How Sudha Murthy became a writer
Her leap from coding to stories
When Sudha was a little girl (about 8-10 years of age), her mother sent her to the neighbourhood store in her village to get a kilo of jaggery. She came back home after two hours. Her mother was annoyed at her (who takes two hours to walk down the street and back?). Her grandmother suggested from behind that she must have met some quarrelsome neighbours. True to her grandmother’s prediction, Sudha had bumped into two men in the village who were busy arguing with each other. Sudha was forever curious (some would call this being nosey). She stood in the store watching the two men argue for a good two hours, with her ears perked up. She was all-eager to know what these men were quarrelling about and how their quarrel was going to end.
Every week on the ‘Lighter Side’, I delve into a story that captures the current events and whimsical twists shaping our world. This week, we have the pleasure of celebrating the birthday of Sudha Murthy, a cherished author of children’s tales, who will be blowing out her candles on August 19, 2024.
If you enjoy writing or spinning stories in your head, you could become the next published author! Assuming the you is between the ages of 8-15:) We conduct a creative writing course that is designed for young children to bring their colourful ideas into one consistent story, show them how to use appropriate vocabulary to edit their work and help them publish the book. It’ll be fun! Check it out!
Ah, Sudha Murthy. The name might ring a bell for many of you familiar with the ‘Lighter Side’. She's celebrated as a renowned children's author. You may have even had the pleasure of diving into her charming stories. Brace yourself for a delightful twist: imagine discovering that she embarked on her English storytelling journey only after the age of 50. Surprised? I wasn't, though it did add a touch of intrigue to my day.
But what prompted this literary leap at such a wise old age? Well, it turns out she wasn't exactly idling away her time before this. She had been scribbling away many stories since her high school days. She’s produced a delightful array of short stories, travelogues, novels, and even a book that could be described as an introduction to computers. Her first book was published when she was just 20. Yet, despite this impressive body of work, I had never encountered any of it. Why, you ask? Because, dear reader, I am woefully unacquainted with Kannada, her native tongue. So, while her stories and travelogues flourished in Kannada, they remained a delightful mystery to me.
The Gift of Multi-Lingualism
Just like a lot of kids from her time, Sudha Murthy went to a school where everything was taught in her mother tongue until she was in tenth grade. Back then, it was pretty common for students to learn in their own language. For example, Dr. Abdul Kalam went to a Tamil medium school, and the famous mathematician P.C. Mahalanobis studied in a Bengali medium school.
This meant that Sudha Murthy, Dr. Kalam, and Dr. Mahalanobis learned subjects like physics, chemistry, history, and math in their own mother tongues (try saying words like ‘force, subtraction and molecules’ in your mother tongue). So, when Sudha Murthy started writing stories, it made perfect sense that she chose Kannada, the language she was most comfortable with. It’s like if you’re really good at using a particular tool, you’d naturally pick that tool for your project!
At the age of 50, Sudha Murthy found herself facing an unexpected challenge from a friend—T. J. S. George (an editor of a famous newspaper) suggested she should write in English to broaden her audience. Sudha was not excited by this idea. She confided that her command of English was hardly great.
George’s response was remarkably simple, “Sudha,” he said, “Language is merely a tool. What truly matters is the story itself. Your stories are wonderful. Do not be overly concerned with the language; it will sort itself out once you begin to write.” Encouraged, Sudha Murthy proceeded to write her first piece in English and sent it to George. She added a note: “George, here is my piece in English. I am not sure if it is even halfway decent. If it is not good, feel free to discard it.” Promptly, George published it in his newspaper in Nov 2001.
How did Sudha Murthy pick up a new language after turning 16? Back in her day, it was pretty normal for people to speak multiple languages. Many Kannadigas, for example, spoke both Kannada and Marathi, Tamilians often knew Tamil and Telugu, and Bengalis were familiar with Bengali, Oriya, and a bit of Assamese. English was also a common language for most people, and many had a basic grasp of Hindi or Sanskrit as well.
These days, we might cringe at the thought of studying for second or third language exams, but things were different back then. People often studied complex Biology textbooks in their native language and then switched to learning the same subjects in English when they went to college. The transition wasn’t always smooth. Sudha Murthy herself shared how she had a tough time understanding Math formulas and Physics terms in English when she first encountered them at age 16. It was a challenging but impressive feat to adapt to new languages and academic standards in her time.
After the first few days of college, she went home to her mother crying, ‘I don’t understand anything that my professors are teaching. These Chemistry equations and Science terms are new to me. I am simply unable to write any of the answers in English in my college exams, as I am still new to this language.’
Her mother gave her a simple and an elegant piece of advice ‘Learning any new language is pretty simple. Just pick up an English newspaper and read it daily. Also start reading English novels and stories. In no time will you find learning this language easy.’
True to her mother’s prediction, Sudha became fluent in English in less than six months time and did extraordinarily well in college. She went onto study engineering (also in English medium) and graduated with top honours and a gold medal to boot.
Ever wondered how Sudha Murthy goes about writing her stories?
Her stories often spring from the lives of those she knows personally, including her rather charming dog, Gopi Murthy. All the quarrelsome aunties / uncles, mischievous classmates, boring teachers and witty friends have provided her much fodder for her stories.
Also, she has been working with the poor and the less fortunate (through her Infosys Foundation) in the past few decades. She is often rubbing elbows with a delightful variety of individuals—young and old, literate and illiterate, rich and not-so-rich. This gives her an abundant cast of characters to pluck from, when sits down to write.
….and she takes a lot of time before she edits her stories
Once Sudha Murthy finishes writing her stories, she doesn't rush them off to the publisher in a frantic dash (as if the book were a hot potato). Instead, she lets the story sit for a bit—sometimes a few days, sometimes even a few weeks. This little interlude allows her to return to the story with a fresh perspective, as if she’s stepping back into an old, slightly musty library and seeing the story anew. It’s this distance that helps her decide whether she should tweak the narrative and make those final touches that turn a good story into a great one.
Look forward to more stories from her! Happy birthday Ms. Sudha Murthy!
Podcast this week
Fifty-five years ago, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins embarked on a historic mission to the moon, setting foot on its surface on July 20, 1969. The US continued to send a few more missions to the moon, but then, remarkably, everything came to a sudden and absolute stop. So why has no one ventured to the moon since? Dive into the stories that explore the mysteries of what has happened in the years that followed. Packed with incredible stories! 🌟🕰️
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More on Sudha Murthy
Watch a video - speech by Sudha Murthy to children
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