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Gently Falls: The Bakula, written by Sudha Murthy, is the story about a married couple whose marriage falls prey to the side effects of ambition and self sacrifice. Summary Of The Book Shrimati and Shrikant are the protagonists of Gently Falls: The Bakula. The story begins with their childhood. In school, Shrimati and Shrikant are the star pupils and each other’s competition. They live next door to one another, with a Bakula tree acting as the division between both of their homes. One day, while returning home together on a train, they become acquainted with one another. Eventually their relationship turns into a friendship, and finally culminates in marriage. As time passes, Shrikant ambitiously climbs up the corporate hierarchy, while Shrimati dutifully carries out the role of a perfect housewife at the expense of forfeiting her own career and ambitions. As Shrikant’s ambitions heighten, his family life, particularly his marriage to Shrimati, begins to suffer. The illusion of a perfect marriage truly shatters, when one day Shrimati encounters her old professor who reminds her of how empty and meaningless her life really is. She realizes that most of her time was spent in her husband’s shadow. Shrimati figures that with a bit of effort and time, she too could have a fulfilling career. The couple are also faced with a rare disorder which prevents them from having children. Compounding the problem even further is Shrimati’s strained relationship with her in-laws, particularly with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. As the story progresses, Shrimati continues to exude patience and tolerance as her husband ignores their relationship and progresses further with his career. It is only after many years have passed that Shrimati finally breaks her silence. In Gently Falls: The Bakula, Murthy has used the Bakula flower as a symbol to represent Shrimati’s character. When this flower is in bloom, it has a sweet fragrance. When this flower dries up, its fragrance becomes sweeter. Similarly, Murthy depicts Shrimati in her early years as as sweet and unassuming. It is in her later years when Shrimati has “dried up” that she makes her fragrance known. The initial publication of Gently Falls: The Bakula in the 80s received raved reviews for its ability to scrutinize work ethics and modern values in Indian society. About Sudha Murthy Sudha Murthy is an acclaimed author, philanthropist, social worker, and engineer. She has authored numerous books which have topped bestseller lists. Some of these titles are The Magic Drum And Other Favourite Stories, Dollar Bahu, Mahashwetha, and How I Taught My Grandmother To Read And Other Stories. Murthy completed her ME at the Indian Institute of Science, in the subject of Computer Science. After completing her studies, she was hired by TELCO as the first female engineer. Currently, Murthy is the Chairperson at Infosys Foundation. She is also involved in numerous social work initiatives such as orphanages and promoting rural development. For her social work and philanthropic efforts, Murthy was awarded the Raja-Lakshmi Award and the Padma Shri. She is married to N. R. Narayana Murthy. They reside in Bangalore, Karnataka.