‘Maybe When I Retire’: Sudha Murty On Writing About Her Rajya Sabha Experience

Noted author and philanthropist Sudha Murty hinted at the possibility of writing about her experiences in the Rajya Sabha after completing her term during a candid and lively exchange at the launch of her 300th title, Grandpa’s Bag of Stories.

The event, held in Bengaluru, witnessed a heartwarming conversation between Murty and business tycoon Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, who playfully prodded Murty to consider penning stories about her political journey.

Shaw, who has known Murty for years, praised her multifaceted personality and boundless energy before posing a “naughty question.” She said, “You’ve written about your experiences. I do not think you write about topical kind of subjects, but you write about your experiences. So, this is a very naughty question, but you are now in politics. We are waiting for your tales of Rajya Sabha…”

Murty, who was recently nominated as a Rajya Sabha member by President Droupadi Murmu, took her oath on 14 March in the presence of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Union Minister Piyush Goyal. Her husband, Infosys co-founder N. R. Narayana Murthy, was also by her side during the ceremony.

Responding to Shaw’s question with her characteristic humility and wit, Murty hinted that she might indeed consider writing about her parliamentary experiences—but only after her term ends. 

“Maybe when I retire, I think I’ll write. Not at the beginning of my career. When I retire, I think I will write,” she said. 

Murty, then, reminisced about a book she had read in the early 1980s, which chronicled life in the Rajya Sabha during the 1950s and 1960s. She reflected on how much has changed in Indian politics and the Rajya Sabha since then, possibly suggesting that there could be a rich tapestry of experiences to share.

“So much change in parliament, so much change in Rajya Sabha.. it looks entirely different,” she added with a knowing smile, leaving the audience intrigued about what her future writings might reveal.

Murty’s writings include 300 titles including 35 books in English, 34 in Hindi, 33 in Telugu, 30 in Marathi, 27 in Kannada, 26 in Malayalam, 24 in Tamil, 9 in Oriya, 7 in Konkani, 4 in Tibetan, 3 in Assamese, Sanskrit and Punjabi, 2 in Sindhi and Bengali, 1 in Urdu, Dogri, Kashmiri and Italian spanning over 6 genres.