Book Review in 500 to 1000 Words When the updates and news come, this colourful cover piqued my curiosity and when sudha murthy had written it I need not to say more; I instantly picked it up!
“The Mother I Never Knew” comprises two novellas that explore quests by two different men namely Venkatesh and Mukesh.
Venkatesh of the first novella is a bank manager in SBI. He lives in Bangalore with his wife Shanta and two children Ravi and Gauri. They are wealthy of course and to an outsider their family is a modern nuclear family in which the woman is strong and independent, obsessed with status and business. His super-rich wife Shanta, runs the house very efficiently and handled the family finances better than an investment banker. He is just a ‘Madam’s husband,’ but there’s an emptiness within Venkatesh because there’s no bonding between the family members. They lived, worked and went out together it was mechanical. Shanta spoke little and was always to the point. His son takes after her (Ravi is in America now) while his daughter takes after him both in values and attitude towards life and relationships. His son and wife are busy accumulating wealth whereas he and his daughter care about relationships. Venkatesh is terribly upset one fine day when he returns home. He had been transferred to Hubli, a place whose culture he’s totally unaware of. Earlier, earning money was a necessity, but now working had become his habit. Venkatesh doesn’t want to cancel the transfer through unofficial channels so he reluctantly agrees to go there for only six months and return after that.
When he moves to Hubli, he notices that though the dialect is quite different people are very friendly. He is constantly mistaken for Shankar Master. He soon realizes that there is a look alike in the same town. ‘How can we look so similar? Patil says that there are seven lookalikes all over the world. So, is it a coincidence? We aren’t twins, for sure. I was born at 10 a.m. in the Railway Hospital in Hyderabad. When was he born? I think I should talk to Shankar’s mother, Bhagavva.’ So, what starts of as curiosity to know about his look alike soon turns out to be a world-shattering experience for Venkatesh. He discovers his father’s hidden past and some conspiracies. With further probing, he is made aware of the grave injustices done to his step-mother, he realises that he must atone for the wrongs, but how is that to happen? Will his family support him and be forthcoming to help him in his plans? Venkatesh is disheartened as his son is prepared to go to court against him and put the family honour at stake whereas Gauri supports his decision. How could two children raised by the same parents and in the same environment be so unlike each other, he wonders. Will Ventakesh make amends to his impoverished stepmother and repay his father’s debt? forms the rest of the story. This story tries to show the differences that comes up in a family with members having different outlook towards life, relationship, career, and status.
The second novella is nothing short of a Bollywood movie. It is the story of Mukesh, a young man, working as programme executive in BBC, London. He and his wife Vasanthi are vacationing in Switzerland where she meets with a skiing accident. While he is attending to her in the hospital, he receives a call from his sister Neeraja. There is an urgency in her voice asking him to return to Bangalore as their father, Krishna Rao had a heart attack and was in the ICU. In the flight Mukesh thinks about his father, a self-made, soft-spoken gentleman, known as Rao Saheb had come from humble beginnings and had worked hard to become who he was today. Rao Saheb owned a huge garment export house called Mukesh Exports in Bangalore. By the time he reaches India, his father had already departed. He returns home for the final rites and meets the lawyer for his father’s will. It is while searching for his father’s legal papers, his sister discovers a photograph which brings out an ugly past. Mukesh gets a little upset and asks his mother, ‘Why didn’t you let him tell me the truth?’
‘Because of fear. I was scared, Munna. I’d heard from many people that once a child learns that he is adopted, he goes in search of his biological parents and forgets about everyone else. I was scared that you’d leave and forget about me, too. What would I do then?’
He comes to know that he’s an adopted child and after listening to the past’s story, Mukesh then sets out in search of his biological mother. But things take an unexpected turn and the past becomes even more complicated than it was before. Mukesh’s life gets convoluted by the presence of not one but several mother figures as he journeys from London to Bangalore to the by lanes of Amritsar and onwards to Delhi. Whether he comes to know the truth about his birth? Did he finally find his biological mother? forms the plot of the second novella. And the deeper he delves, the more confused he is about where should his loyalties and responsibilities lie, whether with the mother who raised him or with the mother who gave birth to him?
I have always marvelled at how Sudha Murty has such a thorough understanding of her culture and depicts it in simplest way to her readers! As the title suggests it is the story about two men on a quest to find the mother they never really knew! Sudha Murthy’s prose is devoid of pretentions. Well, the story isn’t unique, our epics are filled with such stories, but it isn’t a mindless repeat as well. It has new facets and is told in a very subjective way. The settings are contemporary. The author has made the story her own and I could feel as if she is sitting right next to me, narrating me the stories of Venkatesh and Mukesh. Sudha Murty did move out of her comfort zone and mentioned new cities apart from North Karnataka and Mumbai. If you have loved Sudha Murthy’s earlier books, you’ll love this as well.
“The Mother I Never Knew” is a poignant, dramatic book that reaches deep into the human heart to reveal what we really feel about those closest to us. In this book of just 200 pages, Sudha Murthy presents two novellas, about two men and their eagerness to find their past and each portrays mothers and motherhood in a resolute manner. It deals with identity crisis, family issues, and inheritance as well as adoption which is regarded as something uncommon and unwelcomed in some communities. The two men are bound by the same dilemma and the same complexity of emotions. and it is important for them to find their way back to bring stability in their lives. She, once again, brilliantly talks about the prejudices that the patriarchal society inflicts upon widows, single mothers, teenage pregnancies and women in general. She portrays how the women of these two novellas are controlled by the men in their life.
The writing style as always is brilliant and the storyline moves ahead in an unflinching way. It is indeed reminiscent of R K Narayan and not very difficult for an Indian to relate to what is written. Hence, an absorbing read. The stories especially the first one is highly predictable though I liked it. The girl or woman being slim, fair, and long hair in every story seems a bit stereotype to me. More in-depth portrayal of characters is missing in this book.
The first story talks about families and cultures in contrast, describe the different characters within a family and their mindsets. It takes time to hit the nail but that time doesn’t seem like idling away, it adds value to the story. Among the two stories in this book, the first one left me wanting for more. I was a little disheartened that it was so short with abrupt ending. The second one is too dramatic to the extent of being unbelievable at some places. The unnecessary stretch put me off towards the end and I was just looking forward to quickly wrap up the book. However, the time seemed wasted in the second story, with incidents of no value taking place and unnecessary emotional drama.
Before I wind up let me ask you a question, who do you, think is Lord Krishna’s real mother, is it Devaki or is it Yashodha? It’s difficult to answer, isn’t it? Because apparently Devaki gave birth to Krishna, but Yashodha mothered him. This book is in no way related to Krishna, but its message is definitely clear “Giving birth is simply a biological event but parents must move mountains to raise a child to be a good human being.”
Overall, this book is recommended to Sudha Murthy fans, to readers looking for quick reads or novellas and those who are looking for books which talks about mothers! Though I won’t categorise this as a ‘must read’ book, but for a light hearted read and beginner friendly language you can pick it up.