3 Review(s)

This collection of short stories is an inspiring assortment of life’s wisdom by the fiction writer Sudha Murthy. Though fictional, most of the stories have anecdotes from the author’s personal life, especially her childhood. Summary Of The Book A young child receives an unusual request, which is to teach her grandmother how to read. Baffling at first, the experience of living and coming through this strange request changed the child’s mind forever. This and various such profound experiences form the basis of How I Taught My Grandmother To Read And Other Stories. What would you do if you knew you received more marks on your paper than you deserved? Would you take a strong stand against an even stronger authority if you feel discriminated? The book tackles such issues that mostly go unnoticed in today’s world. It urges the reader to reconnect with his moral fiber through its stories on honesty, friendship, and patriotism. It dispenses valuable advice that can come only through a mother’s fiercely loving heart. Sincerely narrated, these tales enliven an entire life’s defining moments. One of the simple pleasures of the author’s grandmother was listening to her granddaughter narrate the story of Kashi Yatre, a lady who sacrificed her life’s savings to help out the needy, appearing in the weekly magazine Karmaveera. After the author comes back from a week-long vacation, she finds her grandmother in tears because she couldn’t read her favourite stories and is saddened that she didn’t go to school. She then asks her granddaughter to teach her how to read. Her grandma’s strange request becomes the title of the book and the first short story in this anthology. Some of the other titles present in this collection include Abdul Kalam, The Red Rice Granary, Heart of Gold, The Rainy Day, Doing What You Like is Freedom, The Secret, and The Story of Two Doctors. Sudha Murthy’s How I Taught My Grandmother To Read And Other Stories has been translated into 15 languages. The first title in the anthology, How I Taught My Grandmother to Read has been included in the CBSE Class 9 English syllabus. About Sudha Murthy Sudha Murthy, born August 19, 1950, is the Infosys Foundation’s chairperson. She has a long career as a social worker and an equally commendable one as an author. Sudha Murthy has also authored The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk, Gently Falls the Bakula, Wise and Otherwise, and Old Man and His God. She has been awarded the Raja-Lakshmi Award, and the Padma Shri award for her contribution in the spheres of social work, charity and philanthropy. She is married to N. R. Narayana Murthy, the co-founder of Infosys.