Sudha Murthy believes all of us need magic in our lives. The social worker-author, who has just launched another children's book The Bird With Golden Wings, talks about why every child needs an angel and her own magical childhood
Sudha Murthy believes all of us need magic in our lives. The social worker-author, who has just launched another children's book The Bird With Golden Wings, talks about why every child needs an angel and her own magical childhood:u00a0
WHO: Author Sudha Murthy
WHAT: Talking about her love for stories
WHERE: Reliance Timeout
Tales from the past
I loved stories as a child. I heard a lot of them from my grandparents and I used to read a lot too. I grew up with both sets of grandparents around and believe me, there were plenty of stories I loved, particularly those from Mahabharata. Bhima, the strongest Pandava prince, was my favourite hero. I was fascinated by the fact that he would eat thousands of laddoos at one go or with the bravery and strength with which he killed a demon like Bakasura or broke trees like twigs. But as I grew up a bit and started understanding the complexities of life, politics and human relations, I began admiring Krishna. He was aware of the intricacies of life and he knew how to balance everything.
But then I grew up in a different age. At that time there was no television or cinema or Internet for entertainment. We were 13 of us grandchildren growing up together and we had no privacy to read or do our own thing. Every evening before or after dinner we would sit with our grandparents and listen to all those lovely stories.u00a0u00a0
A bit of magic
All of us need some magic in our lives; children even more so. Kids between the ages of 8-14 years need stories that will expand their imaginations. When you are young, you need an angel to help you learn about life. I believe that children who believe in magic are more able to give their best shot at everything and leave the rest to an external power like divinity or destiny. I've written my book with only this in mind. Some of these stories I have heard and enjoyed as a child myself. I just added some bits of contemporary elements so that today's children can enjoy them.
Turning the page
Parents complain that their children don't read anymore. I don't agree; I know that many children love reading. But they also have Internet, television and so on. In my time, my parents would discourage us from reading story books. They had a rule: We were allowed to read our books as long as we finished all our homework and studies. So I would hurriedly complete my studies and then escape to do my reading. Believe me, nothing can compare with the experience of lying down to read a book or that of reading out aloud from a book for everybody to listen to.u00a0u00a0
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