List of Books by Sudha Murthy

Sudha Murthy is better known as an author and philanthropist for children of this generation. So are the power of Sudha Murthy books and charity works. Her simplicity and values set her class apart and teach everyone the beauty of simple living and high thinking. 

When she gave 10000 rupees to her husband Mr.Narayana Murthy for beginning his own venture, she would never have imagined that it would create an empire. That empire is today’s Infosys – the IT giant that took Indian software services to a global level.

Sudha Murthy books are famous for their essence. She writes in a way that children and adults should be able to read them with ease. “Their English is my English. I want them to read my books comfortably without the need of a dictionary”, she says in her interview with Shashi Tharoor. No wonder this is what made Sudha Murthy’s books closer to children and adults alike.

“Life is an exam where the syllabus is unknown and question papers are not set. Nor are there model answer papers.” ― Sudha Murthy, Wise & Otherwise

The themes in Sudha Murthy’s books range anything from her personal views and experiences to fiction. For instance, in one of her famous books -Three Thousand Stitches, she talks about her experiences when she worked with 3000 devadasis and their welfare. In another book – How I taught my Grandmother to Read, the stories look like as if they are taken from her childhood.

Sudha Murthy is a Kannada Madhwa Brahmin born to Dr. R. H. Kulkarni and Vimala Kulkarni. She spent her childhood with her grandparents and these childhood memories reflect in many of her stories. Sudha Murthy books take the readers back into the golden days of one’s childhood. 

 An Electrical and Electronics Engineer, Sudha Murthy was the only girl student in her college in those days. She is a recipient of numerous awards for her brilliance in academics, social works, honorary doctorates as well as the Indian fourth highest civilian award Padma Shri.

“With my experience in life, I want to tell you that having good relationships, compassion and peace of mind is much more important than achievements, awards, degrees or money.”― Sudha Murty, The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk: Life Lessons from Here and There

Currently, she is a Chairperson of Infosys Foundation, which works for the underprivileged, in association with the Gates Foundation. Mrs. Sudha Murthy always stresses the importance of books and education to children. It was her initiative that government schools in Karnataka enriched their libraries.

Sudha Murthy books are unique in many ways. She has authored 17 books in Kannada and 22 in English. They talk about the human bonds, the beauty of childhood, human emotions through many fictional characters. Children can understand the stories in Sudha Murthy books easily. They are a great choice for any parent or adult to give to their children to take them into the journey of reading books. 

“Money is one thing which rarely unites and mostly divides people.” ― Sudha Murty, Old Man And His God

Here is the list of Sudha Murthy books. Make sure not to miss even one to experience the comprehensive journey of reading Indian books that can impact the minds of young and adults alike.

Sudha Murthy books in English

• The Mother I Never Knew: A collection of two novellas that explores the intricacies of emotions of two men on their journey to find their mothers who they never knew.

• Three Thousand Stitches: This book reflects her experiences when she was working with a charitable organization.

• The Man from the Egg: A magical narration by Mrs. Sudha Murthy about the Trinity of Hinduism – Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheswara. 

• Here, There, Everywhere: An articulation about grandmother’s stories in Sudha Murthy’s style.

• Magic of the Lost Temple: Story of a girl Nooni and her experiences as she discovers many fascinating aspects about a temple long lost.

• How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and other stories: A biography of Sudha Murthy and her experiences in various stages of her life. 

• The Old Man And His God: A story collection that stirs the spiritual side of everyone who reads the book.

• Dollar Bahu: Narration about a bahu(daughter-in-law) who dreams of a life in foreign lands.

• Wise and Otherwise: A collection of stories that strike the chord for every humane feeling hidden in us.

• Mahashweta: Story of one married woman who was driven out of the home due to her skin condition -vitiligo, by her mother in law.

• The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk: That one book which can teach children and adults alike about the sacrifices, courage, honesty, selflessness, and other great virtues of a good human.
• The Serpent’s Revenge: Sudha Murthy’s style of gripping narration of the tales from The Mahabharata. 

• Gently Falls The Bakula: Love story of two middle-class people in the backdrop of corporate life.

• House of Cards: Story of Mridula, an urban woman and her life incidents and relationship intricacies.

• Something Happened on the Way To Heavens: Real-life stories that tell the power of humanity and kindness.

• The Magic Drum and other Favorite stories: A collection of short stories for children that are lively and easy to narrate.

• The Bird with the Golden Wings: A collection of moral tales for children.

• How The Sea Became Salty: A story about a brother and sister in law and how they ended lives with their greed.

• The Upside Down King: Magical tales of Rama and Krishna that children will want to listen over and over.

• The Daughter From A Wishing Tree: Stories of Goddess Lakshmi, Durga and other Goddesses from Hinduism.

• Grandma’s Bag of Stories 1 and 2: Collection of short stories for children who listen to the stories as their grandmother tells them with love.

“There is a difference between loneliness and solitude. Loneliness is boring, whereas in solitude you can inspect and examine your deeds and your thoughts.” ― Sudha Murty, How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and other Stories

Related: Ruskin Bond stories for Children

Sudha Murthy books in Kannada

• Samanyralli Asamanyaru
• Computer lokadalli
• Paridhi
• Yashasvi
• Guttondu Heluve
• Dollar Sose
• Runa
• Kaveri inda Mekaangige
• Hakkiya Teradalli
• Tumla
• Nooniya Sahasagalu
• Astitva
• Yerilitada Daariyalli
• Sukhesini Mattu Itara Makkala Kathegalu
• Athirikthe
• Guttondu Heluve
• Mahashweta

Sudha Murthy’s stories range anywhere from Hindu epic tales, technical books, travelogues, to her personal life experiences. They are so gripping and engaging that readers do not feel like putting the book down till they complete the whole book. 

Children love to listen to them again and again. They make the best choice to give modern children who live in a digital world the taste of Indian culture and the beauty of simple Indian life. Make sure to read them out for your children and gift Sudha Murthy books to your little ones on their special occasions. 

“Confidence doesn’t mean that everything will go our way. It simply gives us the ability to accept failures that we will inevitably meet on our path and move forward with hope.”  Sudha Murty, Three Thousand Stitches: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives

“You should not be so sensitive. Sensitive people suffer a lot in life.” ― Sudha Murty, How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and other Stories

Buy Sudha Murthy’s Books from Amazon