My mother instilled a deep respect for history, Literature: Rohan Murty

As the world tour celebrations kick off in B’luru today to mark the 10th anniversary of the Murty Classical Library of India, founder Rohan Murty speaks to CE about situating South Asia’s literary classics within larger cultural circulations, his family’s role in this ambitious project, and navigating controversies along the way
My mother instilled a deep respect for history, Literature: Rohan Murty
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BENGALURU: Rohan Murty, the founder of The Murty Classical Library of India (MCLI), dreams of a future where generations of Indians grow up cherishing classical literature that reflects the richness and diversity of our country’s history.

It was towards this that he set up the MCLI, which will mark its 10th-year anniversary on Tuesday with an evening featuring the launch of the landmark anthology Ten Indian Classics (Harvard University Press; `599) and a performance by Shubha Mudgal.

Ahead of the big day, Murty, son of Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy and writer-philanthropist Sudha Murty, talks about MCLI, now overseen by an independent board of trustees and managed by Harvard University Press – with much input and contribution from him. Even as his primary focus is on building a technology company while ‘balancing’ his role as a father, he hopes to support philanthropic efforts that celebrate our culture and society. Excerpts

Congratulations on this milestone! What have the last 10 years been like?

By the end of 2025, the 10th year of our journey, we will have accomplished the translation of 50 volumes across 14 languages, representing over 2,500 years of classical Indian literary traditions. This achievement is thanks to the dedicated efforts of scholars from more than a dozen countries, including India, who have served as our translators. What excites me most is our tradition of releasing new volumes every January, ensuring the series remains dynamic and ever-evolving. Additionally, we’ve created and open-sourced the Murty Fonts – a unified family of classical Indian language fonts – for global use. It’s a promising start, but there’s so much more we aspire to achieve.

Do you feel that you have been able to situate South Asia’s literary classics within larger cultural circulations that go beyond printed texts?

Absolutely. These books are not mere museum pieces or coffee table books. They have been adopted by universities and schools worldwide, making them subjects of teaching, discussion, and debate.

Colleagues in classics departments around the globe have shared that the series’ most significant contribution has been to expand the cultural understanding of what constitutes the classics. It has challenged the notion that classical traditions are limited to the West (Greek, Latin, etc.), firmly situating South Asia’s literary heritage within global discourse on classical traditions.

Ultimately, the goal is to go beyond academia and inspire everyone who wishes to explore and connect with the richness of South Asia’s literary and cultural traditions.

When you started the project, you had hoped to encourage citizens of the world to engage with Indian classics and inspire Indians to connect with and celebrate their own literary heritage. Do you think you’ve made significant progress?

While we’ve made significant progress toward the first goal, there’s still much work to be done for the second. It’s crucial to show more people the value and relevance of these texts in shaping our cultural identity. We also need to involve more individuals from India in contributing to and engaging with these works.

Personally, the project won’t feel complete unless we succeed in encouraging Indians to embrace and celebrate these books. This is, perhaps, the most important goal for me. I dream of a future where generations of Indians grow up cherishing classical literature.

What is in store at the celebration today?

We’re embarking on a world tour to celebrate these books, starting in Bengaluru, followed by other Indian cities, then London, and culminating back in Cambridge on the Harvard campus. At each stop, we’re hosting concerts and events that honour these works and their enduring legacy. We’re also holding sessions in schools worldwide to introduce young adults to the richness of classics from this part of the world.

You mother is a seasoned writer with a deep interest in history and literature. And your father has been encouraging. Tell us what they have had to say about this project.

My father is a karmayogi, always focused on the future and how he can shape it, which means he doesn’t dwell on the past and therefore isn’t directly connected to this project. My mother, however, instilled in me a deep respect for history and literature, which played a significant role in sparking my interest in this endeavour, though she isn’t actively involved either.

My wife, on the other hand, is a huge supporter – she reads every single book and discusses them with me in great detail. I deeply value having someone at home who engages so passionately with the series.

The challenges and controversies surrounding this project have been several, what has been your takeaway?

First, I’ve learned to stay focused on the core mission and keep forging ahead, trusting that as long as my intentions and desire are to contribute something meaningful to the world, the work will speak for itself. Second, I’ve come to understand that an effort like this – designed to endure for a hundred years – is far bigger than any individual. It will outlast all of us and that perspective has been both humbling and motivating.

What is the plan for the next 10 years?

The plan is to work through our extensive backlog of books and bring more classics to light. We aim to expand into additional eastern-Indian languages, such as Odia, Bengali, and Assamese, among others. However, to achieve this, we need the public’s help in connecting us with scholars proficient in these languages who can contribute to the translations.

I sometimes wonder about the potential intersection between our work and advancements in language models. I’d like to explore how this could enhance what we do, but that’s a topic for a longer discussion another day.

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