Wise and otherwise..!!(Sudha Murty) Review...

"A Salute to Life"

Wise and otherwise..!!

Wise and Otherwise will encourage you to look at the world around you with new eyes.

By Sudha Murthy..a social worker, chairperson of Infosys.. famous author.
Special thing about this is..this book is written in very simple way and simple language.

Wise and Otherwise contains many experiences of her telling about Life and experiences about ordinary people and extraordinary minds.

Brevity and clarity are perhaps the trademarks of Sudha Murthy’s writing.

Each story covers a fact of human nature and has something to tell.
Book has been translated in many Indian Languages.

The stories that I liked were the one about the head of a small tribe who insists on giving her something in return for what she gives them and concludes with 'there is a grace in receiving also'. Wisdom of the highest order. He was clear that he would not take anything without giving something in return. The nurse who stuck to her guns about the missing mop in the Operation Theater. An old man from Kalahandi who says that this is God's earth and we cannot buy or sell it. The story about dowry deaths. About the leper colony where an old lady had no clothes to wear. Zubeida's cancer treatment and how her father and daughter return the unused money after she died. How a couple get married after reading her novel 'Mahashweta'. The family that travels to Kutch after the earthquake for the disaster benefits and find much happiness and a new life thanks to the earthquake,  The young mother in Ahmedabad who was happy at being treated as a human and gives back a return gift.

Simple yet profound stories that she witnessed or experienced first hand. My one grouse is that the theme forces the author to differentiate between wise and otherwise. She has to paint one white and one black. Most times we are otherwise, driven by our circumstance, ignorance and do not behave in a manner that is best perhaps. But the fact that we are all evolving, we all have our own motives for why we do certain things in our insecurities or because of our limitations cannot be forgotten. The good person may not be good to all people, nor will the bad person be bad to everyone.
That said, of all the books I have read of hers, this one comes across as being a mite judgmental and harsh on human behavior. I feel it's because of the black and white theme of the book. I normally find her writing gentle, humble and compassionate. But notwithstanding that small element of discomfort for me, these are wonderful stories I also deeply admire the wonderful work the Foundation does. Very readable. as always.

In Sudha Murty's most celebrated work of non fiction, fifty vignettes showcase the myriad shades of human nature, A man dumps his aged father in an old-age home after declaring him to be a homeless stranger; a tribal chief in the Sahyadri hills teaches the author that there is humanity in receiving too; and a sick women remembers to thank her benefactor even from her deadbeat. 
these are some of the poignant and eye opening stories aboout people from all over the country that Sudha Murthy recounts. From incredible examples of generosity to the meanest acts one can expect from men and women,she records everything with wry humour and a directness that touches the heart.
The book shows us how and what a  human should be ! How people with same ideas and circumstances act differently ! 
 A light read to awaken your inner self.

Happy Reading!!