Dec 08, 2006 07:52 PM
20483 Views
I have been in Infosys, Bangalore for over a year now. This is not my first job. I've been in few other companies previously. But what makes Infosys so special? Most may say 'Brand value'. To me, more than that, I think of 'trustworthiness' - the trust Infosys's domestic & international clients, shareholders and employees have towards it. More importantly, the trust and deep respect everybody has for it's chief mentor, Narayana Murthy and his equally accomplished wife Sudha Murthy.
Sudha Murthy, briefly introducing, is a qualified computer engineer. She teaches postgraduate computer students and also heads the Infosys Foundation that does charitable work all over India. She is also a prolific writer.
From what I've read about her, she used to write fortnightly columns in The Sunday Express about her life experiences as a family member, friend, relative, teacher or even as a volunteer for the Infosys Foundation. Most of her experiences shared in her columns were the heartwarming or disturbing incidents she had as she travelled the length & breadth of India and even abroad. Her columns became so popular that she was encouraged by everybody to compile them into a book so that a million more people read and be positively influenced by them. Thus was born Wise and Otherwise, a book that you can get in any major bookstall for Rs.150/-.
I bought this book a few days and frankly speaking, it was addicting and moving. You may finish the book in a single sitting. You read some of Sudha Murthy's life experiences in the form of 51 true stories that are written in her own language - simple, honest and laced with gentle humour. She has this child-like affection for movies, bollywood actors or music that you find endearing.
Not all are feel-good stories. Sudha, without revealing names, speaks about men and women she met who had no second thoughts of dumping their family or showing a petty, narrow-minded attitude towards education, money or towards another human being.
Yet, no matter the honesty, the effortless writing or the good intention of the author to awaken our conscience with her humbling, enriching experiences I felt the bane of the book is its own simplicity. How many youngsters may come forward to read this book? For many of 'em, this book could seem as a health drink that they will squirm twice before having a drink ! This is no Dan-Brown thriller. But that's Sudha Murthy for you. Matter-of-fact, no-nonsense style of presentation.
Like any book that creates a lasting impression, Wise and Otherwise will endure and will continue to get readers. Because there's something for everyone to learn from what Sudha has to share. And as you read through every page, you can't help marvel at the lady herself. She has become wealthy far beyond her dreams but still shows a middle-class conservative approach towards money and has an amazing heart to personally reach out and lend a helping hand to thousands and thousands of men, women and children who were struck black & blue by Fate. What's refreshing about her philanthropic work is that she just doesn't alleviate a person's physical, emotional or social penury by providing in cash or kind. She gives them tools to learn either in the form of her own advices or education so that they do not lead lives at others' mercy anymore.
With her outstanding charitable work and writings, her children will have a wonderful legacy to continue. Let me edit that....a wonderful legacy for her children, thousands of Infoscians and many more people now in the nook and corner of India to continue and flourish.
