Mysuru: Over 300 lovers of literature, residents of Mysuru and the young and old, spent their morning getting acquainted with Infosys Foundation chairperson, Dr Sudha Murty, and learning about what makes her the woman she is, here on Friday.
Hosted by the Mysuru Literary Forum Charitable Trust and Mysuru Book Club, the event saw Dr Sudha Murty in a two hour long interaction with writer, Vasudendra, during which she spoke of her love for books and writing, her inspiration for her social work, her Mysuru connection and more.
“The government must focus on education, equipping people with skills including languages to communicate and on preventive health,” she said.
Dr Sudha Murty revealed that it was her grandparents and her parents, who were her role models when it came to her love for books and social service. Noting that her own reading habit had inspired her son, Rohan Murty, she advised parents to serve as role models to their children.
“Whenever we got 500 sacks of rice, my grandfather donated 495 sacks of the best quality rice to the poor and used red rice for our dinner, saying God lived in people and we should only give them the best. So I see God in people too. Serving people gives me happiness. I must have taken a loan from them in my last incarnation. I only pray to the Lord to give me good health and long life as I still have a lot of work to do for them,” she added.
Recalling her experience of rehabilitating 3,000 Devadasi women, she said, “When they gifted me a blanket with 3,000 stitches, each made by each one of them, when they honoured me, I prayed to God to give them a kind heart and strong working hands.”
On the secret of her simplicity, she said, “I am simple and truthful as I don’t want to impress anyone. There is so much joy in simplicity.”
Did she have any regrets? She responded, “I love food, but I don’t cook very well. Cooking is an art, I wish I could have learnt it better. I also didn’t learn to swim or do yoga.”
