"Wise and Otherwise" is a collection of short stories authored by Sudha Murthy. They were drawn from the real life of people whom she came across in her life. That must be the reason each one is believable and come alive before you as the story unfolds.
In addition, the stories are gripping from the beginning, and make you turn the pages to know what happens next. (That is what I felt). Like her other books, this one also has a simple style. Though the stories are simple, they are powerful. Some of the stories make you think and some make you laugh. Though almost all the stories are good, some of them stand out in the crowd like An Old Man's Ageless Wisdom, A lesson in life from a beggar, and Think Positive, be Happy are some of them. The characters won't leave you there after finishing with it, but remain in your mind at least for a few days. Her ability to transform the simple life incidents of human value, which usually go unnoticed,into the eyes of the readers through her beautiful writing is praise-worthy.
When I finished reading the book, a friend of mine who was going through a bad phase of her life, asked me to recommend her a book to read, and I couldn't give it anything better than this book at that moment. At a later date, she thanked me for the timely and thoughtful gift.
After having said this, I know this book is not for everyone. However, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and some of them stayed with me for a while.
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