We have all heard of how ‘Silence is golden, but speech is silver’. But does it hold true when taken literally?
Somesh, a talkative ten-year-old boy, loved listening to the stories his father would tell him every night. One fine morning, however, the chatterbox woke up not uttering a single word. Despite the many efforts of his parents, Somesh just wouldn’t say anything.
In this genius tale that could only come from Sudha Murty, find out how and why Somesh stopped speaking and whether he’ll ever speak again.
‘In a foreign land only your wits will come to your aid.’
Before he passed away, this was Bhaskar’s only advice to his son, Nakul. But as is the case with all advice, Nakul would only realize its true value when the time came to actually use it. And as luck would have it, the time came much sooner than expected.
Read on, as Sudha Murty beautifully portrays Nakul’s adventures in this short but amusing tale that highlights the importance of keeping one’s wits.
‘You must study hard, Gopal. Without learning, you will remain a frog in the well.’
Gopal’s father would say this to him every day, but Gopal, although good-natured, could never really make much progress with his studies. As he grew up, eventually fending for himself and his family, he would think about his father’s words a lot. However, the real challenge arrived when he was mistaken for a prophet by none other than the king and was appointed as the chief astrologer of the kingdom!
Will Gopal end up remaining a frog in the well? Read on, as Sudha Murty cleverly portrays our ideas of knowledge and learning through Gopal in Good Luck, Gopal.
Keshava, the lonely washerman, had only one friend—his donkey. One day, when he overhears a teacher scolding his students, ‘You are all donkeys! And I am trying to make you human!’ Keshava is fascinated. Hoping that his best friend will turn into a human, Keshava approaches the teacher and hands over his donkey to him along with a fee.
But that is the problem with taking things literally—there will always be people ready to take you on a ride. Find out what happens to Keshava’s best friend in this amusing tale, narrated in classic Sudha Murty style.
Saranga was a clever minister in King Devaprasanna’s court and he was the one responsible for the king’s rapidly growing kingdom. So when Himabindu, the wicked old king of a neighbouring kingdom, invites Saranga over, he is clever enough to guess that there will be trouble ahead. Despite trusting himself to get out of any situation, Saranga couldn’t have dreamt of the kind of trouble he actually ends up in.
Sudha Murty is the queen of witty storytelling and Two Thieves is exactly the kind of childhood story that our grandmothers told us—entertaining, humorous and always with a moral!
Ramanatha has been neglecting all his responsibilities in search of a magic potion that turns everything to gold, much to the chagrin of Madhumati, his wife. So when he meets the famous sage, Mahipati, who claims to know the secret to the potion, Ramanatha cannot believe his luck. His quest has finally paid off. Or has it?
Torn between supporting her husband and doing what’s necessary, will Madhumati take control of the situation? Find out in this tale by the master of witty stories, Sudha Murty.
You can never really predict what life has in store for you. And in Veeravara’s case, that’s especially true because life decided to give him the opportunity of becoming king.
When Veeravara washes up on a strange island after he is shipwrecked, he’s welcomed by an overjoyed population that believes in strange rules when it comes to picking their new king. But is Veeravara ready for such a responsibility?
Read on to find out what lies in store for Veeravara. Written in classic Sudha Murty style, The Wise King is a marvellous little tale with a big message.
Sudha Murty writes in Kannada and English and her works— novels, technical books, travelogues and short stories—have been translated into all major Indian languages.
These timeless stories include those that the author listened to as a child and those she later heard from friends all over the world. The tales will entertain and delight young readers and remain a favourite down the years.
Sudha Murty writes in Kannada and English and her works— novels, technical books, travelogues and short stories—have been translated into all major Indian languages.
These timeless stories include those that the author listened to as a child and those she later heard from friends all over the world. The tales will entertain and delight young readers and remain a favourite down the years.
Sudha Murty writes in Kannada and English and her works— novels, technical books, travelogues and short stories—have been translated into all major Indian languages.
These timeless stories include those that the author listened to as a child and those she later heard from friends all over the world. The tales will entertain and delight young readers and remain a favourite down the years.
