That Sudha Murty inspires is well known. But that she has a great sense of humour and can be extremely candid is best experienced live on stage. In conversation with Tata Literature Live! founder Anil Dharker during the launch of her latest book, Three Thousand Stitches in Mumbai, earlier this month, the philanthropist and bilingual writer had the audience in splits. The author spoke to Pooja Bhula about her obsession with books. Edited excerpts:
At the launch, you spoke of taking turns (with your husband) to buy books...
This would be (in) 1979. Despite our meager salaries, we rationed for books — Rs 300 per month — and decided to take turns to buy. We'd go to Strand Book Stall. The first month, (Narayan) Murthy got to choose. I'm a very good wife (smiles). The next month, he said he wanted books to refer to for some conference. When he asked me in the third month, I understood his strategy and said nothing doing, it's my turn. I will choose all the books; you will have no say!
When you're not writing a book, you're reading. You're quite the bibliophile. What were your early influences?
My grandfather and mother were school teachers, so there was always some discussion around books. Early on, after marriage when Murthy and I lived at Vakola, we were once invited for dinner by someone in Nariman Point. Before going, Murthy told me they're quite rich. Their home had a lovely view and because we were recently married, they also gifted me a sari. While returning, I told Murthy that they are quite poor. He was perplexed. So I explained, 'They didn't have a single book'. Even today, for weddings or Diwali, I gift people books.
Why books over all gifts, what are books to you?
If I give someone flowers, what will they really do with it. If I take food, the person could be diabetic...But books are a source of knowledge, I have great thirst for knowledge.
Any that you keep going back to?
With age and time, preferences change. Early on, I read a lot of Kannada; later, I was particularly impressed by British English writers. And in the past 10-15 years, I've mostly been reading non-fiction. In recent times, I've read Sun Shuyun's Ten Thousand Miles Without a Cloud and Vikram Sampath's Gauhar Jaan. I've even gifted it to someone. My library is segregated into philosophy, history, general reading, travel, my own books... and only three cookbooks.
How big is your library? And why isn't Mr Murthy allowed to borrow from it?
I have one-and-a-half libraries, he has three-and-a-half. I don't share my books with Murthy. We can spend Rs 5,000 for a meal at the Taj and thousands on all kinds of shopping, but we're always stingy about books. We always think of borrowing. Why? Writers can use some support. If you have space and money, you should buy your own books. Murthy has both, he can afford to buy his own books.
