Sudha Murty

So often, it's the simplest acts of courage that touch the lives of others. Sudha Murty-through the exceptional work of the Infosys Foundation as well as through her own youth, family life and travels-encounters many such stories . . . and she tells them here in her characteristically clear-eyed, warm-hearted way. She talks candidly about the meaningful impact of her work in the devadasi community, her trials and tribulations as the only female student in her engineering college and the unexpected and inspiring consequences of her father's kindness. From the quiet joy of discovering the reach of Indian cinema and the origins of Indian vegetables to the shallowness of judging others based on appearances, these are everyday struggles and victories, large and small. Unmasking both the beauty and ugliness of human nature, each of the real-life stories in this collection is reflective of a life lived with grace.

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives

Three Thousand Stitches

Fifty Vignettes 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. &Nbsp;

A Salute to Life

Wise and Otherwise

સંધ્યા અને સુનીલની મેઇડ ફોર ઇચ અધર જોડીના બાળપણ તથા મુગ્ધાવસ્થાની પ્રેમભરી કહાણીનું સાક્ષી ઘરની પાછળનું બોરસલ્લીનું વૃક્ષ છે. આ યુગલના જીવનમાં, સંબંધોમાં પોતપોતાની મહેચ્છાઓને કારણે આવતી પાનખરનું પણ તે મૂક સાક્ષી બને છે. પતિના અસ્તિત્વમાં ઓગળી જવાની લક્ષ્મણરેખા ક્યાં દોરવી તે સ્ત્રીએ જ નક્કી કરવાનું છે.

Borsalli Ni Pankhar - Gujarati eBook

Wearer of many hats-philanthropist, entrepreneur, computer scientist, engineer, teacher-Sudha Murty has above all always been a storyteller extraordinaire. Winner of the R.K. Narayan Award for Literature, the Padma Shri, the Attimabbe Award from the government of Karnataka for excellence in Kannada literature, and the Raymond Crossword Lifetime Achievement Award, her repertoire includes adult non-fiction, adult fiction, children's books, travelogues and technical books. Here, There and Everywhere is a celebration of her literary journey and is her 200th title across genres and languages. Bringing together her best-loved stories from various collections alongside some new ones and a thoughtful introduction, here is a book that is, in every sense, as multifaceted as its author.

Best-Loved Stories of Sudha Murthy

Here, There and Everywhere

What secrets lurk in a family’s past—and how important are they in the here and now? Sudha Murty’s new book comprises two novellas that explore two quests by two different men—both for mothers they never knew they had. Venkatesh, a bank manager, stumbles upon his lookalike one fine day. When he probes further, he discovers his father’s hidden past, which includes an abandoned wife and child. Ventakesh is determined to make amends to his impoverished stepmother—but how can he repay his father’s debt? Mukesh, a young man, is shocked to realize after his father’s death that he was actually adopted. He sets out to find his biological mother, but the deeper he delves, the more confused he is about where his loyalties should lie: with the mother who gave birth to him, or with the mother who brought him up. The Mother I Never Knew is a poignant, dramatic book that reaches deep into the human heart to reveal what we really feel about those closest to us.

Two Novellas

The Mother I Never Knew

Unusual Tales from the Mahabharata

The Serpent's Revenge

Did you know there was a time when bears spoke, the moon laughed and babies were found inside fish? Have you heard of the two-horned sage who had never seen a woman in his life? Did you know Ravana's half-brother was the god of wealth? Have you ever seen a man with a thousand arms? The tales in this collection surround the two most popular avatars of Lord Vishnu-Rama and Krishna-and their lineage. Countless stories about the two abound, yet most are simply disappearing from the hearts and minds of the present generation. 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.

Upside-Down King

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 neverending 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.

A Novel

House of Cards

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.

20 Inspiring Real-Life Stories

Something Happened on the Way to Heaven

ઈન્ફોસિસ ફાઉન્ડેશન નામની સેવા સંસ્થાના અનુભવે સુધા મૂર્તિ ભારતના વિવિધ પ્રાંતોના, વિધવિધ ભાષા, ધર્મ અને સ્વભાવ ધરાવતા અસંખ્ય લોકોના પરિચયમાં આવ્યા છે. માનવમનના આટાપાટાએ તેમની આંખ ઉઘાડી છે. મુંબઈના ભિખારી ચાચાની વાત હોય કે ડાંગના શૈલેષકુમારની, દરેક પ્રસંગ મનનીય છે, અવિસ્મરણીય છે. લાખો ગુજરાતી વાંચકો દ્વારા પોંખાયેલી કટારની અતિલોકપ્રિયતાને પગલે આ પુસ્તક પ્રગટ થયું છે. ઘણાંના જીવનને આ અનુભવવાતોએ દિશા સૂચવી છે. ગુજરાતની વ્યવહારકુશળ પ્રજાને સ્પર્શી જાય તેવી સરળ અને સચોટ ભાષામાં, શ્રી સોનલ મોદીએ શ્રી સુધા મૂર્તિના મનની વાત, સંભારણાંની સફર અને તમે જ તમારું અજવાળું પુસ્તકોનો અનુવાદ કર્યો છે.

Man Ni Vat - Gujarati eBook

How the Mango Got Its Magic

How the Sea Became Salty

A poor little girl is rewarded with lovely gifts when she takes pity on a hungry bird and feeds it all the rice she has, but what happens when the girl s greedy, nosy neighbour hears the story and tries to get bigger and better gifts for herself? Why did the once sweet sea water turn salty? How did it happen that the learned teacher forgot all his lessons and had to be helped out by the school cook? And what did the king do so that the people of his kingdom did not come to know that he has horrible donkey ears hidden under his turban?

Stories of Wit and Magic

The Bird with Golden Wings

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 wit! 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.

The Sage with Two Horns

City girl Nooni is surprised at the pace of life in her grandparents’ village in Karnataka. 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. Join the intrepid Nooni on an adventure of a lifetime in this much-awaited book by Sudha Murty that is heart-warming, charming and absolutely unputdownable.

The Magic of the Lost Temple

Who can resist a good story, especially when it’s being told by Grandma? From her bag emerges tales of kings and cheats, monkeys and mice, bears and gods. Here comes the bear who ate some really bad dessert and got very angry; a lazy man who would not put out a fire till it reached his beard; a princess who got turned into an onion; a queen who discovered silk, and many more weird and wonderful people and animals. Grandma tells the stories over long summer days and nights, as seven children enjoy life in her little town. The stories entertain, educate and provide hours of enjoyment to them. So come, why don’t you too join in the fun.

Grandma's Bag of Stories

These are just some of the questions you will find answered in this delightful collection of stories recounting real-life incidents from the life of Sudha Murty-teacher, social worker and bestselling writer. There is the engaging story about one of her students who frequently played truant from school. The account of how her mother’s advice to save money came in handy when she wanted to help her husband start a software company, and the heart-warming tale of the promise she made-and fulfilled to her grandfather, to ensure that her little village library would always be well supplied with books. Funny, spirited and inspiring, each of these stories teaches a valuable lesson about the importance of doing what you believe is right and having the courage to realize your dreams.

How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and other Stories

As she goes about her work with the villagers, slum dwellers and the common men and women of India, Sudha Murty—writer, social worker and teacher—listens to them and records what they have to say. Their accounts of the struggles and hardships which they have at times overcome, and at other times been overwhelmed by, are put together in this book. There are stories about people’s generosity—and selfishness—in times of natural disasters like the tsunami; women struggling to speak out in a world that refuses to listen to them; and tales of young professionals trying to find their feet as they climb up the corporate ladder. Told simply and directly from the heart, The Old Man and His God is a collection of snapshots of the varied facets of human nature and a mirror to the souls of the people of India.

The Old Man And His God

Anupama looked into the mirror and shivered with shock. A small white patch had now appeared on her arm.' Anupama's fairytale 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 steother's continual barbs and the ostracism that accompanies her skin condition force 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.

Mahashweta

આ પુસ્તકની દરેક સત્ય ઘટના માનવસ્વભાવની સુંદર અને બિહામણી, બંને તસવીર એકસાથે આપણી સામે મૂકે છે. તેમ છતાં અહીં વાત છે આ બધાંથી પણ પર એવી સન્માનથી જિવાતી જિંદગીઓની... <br>ક્યારેક કોઈનું એક નાનું અમથું સાહસભર્યું પગલું અનેક લોકોને સ્પર્શી જતું હોય છે. સુધા મૂર્તિને પણ એમનાં બાળપણથી લઈને એમનાં કુટુંબ જીવનમાં, મુસાફરીઓ દરમિયાન અને ઇન્ફોસિસ ફાઉન્ડેશનનાં કામને લીધે એવી અસંખ્ય સત્યઘટનાઓનો હિસ્સો બનવાનું આવ્યું છે. એ જ અનુભવો એમણે અહીં વહેંચ્યા છે એમના સ્પષ્ટ છતાં હૂંફાળા અંદાજમાં... આ પુસ્તકમાં એમણે નિખાલસપણે વાત કરી છે દેવદાસીઓ માટેનાં એમનાં અસાધારણ કામની, એન્જિનિયશરગ કૉલેજમાં એકમાત્ર છોકરી તરીકે પોતે મેળવેલ સંઘર્ષપૂર્ણ સફળતાની અને પોતાના પિતાની ભલાઈના અનપેક્ષિત પણ સુખપૂર્ણ પરિણામની... તો સાથે એમણે ભારતીય લાગતાં શાકભાજી વિષે મેળવેલું અનોખું જ્ઞાન અને માત્ર દેખાવને આધારે અન્યોનું મૂલ્યાંકન કરવાનું માણસનું છીછરાપણું પણ જોયું છે. આ પુસ્તક એક પ્રતિબિંબ છે આપણી આસપાસનાં જીવનમાં જિવાતાં નાનાં-મોટાં યુદ્ધોનું... સામાન્ય માણસોની એવી આ અસામાન્ય વાતો તમને અનેરી પ્રેરણા આપશે.

Sudha Murty

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