Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni on writing the biography of Sudha and Narayana Murthy
KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)
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Summary
In conversation with celebrated novelist Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni about her 22nd book, An Uncommon Love: The Early Life of Sudha and Narayana Murthy.
I was 19 when I first read Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s seminal The Palace of Illusions (2008). Fresh into my English Honours undergraduate degree program, I devoured it as a parched traveler overcome with fatigue takes to mountain river water.
Growing up in India, it’s impossible to be oblivious to the Mahabharata. Even if you’ve never read it, you know of it as you do of those grandparents who died long before you were born. It’s personal, like ancestral stories are.
I’ve watched, read, and heard countless adaptations and retellings of the Mahabharata all my life but the way The Palace of Illusions moved me, no reimagination of the towering epic ever had or has since. Such is the power of Divakaruni’s craft. By telling a story as old as time through the perspective of its central woman, she did something no one had ever dared to do before.
Also read: NRN’s First Love: Sudha Murthy reveals Infosys as the true love of NR Narayana Murthy
Ever since, I’ve followed Divakaruni’s singular career closely and have eagerly waited to see what she was writing next. Imagine my surprise when I found out that her new book is not a novel but a biography, her first in a prolific career spanning over three decades.
With An Uncommon Love, Divakaruni intends to make readers travel back in time to the early years of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and his author wife Sudha Murthy. Essentially a love story of two of India’s tallest titans, it is a deep dive into how their paths crossed and merged into one, and captures the romance, the tribulations, the sacrifices, and the triumphs that molded the Murthys into who they are today.
Up until her publisher reached out to her for this project, Divakaruni had always thought of herself as a novelist, a fiction writer who is also the McDavid professor of Creative Writing at the University of Houston. To then change tracks at 67 after having spent a lifetime weaving stories out of her vivid imagination was not an easy decision. She confesses she did not jump at the idea right away.
“At first, I was hesitant because I’ve always written fiction,” she says.
However, it was the Murthys’ remarkable, trailblazing journey that convinced her to take the plunge. “I felt that their early life story—where they came from, their family influences, what attracted them to each other, their challenges, especially in starting a business during the difficult era of the 1970s and early 80s, and how they overcame them—would be interesting and inspiring to readers. The Murthys are exceptional people, and I wanted everyone to know their story—not just on the surface but in depth,” Divakaruni reasons.
It has taken her about two years to put together An Uncommon Love. It started with correspondence over emails before Divakaruni finally flew to Bengaluru to be with the Murthys for several days.
“It was pleasant and informal,” she says of their time together. “We would spend entire days. The Murthys and I have known each other since the 1970s, when Sudha’s brother Shrinivas and I were in graduate school together. So we felt comfortable discussing every kind of issue related to their life. We would drink tea, have snacks, and chat. My recorder was on all the time, but it was very relaxed. It was like conversing with friends. However, sometimes we dealt with intense topics as well. Painful moments. But the Murthys were very open and frank in answering all my questions,” says Divakaruni.
Even though she’s known them for over 50 years, Divakaruni was not prepared for some of what she found out while talking to the Murthys. For instance, how Narayana Murthy would help Sudha sneak out of her hostel way past curfew hours without ever getting caught. “I was charmed by their tales of their dating days. They were such a romantic couple. And Mr. Murthy had quite a mischievous and adventurous streak,” she laughs.
Or how much Mr. Murthy had to struggle to set up Infosys and import the tech he needed during the license raj. Or his plain refusal to let Sudha join Infosys and how deeply it affected her, and how they eventually reached a resolution. Divakaruni says it’s their unwavering love and deep respect for each other that equipped the Murthys with the resilience they needed for the long, uphill climb.
“Early in their relationship, they decided to be supportive of each other. They would caution each other and even have arguments, but they never stopped the other person from following their passion,” she says. “Sudha once said to Murthy, ‘You be the trapeze artist. I’ll be your safety net.’ I think that statement sums up their relationship.”
Interestingly, both Narayana and Sudha Murthy are terrific writers. They could have easily put pen to paper and let the world into their early years themselves. However, as much as their being writers helped Divakaruni—they would email her nuggets of wisdom in lyrical, lucid paragraphs—she argues that an objective third party can help bring balance into the narrative.
“The external gaze sometimes sees connections and undertones that we might miss because we are too close to the material. I was able to ask them questions that surprised them—and in return, they brought up responses that surprised all of us,” she says. Although the book is about the Murthys, you will find Divakaruni in every sentence.
Through this book, she wants readers to know the people behind the names. In unearthing their origins, she wants to tell us that success stories aren’t written overnight. Oftentimes, it takes a lifetime of difficult decisions, toil, and tears to pen them. That it doesn’t matter where we come from as long as we know where it is that we want to go and are prepared to give it our all.
“I wanted to show their human side, their flaws, their challenges, and what enabled them to overcome these and push ahead. I wanted people to relate to my hero and heroine, laugh and cry with them, and ultimately say, ‘If they could do it, I can do it, too’,” says Divakaruni.
Also read: When lovestruck Narayana Murthy travelled 11 hours in train without ticket for Sudha Murty
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