'I Never Show My Books to My Husband After I Finish Them!'

Apart from engaging in philanthropy, Sudha Murty also manages to write bestselling books catering to people of all ages.

Apart from tirelessly engaging in a wide range of philanthropy, Sudha Murty also manages to write bestselling books catering to people of all ages. Speaking with utmost frankness as always, Murty speaks about this facet of her chequered life as Samhati Mohapatra listens in

When she was in college, she was the only student gritty enough to shoot an angry letter off to JRD Tata, complaining against a job notification by Tata & Sons that asked lady candidates not to bother applying. In case you’re wondering how the formidable Mr Tata took the rather cheeky but frank criticism, he actually took the effort to personally give an explanation (and the job) to her.

A few years and a host of life experiences later, the computer engineer from Karnataka went on to build Infosys from scratch with husband NR Narayana Murthy with her savings. And by all the accounts that have gone public about the ‘how’ and the ‘why’ of one of India’s largest tech conglomerates, she had more than an equal part to play in the Infy Story.

Though her well-read husband’s focus was often on things that intrigued him within Infosys during it’s formative years, her focus was constantly beyond. Books, knowledge and touching lives.

The chairman of Infosys Foundation, Sudha Murty is also recognized as an ardent philanthropist who has founded several orphanages and libraries in Karnataka. There’s also the small matter of the Padma Shri she was conferred with in 2006 and her vast corpus of literary works in Kannada and English, that has made her a much-loved author in the literary arena — especially when it comes to kids books, which she admits to liking.

Today, her claims to fame may be endless. But beneath that halo of fame is a normal human being, a self-confessed recluse, who prefers her own company over noisy parties and literary functions, a refreshing walk in the evening after office, reading a good book, maybe a cup of tea later and writing a few thoughts down before going to bed.

“I write for my joy,” says the 65-year-old, by way of explanation. One-liners are her thing but when you’ve done as much as she has, that often translates into a lot more. No wonder that this impetus helps her to deftly sink into a myriad of human characters and capture a range of emotions — from the enthused spirit of a 12-year-old city kid who is amused by the life in a village, to the desperation of a man who has set out to look for his birth mother to the feeling of guilt a woman develops for treating her daughter-in-law harshly.

Having released her latest novel The Magic of the Lost Temple recently, Murty tells us about her tryst with writing and how childhood has changed today…

So, how did a well-educated computer engineer turn into a writer?

I have had a flair for writing since my childhood. Verbal and written stories were my favourite. My mother used to take me to historical caves in Karnataka. Among those I liked the Badami caves the most as it intrigued my imagination and I started spinning stories around it. I had started writing stories as a teen and slowly graduated to writing on topics of art and culture like the waning of glass bangles. My stories turned analytical by the years and the novels came into the picture.

Among your books, children’s literature forms a sizeable chunk. What interested you in writing for kids?

Oh, I love writing for children and it is something that I can do over and over again. That’s because kids are unbiased, and have this infectious enthusiasm and energy to learn. And when it comes to selecting themes for them, there is a whole lot of things you can write about — from customs, traditions, festivals, mythology to botany, medicines, technology and what not!

So how does a 65-year-old writer think about things that could possibly create interest in the mind of tiny tots?

I forget my age and simply go back in time, become a 12 or 14 year old and try to think like one. I give myself away to those feelings of unadulterated innocence, freshness, energy and enthusiasm and write as it comes. And it comes with dollops of imagination. Isn’t that what writers do? Indulge in imagination and lots of it.

The character of Nooni in The Magic of the Lost Temple is inspired by your granddaughter. How did you shape this character to connect with kids across languages and cultures?

Do I need to? Nooni is just a 12-year-old girl from a city, who is spellbound and excited by the life in a village during her visit to her grandparents’ house. She could be any kid who is a bundle of energy, is game for adventure and has the same enthusiasm to learn things that are new.

In the book, Nooni’s grandmother teaches her several traditional things like the benefits of medicinal plants and the advantages of an oil bath. Is it an allusion to today’s generation losing out on a lot of things related to tradition and culture?

I wouldn’t say today’s generation is losing out on traditional values, because they are learning a lot more different things instead. They have Google and information at the tap of a finger. We didn’t have that. But yes, it is also important that we as adults tell them about the traditional aspects of our culture as these are the things that define what we are today.

So, how different is childhood today?

Every generation experiences a different childhood. Unlike today’s kids who have so much of information around them, we had very few options. Not all books were well written in our time and we had to make do with whatever we had. But, this lack of options was a great advantage of our childhood as it made us adjust to situations which in turned helped us bond well with family, siblings and fellow human beings. It is a pity that today’s generation and their access to everything has made that less possible.

And when it comes to reading, do kids read less than earlier times?

They do. That’s because when we were children, we had less activities to keep us busy and books were a chief source of entertainment for us. But kids today have so many options in form of television, computer video games etc. But I still feel they should be taught the habit of reading books, and real books with a tactile touch. Too much of digital reading is not good for health (smiles).

How do you cull your themes?

It is an organic process. A theme might be living within me for years, but the character just occurs to me when the time is ripe to flesh it out. But a theme alone isn’t sufficient if you want your story to sound authentic. Research is an important ingredient too. For The Magic of the Lost Temple, I spent three years researching step wells and visited about 14 of them across the country including the ones at Abhaneri (near Jaipur), and others in Karnataka.

You also write in Kannada, apart from English. Which medium is the most expressive?

It has to be Kannada. That’s because I am a Kannadiga and it is a language that gives me the scope to be emotionally more expressive.

Should we assume that it is your husband Narayana Murthy, who reads your first manuscripts when you’re done writing them?

Oh, not at all. I don’t give my manuscripts to anybody, but my publisher. And why should I? I write for my own satisfaction and it is up to others to read or not read it. But, yes, my husband buys me loads of books whenever he gets the chance.

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