A prolific writer, engineer, professor and philanthropist, Sudha Murthy is a force of nature. Smashing glass ceilings at a time when there were very few women leading the way—she was the first female engineer to be hired by TELCO, India’s largest auto manufacturer—her story is an exemplary account of a formidable trailblazer, who braved the road less travelled. Reader’s Digest spoke to the award-winning author and social worker about her writing, life and its lessons.
You’ve got a pretty diverse repertoire. You’ve written short stories, travelogues, non-fiction, even books on computer science. How did you decide to start writing for children?
I started writing children’s books because I felt that there is a dearth of stories for kids in India. In the olden days, when children wanted to read English language books, they had to resort to Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel—all western classics with princes and princesses—or Enid Blyton. With more and more Indian parents opting to put their children in English-medium schools, I thought children require stories based on the Indian way of life. We cannot truly relate to Enid Blyton in India, because we don’t grow up the way her characters do. Big, joint families, festivals and other staples of Indian life are missing from those stories. So I thought I must write Indian stories for children in English.
You started your writing career in Kannada …
I studied in a Kannada-medium school till the 10th standard, and learnt everything including physics, chemistry in it. I started writing in English only at age 50 and because T. J. S. George, who was a senior editor at the Indian Express, encouraged me to do so.
Esta historia es de la edición February 2021 de Reader's Digest India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición February 2021 de Reader's Digest India.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
From the King's Table to Street Food: A Food History of Delhi
Pushpesh Pant, one of India’s pre-eminent food writers, is back with a comprehensive food history of the capital.
Who Wants Coffee?
It’s bitter—but beloved around the world
Prevent The Pain Of Shingles
You don't have to suffer, as long as you take two important steps
The Best And Worst Diets For Your Heart
Dozens of diets are touted as ‘best’, but it’s easy to lose track of the fact that healthy eating needs to be about overall wellness, not just weight loss.
ME & MY SHELF
Journalist Sopan Joshi has worked in a science and environment framework for nearly three decades. His book Mangifera indica: A Biography of the Mango (Aleph Book Company) synthesizes the sensory appeal of India's favourite fruit with its elaborate cultural roots and natural history. He writes in English and Hindi.
SWITCHED
In 1962, nurses at a small Canadian hospital sent home two women with the wrong babies. Then, 50 years later, their children discovered the shocking mistake.
ECHOES OF THE PAST
A VISIT TO THE ANCIENT BARABAR CAVES IN BIHAR REVEALS A SURPRISING CONNECTION TO A LITERARY CLASSIC
Fathers of the Bride
A young woman finds a unique way to honour the many men who helped her survive her childhood
Fiction's Foresight
British-Bangladeshi author Manzu Islam's works reveal startling parallels to recent political upheavals in Bangladesh, begging the question: Besides helping us make sense of our world, can stories also offer a glimpse into the future?
It Happens ONLY IN INDIA
The Divine Defence Picture this: A tractor in Rajasthan‘s Banswara district,a group of loan agents closing in to seize it and the defaulting farmer and his family standing by.