Sudha Murthy has carved her niche as a writer and philanthropist and impacted so many people that one can’t help but think this is her destiny — to changes lives with her stories and her work.
Three Thousand Stitches is a collection of short stories from her life experiences. Just like all her other books, it is written in her simple and down-to-earth style. Her stories are easy to read, relatable, and lay bare the lovely lives of ordinary people doing extraordinary things in a largely middle-class South India.
The first story in this book is about her work to uplift the devadasis in northern Karnataka as part of the Infosys Foundation. The story ends with a gift. An embroidered bedspread handmade by the devadasis for Sudha Murthy. It has three thousand stitches because all of them wanted to have a hand in it. The lovingly handmade bedspread is a testimony to the impact Sudha Murthy has had on their lives. I’ve read this story 3–4 times and this part always brings me to tears. Simple gestures like this make all the effort worth it. One must read this book just for this story — a warmly goosebumpy narration.

Then there is this story about her travels. She talks about how she finds Indian influences in a lot of places — about hearing Tuj Mein Rab Dikhta Hai in Uzbekistan to seeing photos of Shah Rukh Khan in Switzerland to drinking something called Piggy Chops (named after Priyanka Chopra) in West Hollywood. Sudha Murthy talks about these experiences with such joy that you feel your own patriotic spirit oozing out. She states these things simply, but the pride is palpable. That’s the gift of her writing skill — the ability to make us feel deeply.
One of my favorite stories in this book is called Three Handfuls of Water. It is a warm and endearing tale that takes us through Sudha Murthy’s life as a child as she hears about the specialty of Kashi from her grandparents. It was wonderful to learn about Kashi through the eyes of her grandparents.
Years later, when she has a chance to visit Kashi, she decides to give up all forms of materialistic shopping. I found this story very inspiring. To give up shopping in this day and age is a feat of superhuman strength. Sudha Murthy is such a shining example of how to live a meaningful life.
Every single story in Three Thousand Stitches stands out for its simplistic style of narration. Nothing over the top. Yet, each made me smile and tear up in equal measure.
Everyone must read Three Thousand Stitches and several of her other books as well. Her books will give you a sense of pride about our country and our culture, and teach us a thing or two about tiny things that we may have never noticed by ourselves.