About The Author:
Sudha Murty was born in 1950 in Shiggaon in Haveri district of north
Karnataka.  A prolific writer in Kannada, she has written seven novels, four technical books and three travelogues. This is her first book for children.

Lately, I have been trying to read up the works of Indian authors. I picked this book at random, not knowing anything about the author’s style of writing. From the title of the book it was apparent that there would be stories from the author’s personal life. What most struck me about this book was the simplicity in the stories. A number of my friends complain that they find reading books a tough job. I would say that if you are one of them, then you should start with this book.

There were a couple of stories that I liked. One was titled “Doing What You Like Is Freedom “, where she narrates a meeting with two boy on a train journey. One boy was accompanied by his parents who fussed over him, and were taking all the decisions for him, right from his choice of food, accommodation to his career. And there was this other boy who was traveling alone to join the same college as the other boy. He was quite self-sufficient, and had enough sense to take his own decisions. In the end, the writer makes a comment where she compares the first boy to a bonsai which sounded so true.

The stories are simple yet captivating. They are interlaced with wit and a bit of humor. Though bordering on the verge of preachiness, the stories don’t put you off. They make you think about ingratitude, of the importance of basic values in a person, of resilience of individuals, strength of character, of hopes and dreams.

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