Non Fiction Books

Wise And Otherwise

September 11, 2019

Outline

Sudha Murthy is one of the most well-known personalities of India. She is famous for her corporate venture and Philanthropy work. Mrs. Murthy is an avid traveler and a voracious reader. She is also an inspiring writer.

In this book, she has narrated the wonderful incidents of her life. The incidents that are the learning curves and have a strong impact on our society.

Book Summary: Wise And Otherwise

The book has 50 chapters depicting the most important lessons of her life. Each chapter in this book symbolizes the need for compassion and humanity in general. Readers can connect their emotion to most of the stories.

The stories are simple and filled with emotions. Here we get to see the real neglected interiors of India that needs immediate help. We understand a new definition and meaning for the much-used term ‘Women Empowerment’. The philanthropy world which plays the role of a fundraiser is an eye-opener for most of us.

Sudha Murthy has penned these stories to throw us the light on some strong values that still exist in our money laundering society. There are lessons of values such as honesty, compassion, hard work, giving back to the society, empathizing for the people who are in need, enjoying the beauty of every minute of life, never late to learn to be more human, the significance of being an Indian and what not!

There is also desperation about the changes that are to be done immediately in the framework of Education, Industries, Philanthropy, the system of values, societal status.

All the stories are the true stories that will surprise and shock us. As readers, we are bound to be amazed by the minute observation of the writer. The observation about the daily routines of rich, poor, educated, uneducated, powerful and many others.

The stories take us to the world of protagonists and make us feel the emotion and the trauma that they are undergoing in their lives. Be it a rich businessman or a poor village schoolmaster, a software engineer or a daily wage worker. We connect to the characters of the story. Isn’t it wonderful to relive and revisit the lives of the real-life characters?

Giving a general description of some of the stories that moved me to the core, of course, I am not spilling the beans.

Like, in the story In Sahyadri Hills, Sudha Murthy narrates her experience with the tribes. The culture and humility of the tribes are very well written here. The headman of the tribe Tandappa teaches the valuable lesson of Gift to our writer. The writer realizes the importance of the humble ‘gifts’ that touch the right chord of the heart.

Death without Grief is another such story that can stir many of us. How will be the atmosphere of that house where there has been a tragic death? We can think of some horrifying trauma and strong emotions. But the house (which suffered a death) atmosphere that Sudha Ma’am visits will bring a small chill in our spines. She is devastated by looking at the ‘party’ time of the kith and kin in the house.

It is a lot more horrifying to understand the conversation between the couple and Sudha ma’am. The writer stresses the horrifying absence of love and declining values in the system of family. Which makes us pose a lot of questions about the family system that are slowly turning to be a failure, unfortunately.

She has thrown light about some of the social evils like illiteracy, dowry deaths, ill-treatment of women, poverty, and forced prostitution. We do encounter a few stories where a beautiful life is destroyed because of one of the social evils.

The story ‘A Bond Betrayed on Rakhi Day’ makes us think about the plight of the sex workers strongly. The reason they are in such a condition. The heartbreaking story of a 12-year-old who was forced to become a sex worker in exchange for the money by her own brother. The zeal of Tara to get educated by the teachers who come to her area is commendable.

The way she is treated by society and called by different names and then she hears someone calling her “Akka” (Elder sister in Kannada). She shares her story of betrayal with Sudha Murthy and she promises herself to learn a lot more in her lifetime. This inspires us to never say die for the unlimited spirit that each human has in his/her potential.

Storyline
Characters
Writing Style

4.8

Summary

A true salute to the lives of people who crossed every hurdle in their lives and continue to inspire many

My Thoughts

All the stories create a spark of inspiration for all of us. This book has a strong message of humanity to mankind. Wise and otherwise upholds the values that are essential for the humankind to survive in this incredible life. As the subtitle says – this book is a salute for life. The life of the undying spirit.

Sale