“Three Thousand Stitches” — Sudha Murty
Stitching memories into the fabric of life.
“I’m a storyteller at heart . . .”
This rightly deserved self-proclamation sits at the heart of Sudha Murty’s Three Thousand Stitches — a heart-warming record of the author’s personal experiences, events and individuals that she has encountered in her eventful life.
Dedicated to T.J.S George, the man who accelerated Murty’s creations in the English language, the book offers a glimpse of the author life’s, talking about ‘Ordinary People and their Extraordinary Lives’, spanning across 11 chapters.
As the Chairperson and driving force of Infosys Foundation, wife of Mr. N.R. Narayana Murty (one of the founders of Infosys) and mother-in-law of Rishi Sunak, the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Sudha Murty is a well-known name.
However, she has been able to carve out a literary identity of her own through her wonderful collection of short stories, travelogues, non-fiction pieces, novels, etc. Her unique writing style and authorial voice make her creations stand out and admirable to readers of all ages.
The book in question revolves around the various experiences that have shaped her journey and helped her to look at life through a unique set of glasses while gaining life skills, valuable lessons and most importantly, perspectives.
Three Thousand Stitches starts with her experience working with the devadasis, continues to narrate the initial trials and tribulations she faced as the only girl in her engineering course and then goes on to talk about a typical day in Infosys Foundation, sharing a glimpse of her everyday life.
The book acts as the perfect confluence as it presents both aspects of the author — one, as the ideal corporate lady who remains committed to her work and oversees the functions of her organisation and the other, as the humble individual, steeped in Indian traditions and holding Indian cuisines and movies closest to her heart.
I have been an avid reader of Sudha Murty’s creations but this book is an eye-opener as it teaches a bundle of life lessons in the subtlest way possible. The writing style reminds one of R.K. Narayan’s narrative eloquence and the carefully chosen words that decorate the book are highly reflective of the clarity of thoughts on the part of the author.
The book ends on a hopeful note and that is my greatest takeaway as a reader. The concluding paragraphs summarise life’s ultimate goal and also, perhaps, echo the purpose of the book’s existence.
In the author’s own words:
“One of life’s goals is the ability to understand human nature and raise a fellow being from rock bottom to becoming a useful member of society. We all lose a few battles in our lives, but we can win the war. There’s always hope.”
