– For being courageous enough to speak openly about gender discrimination

– For her level headedness and zeal to help others

I finished the book today. It left a mellow after-taste. I didn’t know what to make of it initially because the best way to judge a story is to gauge its effect. It felt light and uncomplicated, but unresolved, as if the pages ran out but the words shouldn’t have.Three Thousand Stitches won’t be the book I remember. It isn’t the kind of story that keeps flickering in and out of your consciousness. No random face with a peculiar nose or the lights hanging in the sky will remind me of this story. I knew when I finished reading that it just wasn’t this sort of a book.It is instead the book I will forgetfully place on my shelf. Its pages will turn yellow and an accidental glance at the title or the author will spark a thought until I stumble on it again. The story won’t exist until the eyes allow it to.

The writer of Three Thousand Stitches is powerful in her tone. She is boastfully confident, and proud. At least her voice is. But don’t get me wrong. It isn’t a repulsive trait. It’s the energy that deserves recognition simply because some are born to be great at what they do. Like Cristiano Ronaldo is for football. He, despite his humble origins, has image after image of his contoured body sprayed with layers of tan. He is bashful, yes, but rightfully so.

The book has anecdotes presented in short stories of her experiences. She recounts the time she was called ‘cattle class’ because of the language she spoke and the way she dressed. The co-founder of one of the most successful IT companies in India tells of her ambition, when shewas the only to woman to study engineering in an all-men’s college. She remembers her grandmother and wore silk sari with flowers in her hair. She describes the feeling of contentedness as she soaked herself in the holy waters of Varanasi. She speaks of her daily routine at the foundation she has nurtured so obsessively to help the needy. She detours into her travel diary and rejoices in finding a Bollywood connection everywhere she goes. She, for no logical reason whatsoever, ends the book by reciting her experience of attending an AA meeting to witness the havoc of alcoholism.Still, despite the assortment of emotions, let this serve as a warning -- there’s no eloquence in her words or even her sentences. It seems they’re written on a whim and a fancy. They are an insight into the author but they don’t give away enough. The fragments of her life are too far apart, like a lucky draw of moments she chose to display and tantalizingly blacked out the rest. The stories are featured like scriptures meant only to inspire and not provoke. They lack intensity and the episodes are penned with a childish naivety quite similar to writing in you, dear diary.

Does it help to know that she is the enigmatic Sudha Murthy, the philanthropist who gave her savings to create Infosys? Does her burdened name heighten your expectations from her? Does the knowledge of her authorship make you wish there were more dimensions to ThreeThousand Stitches?

It does for me.
Yours Lovingly,

PM(PRERNA MADAN)

'Grandma's Bag of Stories' is a lovely book written by Sudha Murty. It is neither a novel nor a short stories book it is a mix of the two.
'Grandma's Bag of Stories' neither a novel nor a short stories book it is a mix of the two.

#children #fiction #Grandma's Bag of Stories #raghav bahl
In this book the children go to meet their grandparents (Ajja and Ajji) in Shiggaon in North Karnataka. They also meet Vishnu Kaka's grandchildren who live next door. Together the seven children go to a fair, the weekly market, Rehmat chacha's place and a fun-filled picnic. But their favourite activity is to gather around and listen to their Ajja and Ajji's stories. The grandparents narrate, not one, not two but twenty one stories like 'Doctor, Doctor', 'Kavery' and 'The Thief', 'The Enchanted Scorpions' and many more.

My favourite story was 'What's In it For Me, which is about a mouse who wants to get paid for everything he does. I also liked 'The Enchanted Scorpions' in which a man sells his ancestral home to a merchant. The merchant finds a box of scorpions which was actually money but only a true family member could see it as that. The merchant finally hands over this family treasure to the grandson of the man who sold him the house.
The book is quite realistic and reminded me of the stories my grandparents have told me. And just like me, everyone was upset when this adventure comes to an end.
This story is based on Sudha Murty's childhood in Shiggaon. These stories are based on the stories her grandmother told her.
Vidur Bahl is a 11-year-old, he will soon be in class 6 at Step By Step school. He is a keen golfer and enjoys his horse riding and cricket. He is crazy about cars.

Funny, spirited and inspiring, the book teaches a valuable lesson about the importance of doing what you believe is right and having the courage to realize your dreams.

Sudha Murty’s writing hits home where many of us have seen this happening in and around us. The story is simple, follows a single plot and focuses on the two main characters only.

This is the story of Anupama whose marriage falls apart when she is diagnosed with leukoderma. Overcoming the social stigma of a married woman who is left by her husband, she moves to Bombay where she finds success, respect and rebuilds her life.

Between Jamuna’s Dollars and Vinuta’s selfless devotion, Gauramma always finds her favour with the dollars and ignores what is truly priceless – Vinuta’s devotion and selfless love.

She weaves the everyday life of men and women in India into short stories and each story has a unique takeaway that you’ll never forget.

The title story is a story about Sudha Murty’s visit to Odisha and about the poor tribals she met there.

The story starts with Anand, Krishna, Raghu and Meena arriving at their Ajji and Ajja’s house in Shiggaon. They spend the summer listening to their Ajji as she opens her big bag of stories.

She tells stories of kings and cheats, princesses and onions, monkeys and mice and scorpions and hidden treasures.

This is the story of Mridula, an energetic yet simple village girl who moves to Bangalore after her marriage to Sanjay, a doctor.

The story is about their family life, and how they rise in status in the city, but begin to find differences in their relationship.

The book narrates many stories – the rescue and rehabilitation of 3,000 devadasis in Karnataka, her experience as the only girl studying engineering in a college full of boys, her encounter with Bollywood across the world etc.

The book is a poignant, dramatic book that reaches deep into the human heart to reveal what we really feel about those closest to us.

She is surprised at the pace of life in her grandparents’ village. But she quickly gets used to the gentle routine there and involves herself in a flurry of activities, including papad making, organizing picnics and learning to ride a cycle, with her new-found friends.

Things get exciting when Nooni stumbles upon an ancient fabled stepwell right in the middle of a forest.

The stories capture the hope, faith, kindness and joy that life is full of, even as we make our way through the daily grind.

Many of the tales in this book stand out – the stor

This collection of 21 short stories is another one of Sudha Murty’s priceless gifts to children conveying life lessons in a readable and relatable manner.

This book is a collection of wonderfully short, crisp stories that take us on a magical journey to a land of gods, demigods, asuras, rakshasas, handsome valiant princes, beautiful strong-willed princesses, learned sages, proud kings and a lot more!

The stories are about the important roles that women have played in our mythology. Apart from the famous ones like Sita, Ganga and Draupadi, there are many other lesser known characters like Ashokasundari, Shakambhari, Karambha etc.

Told in Gopi’s voice, the first book, Coming Home, begins with Gopi going to his new home, and tells the story of how he settles down with his loving, human family.

How Gopi sees the world around him and what he thinks of the people in his life give the story a truly unique flavour.

After every tale there is also description of the place which is known for that story.

Bestselling author Sudha Murty takes you on an arresting tour, all the while telling you of the days when demons and gods walked alongside humans, animals could talk and gods granted the most glorious boons to common people.

India’s favourite 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 book is set a long time ago, in a time when the sea’s water was supposedly sweet and indeed drinkable. It narrates the tale of how the sea came to be salty.

It is suitable for very young readers and is a perfect way to introduce them to the beauty of Sudha Murty’s writing.