Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty (Photo: PTI)
MP and author-philanthropist Sudha Murthy on Sunday said that while she has read a book set in Parliament in the 1980s, about Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, since a lot has changed in India and Parliament since then, she would not mind writing about it.
“But I first have to complete my term as a Rajya Sabha member before I can attempt to do so,” Murthy said on Sunday.
Murthy was in conversation with fellow writer and actress Twinkle Khanna at the launch celebration of her 300th book and 46th book, Grandpa’s Bag of Stories, held here. The event was organised by Bengaluru-based Lit Spirit Foundation.
But on his immediate wish list is a book on “shlokas” that his grandfather used to recite, he said.
“Like the one my grandfather used to recite when someone went on a trip or left home,” Murthy said.
Murthy also said he is unlikely to set his stories in the UK, even though that is where his grandchildren live.
“There are characters in my book who are very much my grandchildren, but they are set in India. In the UK, I have been at any one time only for 10 or 15 days. To set a story in a place, you need to know the place well, you need to interact with the people. Only then can you get an insight into the culture and you can comfortably write about it,” he said.
Khanna and Murthy also talked about their respective approaches to writing, as well as what they do to stay relevant and the meticulous research that goes into writing a book.
Talking about her process, Murthy said that she sits down to write only after she has framed the entire story in her mind.
“It takes me only 10-15 days to write it, not more than that. But I can think about the story for more than a year,” Murthy said.
Khanna said she struggled at first to balance her role as a mother and writer, but eventually found her groove and set aside mornings for writing.
“Writing is a matter of discipline, of finding the time that suits you best and being very selfish with that time,” he added.
Both authors agreed that understanding what readers want is the key to being a productive writer.
Khanna said that as a writer, she had discovered along the way that it was extremely important to establish a connection with readers.
Murthy said he regularly interacted with children as he writes many children’s books.
“I try to find out what problems they are facing. I may not be able to give them solutions, but I write in a way that makes them happy,” Murthy said.
Earlier in the conversation, Murthy also talked about how difficult it is to write books for children.
“When I write for adults, I can do it without any filter. But when I write for children, I want to leave a positive message. I have to be careful with what I write because I don’t want to preach to them either. The best way to do that is to become a child. That’s not easy,” he said.
‘Grandpa’s Bag of Stories’ is published by Puffin Books and is the second in their series of stories about grandparents. The first was called ‘Grandma’s Bag of Stories’.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First published: September 1, 2024 | 21:52 IS
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this post is for general information purposes only. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the post for any purpose.
We respect the intellectual property rights of content creators. If you are the owner of any material featured on our website and have concerns about its use, please contact us. We are committed to addressing any copyright issues promptly and will remove any material within 2 days of receiving a request from the rightful owner.