To have full house and barely any room to stand on a weekday at Crosswords Bookstores, Bandra, is an unusual thing. But this was no ordinary evening. Sudha Murty’s new book, The Serpent’s Revenge: Unusual Tales from Mahabharata, comprising 25 such tales from the epic, was guaranteed to gather a crowd.  

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Clad in a cotton saree, a gajra in her hair, and wearing a serene smile, she introduced her book with a soothing demeanour. “Writing a story is like weaving a cloth. Your experience, imagination, and observation are the various threads you use. While weaving, make sure that nobody gets to knows which thread is what,” said Murty.

Crediting her grandfather, a History teacher, for inculcating the habit of reading in her, Murty not only narrated anecdotes from her life, but also advised the young minds to read as much as possible. Talking about the millennial kids, she urged parents to teach them patience, and advised them not to start moral classes at home.  “Instead of preaching to kids all the time, tell them stories with hidden morals. Let them figure it out for themselves,” she added.

Remembering an instance when her daughter had refused to read a book after page 10 because of the unnecessary exaggeration, Murty realised exaggeration makes it difficult for kids to read. So, she thought of simplifying the epic for kids. 

“There are several unusual tales in The Mahabharata which are lesser known. And if you’re immersed in the subject, you’ll know what to write and in which sequence,” Murthy said  explaining why she chose to write this book. 

As for inspiration, she says, “Every writer has his own style. A writer is like a sponge, who absorbs everything from life.” After the launch, she patiently signed almost 300 books for her fans, big and small alike. Kinjal Shah, CEO of Crossword Bookstores was exhilarated to host Sudha Murty’s book launch at the store. He said, “Sudha Murty’s books are highly sought after by parents; and offer the right kind of reading material that every Indian family bonds over.”