Some random thoughts on book “Wise and Otherwise” - A salute to life by Sudha Murthy.
I have seen this book many times in bestseller section in many book stores I regularly visit. But this never attracted me so much that to compel me to buy it. One reason may be that I thought that she is famous because she is Wife of Narayan Murthy. Working for NGOs and writing book is just a time pass or a way to be in limelight (read page 3) for many women who are wife of big businessman. (One such story is also in this book). They (Big Corporations) earn in thousands of crore and donates some loose (change) money to NGOs and some other charity just to claim Tax benefits or some lines in media coverage about how they care about CSR (Corporate social responsibility). If you are wife of such a famous person, then it doesn’t take too much effort to make the book to reach in “bestseller list” or “Crossword recommended”. So thought about her in same lines and stayed away from this book and every time I purchased some other one over it. Prejudiced? Biased? Opinionated? Well sometimes yes.
But after some years I read this story of JRD Tata and Sudha Murthy. How she wrote a very angry later to JRD when she was rejected by one of TATA Companies despite being most qualified candidate just because she was women. Read full story here . Dimag ki batti jal gayi? ha ha ha yes
This story shattered my prejudice and I decided that to read the book, whenever I get a chance, because till that time the book was no longer available in bookstores. Too late? Ha ha ha….most of times yes.
What I liked about book?
1. It’s dedicated to section “For the ‘shirtless people of India’ who taught me so much about my country”.
2. Since all stories are real, so many stories surprised me. Some were funny, some touching and some disturbed me.
3. Many stories will disturb me. They are very dark. I have seen those things in movies, but know they happen in real life was shocking to me. Like “A bond betrayed on Rakhi Day “.
4. “Three bright young men” shows how different people who came out from same situation/circumstances become different personalities in future.
5. “Unwed Mother” lightens how developed some societies are and what “respecting a women or man” actually means.
6. “When THE Mop Count Did Not Tally” shows how far someone can go to perform their duties, even when they were under great pressure.
7. “Idealist at twenty, Reality at forty” proves again that more than potential; it’s your attitude which maters most in bringing success in long run.
8. “Salaam Namaste” proves again that honesty has nothing to do with poverty or circumstances.
9. “To sir with Love” highlights what should be the duty of teaching. To quote the exact words of her Math teacher “The duty of a teacher is to make student confident to face life. Life poses unknown examinations. The greatest joy to a teacher is to produce students better than him.” Sudha Murthy further writes “He taught me lesions which, no amount of money can buy, no difficulty can dilute and no university can garnt.”
10. “Life is an examination” shows how people with same social background, same culture and same house react differently in exactly same kind of situation.
11. “Is Life Fair” asks the age old question. How in our society most of the times it’s the “victim” who gets all social stigmas rather than the culprit.
12. In many stories she was dead honest, no pretence, wrote what exactly she thought about many things. Many times she accepted how she was pre opinionated about something and how she was forced(willingly) to change her views.
13. On final observation this book is gem to read. Thank God that I finally read it.
