betrayal and cover domains from business to philanthropy to counseling and from freedom to injustice to selfishness. She talks about the selfless too and the generous honest ones. The title story is about a visually impaired old man who lives in his little Shiva temple. He doesn't need help, he refuses any. He is his own maker. Other stories contain unheard tales from the remote corner of the country. She is trying to represent those hidden people who didn’t have a voice till now. 

How The Sea Became Salty

A long, long time ago, seawater was sweet and drinkable. How it became salty is a remarkable story.India's favorite storyteller brings alive this timeless tale with her inimitable wit and simplicity. Dotted with charming illustrations, this gorgeous chapter book is the ideal introduction for beginners to the world of Sudha Murty.

The Man from The Egg

Did you know that Brahma once had five faces?

Why do snakes have a forked tongue?

Do gods cheat?

Why does Shiva sport a crescent moon on his head?

The Trinity, consisting of Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu, is the omnipresent trio responsible for the survival of the human race and the world as we know it. They are popular deities of worship all over India, but what remain largely unknown are some of their extraordinary stories.

Award-winning author Sudha Murty walks by your side, weaving enchanting tales of the three most powerful gods from the ancient world. Each story will take you back to a magical time when people could teleport, animals could fly and reincarnation was simply a fact of life.

Something Happened on The Way to Heaven 

Every one of us has a life-affirming story to tell. The inspiring true stories of the interesting people who inhabit the pages of Sudha Murty’s books leave an indelible impression on us. But the books are able to chronicle the stories only of the men and women Mrs Murty has come across personally in the course of her social work. There must be so many more wonderful stories that scores of others have to share.

Something Happened on the Way to Heaven is a collection of twenty such memorable true-life stories. Handpicked by Sudha Murty from entries submitted in an open competition run by Penguin, they capture the hope, faith, kindness and joy that life is full of even as we make our way through the daily grind.

Moving and uplifting, this is an anthology that will engross and delight every reader who believes in the goodness of the human heart.

The Day I stopped Drinking Milk

Over the years, Sudha Murty has come across some fascinating people whose lives make for interesting stories and have astonishing lessons to reveal. Take Vishnu, who achieves every material success but never knows happiness; or Venkat, who talks so much that he has no time to listen. In other stories, a young girl goes on a train journey that changes her life forever; an impoverished village woman provides bathing water to hundreds of people in a drought-stricken area; a do-gooder ghost decides to teach a disconsolate young man Sanskrit; and in the title story, a woman in a flooded village in Odisha teaches the author a life lesson she will never forget.

The Serpent’s Revenge

How many names does Arjuna have? Why was Yama cursed? What lesson did a little mongoose teach Yudhishthira? The Kurukshetra war, fought between the Kauravas and the Pandavas and which forced even the gods to take sides, may be well known, but there are innumerable stories set before, after and during the war that lend the Mahabharata its many varied shades and are largely unheard of. Award-winning author Sudha Murty reintroduces the fascinating world of India’s greatest epic through the extraordinary tales in this collection, each of which is sure to fill you with a sense of wonder and bewilderment. A Children’s Bookshelf Selection: Each month our editor’s pick the best books for children and young adults by age to be a part of the children’s bookshelf. These are editorial recommendations made by our team of experts. Our monthly reading list includes a mix of bestsellers and top new releases and evergreen books that will help enhance a child’s reading life.

The Sage with Two Horns

Have you heard of the king who sacrificed his own flesh to keep his word to a pigeon? Or about the throne that gives anyone who sits on it the unique ability to dispense justice! And how about the sculptor who managed to make magnificent statues with no hands at all? There's something for everyone in this collection of tales of wisdom and with. From quarrels among gods and the follies of great sages to the benevolence of kings and the virtues of ordinary mortals, Sudha Murty spins fresh accounts of lesser-known stories in Indian mythology. Accompanied by fantastical illustrations and narrated in an unassuming fashion, The Sage with Two Horns, is sure to delight fans of the beloved storyteller.

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