Day I Stopped Drinking Milk, The (English, Paperback, Sudha Murty)

Published in the year 2012, The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk: Life Stories From Here And There is a series of short stories that are based on Murthy’s experiences as she visits villages and meets new people. 

Summary Of The Book

The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk: Life Stories From Here And There is a book that comprises 23 short stories that are based on the personal events in the life of Murthy.

One of the stories is about Chitra, whose story is highly inspiring. This book explains how Chitra’s life was completely transformed after meeting Murthy during a train journey from Mumbai to Bangalore. Chitra had gotten onto the train without a ticket, but the author took her in and provided her with shelter. Chitra studies and later moves abroad and is very appreciative of Murthy’s gesture. In another story, the readers are introduced to Vishnu, who is a highly successful man, yet he doesn’t know what it feels like to be happy.

In another story, entitled Ganga’s Ghat, the readers are introduced to an old lady, who desires to achieve something in life. She experiences contentment as a result of seeing to the needs of her fellow villagers by setting up a bathing facility. The story Changing India revolves around the author’s experiences in America, hearing two different opinions about the country. One of the stories in this book revolves around Venkat, who doesn’t heed to other people’s advice, but only speaks.

In the cover story of this book, The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk: Life Stories From Here And There, the readers are introduced to a family residing in Odisha, with whom the author had once stayed during her visit to the village. As the author is a guest to the family, they desired to give her some food or drink. The author asks for a glass of milk, at which they were completely flustered and unable to meet her request. This book also contains a heartwarming story of the life of a Muslim named Rahman, who was brought up by his Hindu neighbour.
The stories in The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk: Life Stories From Here And There are simple and move the heart of the reader, helping them to realize how blessed they are.

About Sudha Murthy

Sudha Murthy is a renowned author and social worker from India. Apart from this book, Murthy has published a few other novels which include The Bird With Golden Wings: Stories Of Wit And Magic, Wise And Otherwise: A Salute To Life, and Grandma’s Bag Of Stories.

Murthy was born on the 19th of August, 1950, in Shiggaon, Karnataka. She completed her BE degree from B.V.B College of Engineering and Technology in Electrical Engineering, followed by an ME degree from the Indian Institute of Science in Computer Science. After finishing her degrees, she was the first female engineer to be hired by the TATA Engineering And Locomotive Company. Murthy currently serves as the Chairperson of Infosys Foundation, and is also a part of the Gates Foundation, where her efforts are directed towards public health care initiatives. She currently resides in Bangalore, Karnataka, along with her spouse, N. R. Narayana Murthy.