Wise and Otherwise - By Sudha Murthy Sometimes as human being we tend to forget things that life throws at us at different junctures. It is not pure coincidence that we tend to keep the good memories with us and ignore the not so good one. The book which I have reviewed is Sudha Murthy’s Wise and Other Wise which is a collection of 51 short stories dedicated to “The shirtless ones of India” as the author says in the preface of the book. Each story most of which are real draws heavily from the experiences that the author faces while travelling from the most remote corners of the country. The writing style portrayed by the author is simple, each story is maximum of six pages and gives a lesson of humility without imposing the authors view on the reader. The whole book reflects on vagaries that are innate part of the journey. The realistic narration of stories and heart moving tales of misery that some have faced makes you feel the real essence of life. The book has stories which foray into areas of human emotion and make you cry. Some stories especially the one like a sister being sold to human traffickers by her own brother on Rakhi day. A person branding his own father a destitute to get him admitted to old age home, a teacher in Orissa lying about use of school premises make you introspect about the underlying malice that we carry as human beings. The stories like a student returning the balance of minuscule scholarship amount of money that he has received as scholarship, a boy marring a cancer patient after reading her book makes you feel good about you being a human being. Being a teacher herself she has given examples of the happiness a teacher derives from getting defeated by his own students in the fields they have excelled.
Sometimes as human being we tend to forget things that life
throws at us at different junctures. It is not pure coincidence
that we tend to keep the good memories with us and ignore the not
so good one. The book which I have reviewed is Sudha Murthys Wise
and Other Wise which is a collection of 51 short stories dedicated
to The shirtless ones of India as the author says in the preface of
the book. Each story most of which are real draws heavily from the
experiences that the author faces while travelling from the most
remote corners of the country.The writing style portrayed by the
author is simple, each story is maximum of six pages and gives a
lesson of humility without imposing the authors view on the reader.
The whole book reflects on vagaries that are innate part of the
journey. The realistic narration of stories and heart moving tales
of misery that some have faced makes you feel the real essence of
life. The book has stories which foray into areas of human emotion
and make you cry. Some stories especially the one like a sister
being sold to human traffickers by her own brother on Rakhi day. A
person branding his own father a destitute to get him admitted to
old age home, a teacher in Orissa lying about use of school
premises make you introspect about the underlying malice that we
carry as human beings.The stories like a student returning the
balance of minuscule scholarship amount of money that he has
received as scholarship, a boy marring a cancer patient after
reading her book makes you feel good about you being a human
being.Being a teacher herself she has given examples of the
happiness a teacher derives from getting defeated by his own
students in the fields they have excelled.She also narrates a story
about a man who tries to impress her telling lies, and also about
an old man from Sahyadri Hills who tells her There is grace in
accepting also which is a lesson in humility.Her narration of a
story about the very truth of life, that nobody can escape from
death is simply heart touching and leaves tears in the eyes of the
readers. At the same time story about a sales girl whom she meets
in a train, who first gives her a headache and later sells her the
balm are simply magnificent.The authors erudite and experience is
rich as from the remotest part of India in Kalahandi to flamboyance
of abroad but one thing that has constantly had a say in the book
is morality is not imposed on the reader, it has been left to the
reader to decide whether the episode that has been given in 51 odes
to life is relevant.As a whole the book is simple and a magnificent
tale which describes our countries problem and gives welcome
commentary on facts of life. A real eye opener for anyone and
everyone who wants to understand our nation from close
quarters.
