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  • BOOK REVIEW - Three Thousand Stitches

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    The document provides a book review of the book "Three Thousand Stitches" by Sudha Murthy. It summarizes 11 short stories from the book. The stories depict different aspects of the author's life and lessons learned. They address topics like the lives of devadasis, or sex workers, her experience as the only female engineering student, learning about indigenous foods, and more. The review praises the simple and understandable writing style and finds the stories to be mostly warm and able to trigger thoughts on various issues.

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    The document provides a book review of the book "Three Thousand Stitches" by Sudha Murthy. It summarizes 11 short stories from the book. The stories depict different aspects of the author's life and lessons learned. They address topics like the lives of devadasis, or sex workers, her experience as the only female engineering student, learning about indigenous foods, and more. The review praises the simple and understandable writing style and finds the stories to be mostly warm and able to trigger thoughts on various issues.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    290 views5 pages

    BOOK REVIEW - Three Thousand Stitches

    Uploaded by

    Ayush Trivedi
    The document provides a book review of the book "Three Thousand Stitches" by Sudha Murthy. It summarizes 11 short stories from the book. The stories depict different aspects of the author's life and lessons learned. They address topics like the lives of devadasis, or sex workers, her experience as the only female engineering student, learning about indigenous foods, and more. The review praises the simple and understandable writing style and finds the stories to be mostly warm and able to trigger thoughts on various issues.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 5

    DR.

    RAM MANOHAR LOHIYA NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY

    (SESSION 2019 – 2020)

    ENGLISH - II

    BOOK REVIEW

    OF

    THREE THOUSAND
    STITCHES BY SUDHA
    MURTHY

    SUBMITTEDTO: SUBMITTEDBY:

    DR.(MRS.)ALKASINGH AYUSHTRIVEDI

    ASSISTANTPROFESSOR EnrollmentNo.190101047

    (ENGLISH) B.A.LL.B.(Hons.)

    Dr.RamManoharLohiyaNationalLawUniversity 2nd Semester Section'B'


    The book, ‘Three Thousand Stitches’ is much like its title – a couple of
    events of the same canvas (read Sudha Murthy’s life), each adding some
    value to the canvas that it has helped weave and in the end, giving a texture
    that is fine and coarse, inparts.

    Snippets from the journey traversed by her (Sudha Mutthi), is scattered


    across 11 stories, each having a message or two to give. The titular story,
    which is also the opening one, is about the lives of devadasis, or sex
    workers as they ended up being called by, in northern belt of Karnataka,
    who became the first subject of work for the young Sudha who had
    embarked on the journey to complete her motto to contribute to the society
    Young girls were initially dedicated to the worship and service of a deity or a
    temple in good faith, but eventually, the word devadasi became synonymous
    with sex worker. Some were born into the life, while others were ‘sacrificed’
    to the temples by their parents due to various reasons, or simply because
    they caught a hair infection like the ringworm of the scalp, assumed to be
    indicative that the girl was destined to be a 'devadasi'.
    The Devdasi community has undergone a major change due to her valuable
    contribution and dedicated attitude towards them, Sudha has been a
    constant support to them throughout the highlights of their journey and their
    achievements.
    Towards the end of the first story the author quotes a Sanskrit shloka her
    grandfather had taught her when she was six: ‘ O God, I don’t need a
    kingdom nor do I desire to be an emperor. I don’t want rebirth or the golden
    vessels or heaven. I don’t need anything from you. O Lord, if you want to
    give me something, then give me a soft heart and hard hands, so that I can
    wipe the tears of others. ‘

    In ‘How to beat the boys’, the author narrated story of her engineering
    college, where she was the only girl and how she tackled this situation and
    later this experience helped her in many ways. The experience encouraged
    and motivated her to follow this attitude throughout her life..

    ‘Food for thought’ is a story, where the author went to her friend’s place for
    lunch. Her father is a botanist and further, she gets to know the origin of
    various vegetables and fruits and how they come to India.

    Three handful of water’ narrates the writer’s early introduction to the place
    Kashi and how it is important to visit Kashi. The place gave her undying
    memories of her grandmother , she fondly called Avva, she carried with her
    the priceless treasures of her Avva’s life in a small Kumkum Box, it carried
    all her belongings, her ornaments and the Kumkum that she would adorn
    herself with during festivals. Kashi is a very holy city and it is often said one
    can feel their ancestral lineages here, people go there to achieve a sense of
    spiritual peace and well being, oftentimes it is said that one can wash their
    sins in the river Ganges in Kashi, but with the changing times Kashi has
    become a more commercialized city with devotion falling prey to money
    making

    ‘Cattle class’ story is featured in many news reports. In this story, the author
    is travelling to a city and flies from the business class, however being such a
    simple, humble and down to earth person she would always prefer dressing
    in a sari, she encountered two women who dressed in western attires and
    called her as cattle class on the airport just because of her simple attire,
    they assumed her to be a poor person who could not afford a business class
    ticket. However, the story takes a twist when Sudha is in her office and the
    same two women she encountered on the flight come to meet her to request
    her for a grant. She then while narrating the experience to her secretary
    teaches the two women a lesson. The story shows how a person should
    always be humble to his roots and never judge others on superficial
    appearances

    ‘A life unwritten’ set in 1943 depicts a story of the writer’s father Dr. R.H.
    Kulkarni, a doctor who was fondly called RH. He was on duty in the remote
    area where he was forced to deliver a child of an 16 year old unmarried girl,
    the doctor was forcefully called, but he was not a gynaecologist, but with
    whatever remembrance of a few deliveries he had assisted in medical
    school he delivered the child safely. Years later, this girl meets him and a
    convention and urges him to come home to meet her mother who has been
    waiting for such a long time to meet him and on reaching he finds out that
    she has become a doctor and has her own diagnostics which has been
    named after Sudha’s father, R.H. Diagnostics. This story is absolutely
    heartwarming

    In ‘No place like home’ the author had gone for a seminar in the Middle East
    meets some women who are the housemaids there and they all are going
    through with the struggles of life, slavery is very prominent in the east where
    young women from lesser known countries are lured into the trap of
    employment by offering them a promising handsome salary and to take care
    of their families back at home. These women fall into the trap and get
    misguided and mistreated in their working conditions, they are often abused
    and harassed , the story depicts the experiences of such women, after
    hearing out all their stories Sudha realizes that even if they flee from their
    workplaces they don’t have enough money to go back home, so she
    promises them that the organization would fund their expenses of a one way
    ticket back home for all the women who come to the shelter

    ‘A powerful ambassador’ says a story about Bollywood and how it famous


    across the globe. Growing up sudha had an immense love for movies but
    due to a conservative family she had to make do watching religious movies,
    once she mustered up the courage to go watch a rajesh khanna film and
    since then there was no turning back! When she left for her hostel she was
    introduced to the new world of movies where she could watch them all day
    without any judgements, she was blessed with many theatres nearby and
    would often watch one or even two movies a day! Once it so happened her
    friends decided to give her a merry bet on her love for movies and told her if
    she watched one movie a day at the end of the year they would give her 100
    rupees and she agreed! Thus grew her love for movies !

    ‘Rasleela and the swimming pool’ is the story where the author narrates
    mythological stories to her grandchildren who listen with rapt attention ,
    mythological stories have been passed down by the generations and are
    often heard when their grandparents recite it to them, however as the
    generations change one can see the differences and a more westernized
    approach in their thinking, one such example has been shown in the story,
    Sudha’s grandchildren have a completely hilarious interpretation of
    mythological stories told by sudha to them which leaves her completely
    speechless!

    Next story is ‘A day in Infosys foundation’. Sudha’s old friend who grew up
    with her in her hometown Hubli complains to her that she is very busy and
    she doesn’t have time for her close friend. On this, the author invited her to
    be with her the whole day and see her schedule and the workings of her
    office so she would be clear as to why is she so busy and cannot take out
    spare time. It also highlights the different scopes of work of the Infosys
    foundation and how they manage to reply to all the requests for grants and
    fundings

    ‘I can’t we can’ is the story where the author came to know about the
    impressive organization of ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’. She attended their
    meetings and totally loved their determination to reform their habit.

    Writing style:

    The language is simple and understandable ,the narration is smooth.


    Theheartwarming story, of her humiliation, her ouster and ultimately, her
    acceptance among these oppressed and violated women, is one of the
    highpoints of this collection. Equally numbing is the instance she recollects
    from her father’s young days as a doctor, whose one deed of duty and
    kindness, returns with life-altering interest many years hence. The full circle
    of life, and its latent gifts, comes to fore with these two lovely stories.
    While in another of the stories, Sudha takes a road down the memory lane,
    fondly remembering the testing, albeit enriching days, of her engineering
    college where she was the only female student of her batch, in yet another,
    she fast forwards to the present day where she is appalled and amused, in
    equal parts,  by a fellow traveller at the Heathrow Airport.

    The stories are mostly warm and simple; and in turn, trigger slivers of
    thought as she broaches the issues of alcoholism, conservatism,
    exploitation and discrimination. From being a little girl to being a
    grandmother, from being a naiveté to a professional achiever, she
    chronicles her trials and travails, and offers advice, sometimes way too
    bluntly and sometimes, in garbs of conversation. One is likely to learn
    something new, like the origin of indigenous vegetables, and frown at her
    firm assumptions, especially in relation to long-standing traditions and
    religious tenets. The writing, though, aids the reading and the unvarnished
    prose tempted me to finish this book in one go. A good read, with plenty to
    chew and some humor to ease the occasional tension.

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