‘An Uncommon Love: The Early Life of Sudha and Narayana Murthy’ by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (C) Aishwary Mehta.
The story behind this photograph – Infosys!
Author – Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni | Genre – Biography
Publishing House – Juggernaut
Source – Publisher | ISBN – 9789353456443
Published in – February 2024
Format – Hardcover | Pages – 352
Quote from the book I Liked –
Our scriptures teach us to donate with kind words, happiness and sincerity. Donate without expectations because it is a duty. And always donate without caring about caste, creed or religion. (Page no. 19)
*Important take from the book* (New segment) –
A discriminated person could fight and win against the discriminator by demonstrating that he was better than them in an area they were weak in, but which they cared about. (Page no. 39)
Stars – 🌟🌟🌟 (3.5 Stars)
Summary –
Sudha Kulkarni was forging a career as TELCO’s first woman engineer when she met the serious, idealistic and brilliant Narayana Murthy, and they fell in love. For the first time comes the story of their early years – from their courtship to Infosys’s founding years, from their marriage to parenthood – told by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. What drew them together and kept them bound tightly through the challenges and loneliness they faced? What was it like to create a start-up during the licence raj, when there were no VCs, and entrepreneurship was regarded as a dirty word? How did Sudha Murty balance being a career woman, a mother and a start-up wife? How did Narayana Murthy’s obsession affect himself and his family? Taking us deep inside the minds, hearts and values of the Murthys, with exclusive access to them, Divakaruni tells their story with extraordinary emotional depth, bringing them and their worlds vividly alive. This book is about the sacrifices it takes to forge a powerful and lasting marriage, about the early story of Infosys and Indian business before liberalization, and most of all about two icons before they became the legends that transformed the fields of business and philanthropy.
About the Author –
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an award-winning author and poet. Her themes include the Indian experience, contemporary America, women, immigration, history, myth, and the joys and challenges of living in a multicultural world. Her work is widely known, as she has been published in over 50 magazines, including the Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker, and her writing has been included in over 50 anthologies. Her works have been translated into 29 languages, including Dutch, Hebrew, Hindi and Japanese. Divakaruni also writes for children and young adults. Her novels One Amazing Thing, Oleander Girl, Sister of My Heart and Palace of Illusions are currently being made into movies.
My Review –
So a book about our beloved couple Sudha and Narayan Murthy. Sudha mam, whose books we’ve read and loved for their simplicity and day-to-day stories which make sense and touch the very heart of us, the common people. Narayan sir, whom almost every child who has gone through a few years of studies knows well enough to say as a synonym of Infosys. The author, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, the star author who gave us ‘The Palace of Illusions’ and simply changed the perspective we see Mahabharat from, whose writing gets followed by several other authors who bring the female characters from several historic texts into the limelight and starts telling epics from their perspective. When all 3 get combined into one, with several months of research, what do we get? We get, ‘An Uncommon Love’, much like the title of this book is the amalgam of all three (and a perfect publishing house as well *wink-wink*).
But does it stand for what it promises?
Let’s see, The author did a great job researching with the team and the Murthys well! From their early days of growing up to the young age of fighting the scenarios every common middle-class person in India faces. Highlighting the funny, core and sentimental emotions of their life for the reader. Their beautiful and simple yet ‘I have your back in every moment’ love story. Their struggles to find their jobs with the growing and changing India. To make a multibillion-dollar company with a work ethic like no other. The book has it all. If one loves all 3 (and publisher *Winkey*), this is the one for them. The reader gets to know how a simple man with fewer shirts than the days of the week demands, to be the humble man with more youths in a company than one can imagine. Building a new age of the rising nation that gives the notion of ‘Vasudaiva kutumbakam’ (One World – One Family). This book is all about it.
But that’s it. I mean if you read the above paragraph right, you might have felt a bit incompleteness! You might but I found one. Umm… Sudha mam? Her depth? Or did I miss something? The book talks well into the life and struggles, background and achievements and victories of Infosys/Narayan Murthy. But Sudha Murthy, I mean there are several instances of her stories but they all back to ground one, Infosys and Narayan. I know she is the biggest support system for him and the company and now the family but more into her story, I would’ve loved to read about her. Her role is silent, not exactly silent but like from behind the scenes. Without her, this all would’ve been nothing. Still, I would love to read more about her. A bit more of her centralised story would’ve made me like this book more.
Alas, the author did a fabulous job in penning this amazing uncommon love story of just 2 common people, who promised to never leave the side of each other. And support them in each way possible, from finance to family to company to whatnot. Read it to know more, It;; be fun.
What I liked – Good research behind this book.
What could’ve been better – More into the life of Sudha.
Writing Style – Deeply researched and the writing was captivating.
4th BOOK of 2024 (209 books read overall)
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Review of my previously read Biography books –
Book Review #139: Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
Book Review #145: Being Ram Dass by Ram Dass, Rameshwar Das
The Tales of Fugitive Biker 