Book Review: How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and other Stories

‘How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and other Stories’

By Sudha Murty

Puffin Books

I am a Sudha Murty fan. I have never left a chance to read her books. So far I have read her (1) Gently Falls the Bakula, (2) Dollar Bahu, (3) Mahashweta, (4) Old Man And His God, (5) Wise & Otherwise, and (6) Magic Drum & other Favourite Stories. And now that I got this book from hers, I could not stop till I finished it. This book mentions that it is one for the children, though I find it equally appealing and enjoyable to all readers.

Like many of her other books, this is a collection of real-life stories with some inspiring messages. Most of the stories personally involve her or her work with Infosys Foundation, but there is also one inspiring story of NRN Murty, telling a touching tale of how his father didn’t have money to fund his engineering from an IIT and hence he had to join some nearby college. The title story of how she taught her grandmother to read, and how her grandmother touched her feet saying she was actually touching her teacher’s feet – is a very emotional one. There is one on APJ Abdul Kalam and his humbleness, and there is one where Sudha Murty’s daughter teaches her a lesson, and also one famous story of her experience with JRD Tata. There are stories touching many fabrics of our heart and soul, taking us through irony, faith, discipline, and all along there is a clear passage of a moral sense to the readers. Her language has traits of simplicity and her writing leaves a deep mark on the readers’ hearts and minds, in many cases forever. Many a time I recount her stories when faced with some similar situations in life. Also, her stories invariably give a hope for India’s better tomorrow.

I highly recommend this book to all. I suggest every child and every student in India should definitely read her book.

- Rahul

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How I Taught My Grand Mother to Read: And Other Stories