SUDHA MURTY

The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk

The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk is the book consisting of short, real-life stories and personal experiences from Sudha Murty's life.

Sudha Murty was born in 1950 in Shiggaon in north Karnataka. She did her MTech in computer science, and is now the chairperson of the Infosys Foundation. She has written novels, technical books, travelogues, collections of short stories and non-fiction pieces and four books for children. Her books have been translated into all major Indian languages and have sold over four lakh copies around the country. She was the recipient of the R.K. Narayan Award for Literature and the Padma Shri in 2006 and the Attimabbe Award from the government of Karnataka for excellence in Kannada literature in 2011. Sudha Murty is a distinguished Indian philanthropist, educator, and author who currently serves as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha, a position she was nominated to in 2024. As the founder-chairperson of the Infosys Foundation, she transitioned from a groundbreaking career as the first female engineer at TELCO to a life dedicated to social work and rural development. Her immense contributions have been recognized with India's highest civilian honors, including the Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri. A prolific writer in both Kannada and English, Murty is celebrated for literary works such as Dollar Bahu and How I Taught My Grandmother to Read. Beyond her own accolades, she is a central figure in a prominent global family, being married to Infosys co-founder N. R. Narayana Murthy and the mother of Akshata Murty, through whom she is the mother-in-law of former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Her legacy is further cemented by her academic and cultural patronage, most notably through the Murty Classical Library of India.

While traveling on a train, Sudha Murty found a young girl named Chitra hiding under her seat. Chitra did not have a ticket and was too scared to speak to the ticket collector. Sudha Murty decided to help and paid for the girl’s ticket all the way to Bangalore.

When they arrived, Sudha Murty gave Chitra a place to stay and paid for her education. Many years later, Chitra became a successful professional living in the United States. When Sudha Murty visited San Francisco, Chitra showed her gratitude by secretly paying for Sudha’s entire hotel bill to say "thank you" for changing her life.

The story behind the title happens when Sudha Murty visited a remote village in Odisha to build a school. Because of heavy rain, she and her translator had to take shelter in a poor family’s small hut. To be good hosts, the family offered her something to drink.

Sudha Murty did not want tea or coffee, so she eventually agreed to have a glass of milk. However, she later overheard the parents talking in their local language. She realized that the milk they gave her was the only milk they had for their crying baby. The parents were so dedicated to their guest that they were willing to let their own child go hungry. There are also other stories in her book about people who show great kindness to those in need. The story of Vinayak tells of his deep respect for his favorite tenant, Tunga Bai. When Vinayak and his friends organized a Ganapati festival, a foreigner named Jim visited and gave a generous donation. After the festival, Vinayak and his group formed the 'Mukti Sena,' a volunteer organization that uses its funds to help poor families pay for the cremation of their loved ones.

There is a story about people having different personalities, such as a man named Venkat. He was extremely talkative and would never let anyone else speak. Because he dominated every conversation, people often tried to escape from him. He was so busy talking that he never truly listened to others, which made it difficult for him to form deep bonds or real friendships.

Suda Murty once visited a printing press during Diwali to donate books. While she was there, she also gave saris to all the working at the factory as a gift. The manager asked if he should deduct the cost of the saris from the workers' salaries. Sudha Murty was shocked by this and told him that the saris were a gift of respect. She believed that everyone, especially those working hard for the company, deserves to be treated with dignity and kindness.

Sudha Murty once helped the son of a poor postman with his education because he could not afford the fees. Recognizing that he was a very talented student who had earned high marks, she provided financial assistance through the Infosys Foundation. Many years later, while visiting a friend’s home, she encountered the young man, Satish, again. To her surprise, Satish did not acknowledge her or show any sign of recognition. This experience led Sudha Murty to realize that one should help others without expecting gratitude in return. For her, it was a lesson that is about the act of giving, not the reward of being thanked.

One of the most compelling aspects of the day i stopped drinking milk is unfiltered simplicity, which makes it the perfect entry point for anyone starting their reading journey. Sudha Murty writes in a way that feels less like a formal book and more like a warm conversation with a mentor.Sudha Murty uses her real life encounters to show us that while the world can be ungrateful or complicated, the choice to be kind and observant is always worth it.Mainly takeaways are social skills that are helpful for everyone to live in the society.

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