When i picked up a copy of "How i taught my grandmother to read & other stories", there were two things that struck me.
One was fascination for the title, It had a simple village rusticity that i did not expect from its famous author. Sudha Murty is a celebrity as the chairperson of Infosys Foundation in India so a book authored by her aroused my curiosity as an avid book lover.
Once i started reading there was simply no going back. Laced with wit and a dash of good willed humour this book completely captivated me. It had a simplicity that appealed to my self. It was a refreshing read and transported to me to a world of the past where grandmothers were simple women with rich values unlike the contemporary social situation in India where sophisticated mothers are illiterate when it comes to values.
There are many real-life stories in this book. It is peppered with a balanced dose of life and wit. One story that particularly touched me was that of the author's grandfather who made her promise that she would help to make libraries grow in far-flung villages so that the
children could be benefited just as she had been. It was truly touching how a mere villager inspired this love for books in his young grandchild and she kept her promise to him when she became tremendously successful in life.
The story of her famous husband Narayan Murty was equally inspiring. When all his
talented friends got opportunity to go to the U,S, he could not join them because of family responsibility but rose beyond them in India itself with his sheer talent. He gave job opportunity to lakhs of talented Indian youths like him so that they need not migrate to another continent and give their best to another country. It was he who triggered off the software boom in India and gave it the mantle of social responsibility and corporate transparency.
Another slice of life came from her meeting with two children in a train journey. One child was much pampered and darling of his parents. So much so that he could not take a single step without them guiding him to do so even though he had an affluent family background that should have been pivotal in triggering his self-esteem and confidence. The author meets another child of the same age travelling alone as his parents are villagers and cannot be away from work. He tells her that he is not afraid of travelling along, He wants to repay the bank loan his poor father has taken to provide for his education by studying very hard and securing a good job. The child of the fussy parents is likened to a bonsai plant.
This book has so much real life flavour and simplicity that once you start reading there is just no turning back. <482 words>}
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