By 
Sudha Murthy; an inspiration, an aspiration for women worldwide. She is a woman with a multi-faceted personality with many feathers in her cap. She is an educator, a businesswoman, author, philanthropist and the Chairperson of Infosys Foundation. For the last almost 44 years, she has been married to Narayan Murthy, the co-founder of Infosys.
The recipient of many awards, including the Padma Shri and the R.K. Narayan Award for literature, she is undoubtedly an illustrious woman.
Though she began her professional career in the space of Computer Science and Engineering, she has chosen to do various diverse things in her life and all with aplomb.
Sudha Murthy, an empowered woman, believes in the equality of men and women. She has many firsts to her credit, including being the first female in her engineering class way back in 1950 to being the first engineer to be hired by TELCO, India’s largest auto manufacturer. When she got married, she chose to split the wedding expenses with her husband.
She has had a critical role in her husband’s life and career. When he started Infosys, she had the option of joining the company, but she chose not to so that she could be with her children and family.
But then, this could not stop her from dreaming and working to realise those dreams. She chose to give expression to her aspirations in diverse ways. She took to various things, which are a reflection on the kind of person she is.
In her desire to give back to humanity, she became the Chairperson of Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic and CSR arm of Infosys, in 1996, the year of its inception and retired in December 2021 after some outstanding work in the space. She is also a member of the public health care initiatives of the Gates Foundation. Her social works include women empowerment, education, healthcare, public hygiene, poverty alleviation and art and culture.
Along with this, she also took up teaching and taught at Bangalore University and Christ University.
Also Read: Reading Options for our Mini Readers
And as if all this was not enough, she even took to writing. Sudha is an author who has several books to her credit. She has written and published many books, including novels, collections of short stories, travelogues, non-fiction, technical books and memoirs. Her books have been translated into all major Indian languages. She writes regularly for many English and Kannada newspapers.
Among her fiction collection, the children’s books and books with female protagonists are a must-read. Parents must put together a collection of Sudha Murthy books for their children to inculcate moral values and beliefs.
Here is My List of 10 of Sudha Murthy Widely Read Books
1. How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and Other Stories
A collection of heartwarming tales that include anecdotes from Sudha’s own life, the book touches upon the forgotten values of life, which are being put on the back burner in today’s day and age. It is about the relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter and how the granddaughter teaches her to read and write Kannada.
2. Maheshwata
A story that touches upon the need of the hour talks about how a woman does not have to depend upon a man to be happy in life. It is about equality, self-belief, and acceptance of all the things we need to be satisfied and content. It is an inspiring story of courage and resilience.
3. Dollar Bahu
This story talks about how we lose out on permanent and long-lasting things like love and devotion in the desire for money that is transitory. It makes one pause and reflect on one’s life and its priorities.
4. The Old Man and His God: Discovering The Spirit of India
These are tales told from the heart; stories that reflect India and what the people of this country stand for; their beliefs, aspirations and values. It is something that we need to read to make sure that we do not lose sight of our Indianness, something that distinguishes us from the rest of the world.
5. House of Cards
Once again, a simple story that talks about human relationships and the clash between the simple and uncomplicated life of a village and the complexities of urban life. So what happens when a village girl gets married to a city boy?
6. Three Thousand Stitches
It is a book that takes inspiration from the real-life experiences of Sudha, both as an individual and as the Chairperson of Infosys. It highlights women-centric issues like rehabilitation of devadasis, her own experience as the only girl in her engineering class and many more.
7. The Mother I Never Knew
What happens when you see a book with an intriguing title? Well, you want to grab a copy as soon as you can!! So this is one such book. The book is two novellas combined into one and makes us explore our relationship with people supposed to be the closest to us.
8. Grandma’s Bag of Stories
Amongst The Sudha Murthy books for kids, this one is a great read. These are the stories that childhood memories are made of. We all have a treasure trove of these memories. The book is about a grandmother, her four grandchildren, and the stories she tells them about kings, princesses, hidden treasures, scorpions, monkeys, and many more.
9. The Magic of The Lost Temple
Yet another book that brings out the contrast between the village and city life. When city girl Nooni visits her grandparents who live in a village, she is taken aback by the relaxed and calm pace of life in the village. But she soon gets used to it and starts taking an interest in activities like papad making, cycling, making new friends, going on picnics and more. And then she discovers something strange in the middle of a forest; an ancient stepwell….
10. The Serpent’s Revenge
In this book, Sudha takes us back to the time of the Mahabharata. She narrates many tales related to the epic and leaves the reader spellbound and craving for more. These stories of Sudha Murthy are a great read for children.
These are amongst the best books of Sudha Murthy. I love her books because they are simple, easy to read and relatable as they are based upon her diverse and varied experiences. Her stories are engaging and also thought-provoking.
So here is a woman achiever whose life proves that one should aim for the skies because, as they say ‘ Sky is the Limit”.
What do you think?