‘Three Thousand Stitches’: Sudha Murty Roots Her Book in Reality

Sudha Murty needs no introduction - in the world of social work or writing. And as she turns a year younger on 19 August, here’s a look at her latest book Three Thousand Stitches that brings the two worlds together.

Three Thousand Stitches is a collection of 11 short stories that draw from her real life experiences, as an individual and as the chairperson of Infosys Foundation, which does considerable work for the underprivileged.

The stories can be clearly divided into two sections - personal and philanthropic. And what’s interesting is how often her personal interactions and chance encounters lead to identifying “problem” areas, which can be addressed through the aegis of Infosys Foundation.

Whether it is helping poor, abused women stranded in the UAE (No Place Like Home) or alcoholism (I Can’t, We Can), it is Murty’s openness to listen to people that changes lives - and grabs the reader’s attention.

Simply told, some of the tales in themselves are quite moving. Take the first story Three Thousand Stitches for instance.

Revolving around the rescue and rehabilitation of 3,000 devdasis in Karnataka - Murty initially had chappals and tomatoes thrown at her in response to her offer of help and ended up helping them build a bank for themselves - it also traverses Murty’s emotional journey as a philanthropist. She shares how she learnt on the job and moved personally from naivety and a sense of failure to resilience and an innovative tackler of problems.

Some of the personal stories are poignant as well. I especially liked the story of her gynaecologist father’s first delivery and the lives he changed on that one night (A Life Unwritten). Also interesting are the ones revolving around her encounter with Bollywood across the world (A Powerful Ambassador) and her experience as the only girl studying engineering - and surviving without a women’s toilet - in a college full of boys (How To Beat The Boys).

Murty’s style of writing is completely without frills. And as a reader, that’s disappointing. She narrates the stories or dialogues as they happened in real life, but the language fails to add any depth or emotion. So after a point, you are left plodding through the book. Also, never for a moment could I shrug off the feeling that the purpose of the stories is to instruct. A dash of humour and, if I may dare to say so, a hint of wickedness would have done wonders to the book. I mean, one respects but can barely relate to someone who has, at her worst, lied at home to watch movies.

Three Thousand Stitches however, is worth a read because of the real stories and the real people at its heart. Fact, as they say, is often more interesting than fiction.