Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)

A Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal Vol.5.Issue 3. 2017

Impact Factor 5.002 (COSMOS) http://www.rjelal.com; (July-Sept)
Email:[email protected] ISSN:2395-2636 (P); 2321-3108(O)

RESEARCH ARTICLE

FEMALE PROTAGONISTS IN THE SELECTED STORIES IN ‘THE DAY I STOPPED

DRINKING MILK’ BY SUDHA MURTY
Dr. P. N. MESHRAM
Principal
R.D. College, Mulchera, Gadchiroli

ABSTRACT
Sudha Murty’s ‘The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk’ (Life Stories Here And There) is a
collection of real life stories delighting the readers of all ages. Over the years, Sudha
Murty has come across some fascinating characters in the real life whose lives made
an indelible impression upon her mind and compelled her to write interesting stories
about them because all these female protagonists had an astonishing lesson to reveal.
This is really great book that describes down to detail about how myriad characters,
circumstances and events have had a prominent effect on the author’s life. The best
touch to this collection is that these are true life stories and we know that good
people do still walk this earth. Author writes about life, observations and experiences
and that makes these little gems of stories more enjoyable. She works towards the
betterment of the society and rural development. She aims to provide the
government aided schools with computer education library facility. Apart from all her
social work, she even taught computer science. She is also renowned author of many
fiction novels. She is also a member of healthcare initiatives of the Gates Foundation.
The present paper is an attempt to highlight the female characters -- protagonists -- in
the selected stories of Sudha Murty and explore their predicament and the way they
overcame their predicament in their lives.

In the story, ‘Bombay to Banglore’, Sudha to pay from Bombay to Bangalore Sudha Murty paid
Murty was boarding Udyan Express at Gulbarga it.
railway station as her destination was Bangalore. As the train approached Bangalore, the girls
The ticket collector asked the thirteen years thin, started talking. Her name was Chitra and she lived in
dark and scared girl who was hiding under Sudha a village near Bidar. Her father was a coolie and she
Murty’s berth. The girl did not say anything and lost her mother at birth and father remarried. But a
stood quietly. Ticket Collector caught hold of her few months ago, her father died. Her step mother
arms and told her to get down at the next station started beating her often and did not give her food.
and he started forcibly pulling her out from the She was tired of that life. So she left home in search
compartment. The travellers around the girl were of something better. Sudha Murty admitted Chitra in
not bothered at all and went about their business. the shelter home and highschool where she scored
Suddenly Sudha Murty had a strange feeling. She 85 percent in tenth. Then she did her diploma in
stood up and called the T.C. “Sir, I will pay for her Computer Science. She got a job in a software
ticket. It is getting dark. I do not want a young girl on company. She was lucky because after some years
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the platform at this time.” She said T.C. asked her her company was sending her to the USA!

376 DR. P. N. MESHRAM

Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)
A Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal Vol.5.Issue 3. 2017
Impact Factor 5.002 (COSMOS) http://www.rjelal.com; (July-Sept)
Email:[email protected] ISSN:2395-2636 (P); 2321-3108(O)
Eventually Sudha Murty was invited to holding him tightly to her chest. The body named
deliver a lecture in San Francisco. After the lecture Rahman grew up in Kashibai’s house and started
she planned to leave for the airport. She went to the calling her Avva.
reception counter to pay the bill but the receptionist When Rahman’s father died of tuberculosis
said, ‘Maam you don’t need to pay us anything. The Rahman was left alone. Kashibai was conscious
lady over there has already settled your bill’. Sudha about his religion. Every Friday she sent him for
Murty turned around and found Chitra there. She nammaz. She told him to participate in all Muslim
asked Chitra, ‘Why did you pay my hotel bill?’ Festivals. Kashibai’s affection and devotion
With tears in her eyes and gratitude on her overwhelmed Rahman. He prayed to Allah and then
face she said, ‘Akka, if you had not helped me, I touched Kashibai’s feet. He said, “Avva, you are my
4
don’t know where I would have been today -- may Ammi. You are my Mecca.” This is a heartwarming
be a beggar, a prostitute, a runaway child, a servant story of the life of a Muslim named Rahman, who
in someone’s house… or I may even have committed was brought up by his Hindu neighbor. In simple
suicide. You changed my life. I am ever grateful to language the story moves the hearts of the readers
you. Then suddenly sobbing Chitra hugged me and and we realize how blessed we are. Uneducated but
said that she paid it because I paid for her ticket far advanced in human values, Kashibai the –
from Bombay to Bangalore! The story explains how protagonist -- had raised Rahman with his own
Chitra’s life was completely transformed after religion and still loved him like her son.
meeting Sudha Murty during a train journey from The third story is ‘Ganga’s Ghat’, where the
Bombay to Bangalore. Chitra had gotten onto the female protagonist -- Ganga, a coolie in a small
train without a ticket, but the author took her in and village, gets up in the morning, goes to the field to
provided her with shelter. She studies and later work, earns her daily wage and then comes back in
moves abroad and is very appreciative of Sudha the evening, fetches water, bathes, cooks her meal,
Murty’s gesture. The most determined, dedicated eats and sleeps to get up in the morning. It is her
and inspired girl -- Chitra confident and powerful -- routine. It was very hand to get water in the
2
the “protagonist” made her life from her summer because there was no electricity. Summer
predicament with her benefactor Sudha Murty. was a curse to the village. One summer evening, she
According to Anthony Robbins, “Power is the ability came back after work and felt very tired. She started
to produce the results you desire most and create cooking when she saw an old beggar in front of her
value for others in the process. Power is the ability hut. Ganga said, “old man, I haven’t cooked yet and I
to change your life: to shape your perceptions, to have very little rice today. You can come another
3
make things work for you and not against you.” day and I will give you some food.” Then he said,
‘Rahman’s Avva’ is the second story in the “Akka, I do not want rice. Can you give me one
non-fiction of Sudha Murty. Kashibai is the bucket of luckwarm water? My body is itchy.
protagonist. Fatima Bi was her neighbor. However, Someone said that I should take a bath in luckwarm
both of them did not see eye to eye at all. It is not water. That will reduce the itching. I am unable to
that they were bad women but their nature was sleep at night. In the summer, there is a lot of dust
5
very different. Kashibai was loud, frank and hard- and it is affecting me in this old age.” At this ,
working. Fatima Bi was quiet, lazy and an introvert. Ganga was upset as it was not easy to get water
Inevitably, there was a fight. But when Kashibai from half kilometre away. But the beggar requested
heard that Fatima was admitted to the hospital in her and convinced her that she had a hut, vessels,
critical condition and delivered a son, she started firewood and water. Ganga had an indescribable
crying forgetting her enemity. They also learnt the feeling as nobody had told her that she was a rich.
next day that Fatima Bi was no more. One night the Nobody ever called her Akka. This was an unusual
child started crying non-stop. Her motherly instinct feeling and she liked it. She gave him a bucket of
made her go next door. She picked up the baby, held luckwarm water daily and the number of beggars for
him in her pallu and brought him to her house bath increased day by day. The word had spread.

377 DR. P. N. MESHRAM

Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)
A Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal Vol.5.Issue 3. 2017
Impact Factor 5.002 (COSMOS) http://www.rjelal.com; (July-Sept)
Email:[email protected] ISSN:2395-2636 (P); 2321-3108(O)
People knew that if you want to have a bath you Sudha Murty did not want to hurt his
should go to Ganga’s Ghat. We are introduced here feelings by denying everything. So she nodded her
to an old lady, who desires to achieve something in head in affirmation. Her host thought that she did
life. She experiences contentment as a result of not understand oriya because she had taken a
seeing to the needs of her fellow villagers by setting translator. But she knew oriya, though she was not
up a bathing facility. able to speak it fluently. Hearing her husband the
Ganga had found her mission in life. She wife was very upset. She said in an irritated tone,
never got public recognition. She said that it gave “The lady sitting outside has grey hair but no
her an opportunity to serve people who don’t have common sense. We are poor people. We also have
anything in life. Sudha Murty met Ganga for her to take care of a child. I have only one glass of goats
service she was offering to the beggar and needy milk. I have to work hard even to get this milk. If
people and said, ‘Ganga, I will give you a box of madam wants tea, I can give her a few teaspoons of
soaps and a hundred cotton towels. But Ganga milk. If she wants to eat fish, I can fetch them from
explained to Sudha Murty that she wanted to do the the pond and prepare and excellent fish curry. If she
work within her own limits. Money comes with wants to it pakhala, it is already there. But she
6
expectations and spoils the delicate equilibrium of should not ask for an expensive drink such as milk.”
social work. Ganga -- the protagonist’s, bathing ghat In Sudha Murty’s ignorance and on host’s
was no less than Ganga’s ghat at Varanasi, Hardwar insistence, she had agreed to drink milk but she was
and Rishikesh as she provides provides bathing not even aware that she was snatching the share of
water to hundreds of people in a drought stricken a little baby. She felt ashamed. When translator
area. returned, she told him to tell the host that she was
‘The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk’ is the on fast. The translator was baffled because he had
next story of Sudha Murty dealing with a woman in seen her having milk in the morning breakfast. The
a flooded village in odisha which teaches Sudha host asked, ‘Nobody fasts on Wednesday. Why are
Murty a life lesson she will never forget. In the you fasting today? She said, ‘I fast on Wednesday for
coverstory, ‘The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk’, we Buddha’. From that day onward, Sudha Murty
are introduced to a family residing in Odisha, with stopped drinking milk.
whom the author had once stayed during her visit to The wife of the hut owner -- the female
the village. As the author is the guest to the family, protagonist -- taught a lesson to Sudha Murty.
host wished to give her some food or drink. The Ignorance of the economic condition of the poor
author asked for a glass of milk at which they were people in flooded village changed her mind and she
completely unable to meet her request. Sudha determined on that day to give up drinking milk.
Murty was working in a remote village. They were Conclusion
building a school for children in a beautiful The determined, dedicated and inspired
surrounding of mountain, lake and greenery. girls Chitra -- the female protagonist overcomes her
Suddenly it started raining heavily. So her translator predicament and becomes a successful lady.
knowing oriya and English suggested to take shelter Uneducated but far advanced in human values,
in a nearest hut. The hut was small and had Hindu Kashibai -- the female protagonist -- had
thatched roof and mud flooring. The host came and raised Muslim Rahman with his own religion and still
welcomed them. The owner’s baby was crying inside loved him like her son. Kashibai is a real
and his mother was singing a lullaby to soothe him. philanthropist. Ganga – a coolie in a small village of
After sometime, the translator got bored and went drought stricken area who renders her services of
to a shop near the hut. The host wanted to give her providing bathing water to hundreds of people
something to eat or drink. The Taittiriya Upanishad becomes the female protagonists. The wife of the
says, ‘Athiti devo bhava.’ He offered her tea but she hut owner -- the female protagonist -- taught a
denied as she never drinks tea or coffee. After some lesson to Sudha Murty. Ignorance of the economic
time he asked her for milk. condition of the poor people in flooded village

378 DR. P. N. MESHRAM

Research Journal of English Language and Literature (RJELAL)
A Peer Reviewed (Refereed) International Journal Vol.5.Issue 3. 2017
Impact Factor 5.002 (COSMOS) http://www.rjelal.com; (July-Sept)
Email:[email protected] ISSN:2395-2636 (P); 2321-3108(O)
changed her mind and she determined on that day
to give up drinking milk.
References
1. Murty, Sudha. The Day I Stopped Drinking
Milk. Penguin Books, Madras: 2012, p. 4
2. Kirkpatrick, Betty. The Concise Oxford
Thesaurus. Oxford University Press, New
Delhi: 2002, p. 638.
3. Robbins, Anthony. Unlimited Power. Simon
and Schuster, New York: 1997, p. 5
4. Murty, Sudha. The Day I Stopped Drinking
Milk. Penguin Books, Madras: 2012, p. 24
5. Murty, Sudha. The Day I Stopped Drinking
Milk. Penguin Books, Madras: 2012, p. 27
6. Murty, Sudha. The Day I Stopped Drinking
Milk. Penguin Books, Madras: 2012, p. 38

379 DR. P. N. MESHRAM