When Sudha Murthy graced the achiever's seat on 'Weekend with Ramesh' - Part 1

This week I was moved deeply on two occasions, when I read the short-story, 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson and when I watched the episode on the celebrity talk show 'Weekend with Ramesh' graced by one of my inspirational figures, Mrs. Sudha Murty. While it would take another write-up on how the former has affected me, here I would like to present the disclosures that were made during the show. I was excitedly discussing some of the highlights with my colleagues on the day after the telecast, during lunch, when one of them asked, "does the video have subtitles"? Aw, how I and she wished that she would be able to view and understand that particular episode.

This is my attempt to translate the revelations that made a lasting impression upon me.

Value-system
Growing up as a teenager, I caught fancy from Hindi movies the stretching of one hand to someone's feet (or even knees) to take their blessing, but when I tried it the first time on some elderly person (after all, it doesn't require any pressure on your backbone), my dad was furious and reproached me for this half-hearted gesture. I didn't learn any lesson that day but did what was expected of me thereafter. However, when I saw this 68 year old celebrity completely bow and touch her teachers' feet with her hands and head, I was humbled. Further, when her teachers talked while still standing, she stood beside them refusing to sit in her designated chair saying with a smile, "it doesn't feel right to sit when her teacher is standing". I am lucky to have witnessed such acts of humility. Mrs. Murthy said that she imbibed values from her grandparents with whom she would spend a few months every year during childhood. During these days, she learnt around 2000 vachanas, a form of Kannada literature about morals.

Reading
Bit by the bug in childhood, even when doing her homework, she would hide the regional children's magazine Chandamama in her textbook. When she had to aid in kitchen work, she always volunteered to grind masala as it required no intelligence but only one hand to turn the peg of the grinding stones while she could hold a book in another and read. Her sister narrated that young Sudha's aim after class 10 was to spend her life reading books. During her engineering studies, once a teacher mentioned king Barthaari. Quickly a hand was raised (no marks for guessing). She pelted info about the king, the ruler of Ujjain, his famous brother, the connection to Vikram-Betaal stories. When he asked how she knew, she answered that she has read most of the books from the Hubli central library during holidays. Another lecturer tried to test her once. He threw a line from Kaalidaasa's epic poem, which too, she automatically completed.

Ambitions
Sudha and her siblings grew up competing with each other in studies, and were encouraged by parents to take part in extracurricular activities. When Sudha started class 11, she had to switch medium from Kannada to English. When she expressed her concern at having to study in an alien language, her mother advised her to practice 25 lines in English daily, compulsorily. Remembering this during the show, Mrs. Murthy quoted from the Bhagavadgeetha, "abhyasenatukaunteya" which means "constant practice". After class 12, she dropped a bomb on her family when she declared her interest to pursue engineering. She joined engineering as the only female student in her college even when her relatives advised her against it for she wouldn't be able to find a groom to match her qualification. Irrespective of the constant stares, teasing and love letters she aimed to excel in her studies. She aimed "like Arjuna". She has elaborated on her experience of engineering days in the chapter 'How to beat the boys' in her book 'Three Thousand Stitches'. She emerged a university gold medalist in engineering and master's. She had also received scholarships for PhD from prestigious foreign universities, however she joined as the first female employee of Telco courtesy her fight for opportunities for women in India, the detailed story of which is widely known today.

Two of her teachers who taught her at different levels of education repeated the sanskrit saying "Shishyaad ichcheth paraajayam" meaning that a teacher derives happiness when defeated, or outshined, by the student. Her lecturer in engineering college expected her to return to the college to teach. Return, she did but many years later as a director of the college. Mrs. Murty said she is a life-long learner and these days she is getting coached on Halegannada (or old-kannada which, I may add, is rather closer to Sanskrit than Kannada).

Her achievements surpass the length of my article. Here I am, tired of scouting to remove lines and words, spilling over to a separate post.