1. Wise and Otherwise :
Story 4:
Death without Grief
Gokhale Education Society’s
S.M.R.K. B.K. A.K. Mahila Mahavidyalaya, Nasik-5.
Ms. Geetanjali Gitay
Assistant Professor
Dept. of English
CC English (LL)
S.Y.B.Com. Sem III
Unit 4
3. • Sudha Murthy : the Writer
• Neighbour
•Neighbour’s wife
Summary
• Sudha Murthy begins by stating that life has become so busy in city like Banglore that we
hardly get to know our neighbours. We are so busy that often we do not have the time to think.
• Once, she comes to know that someone in her neighbour’s family had died. She didn’t know
those neighbours well but Sudha Murthy’s mother wanted her to visit them to offer
condolences as per the custom in the society.
• She agreed, but did not find the time to pay a call for several days as she was busy. Finally, after
ten days had passed, Sudha Murthy decides to visit the neighbours on a Sunday.
• She only knows the man of the family, albeit very casually.
Characters
4. • As she walked through the gate, she could hear the loud beat of a popular Kannada film song.
There are children playing hide and seek and some men and women who seemed to have come
from the village were sitting in the garden and chatting in a carefree way.
• For a moment, she thinks she had come to a wrong house. The music and cheerful atmosphere
was so unexpected. But just then the head of the family comes out and sees her.
• As she goes in, she notices that the living room was quite large. A popular Hindi film was
playing on the VCR. The room was packed with so many youngsters that they filled a big mat,
three sofas and even the entire carpet.
• A servant arrived and offered her tea and snacks. She is in a dilemma, but she finds her way out.
• She felt as if there was some kind of get-together was going on in the family. Then the lady of the
house appeared and they started chatting about Sudha Murthy and her husband’s work. The lady
even discusses Sudha Murthy’s sarees.
• Then they talked about Murthy’s company. And then about admission in Murthy’s college.
Summary (cntd)
5. • The conversation went on. Sudha Murthy could not recall whether it was the man’s or the
lady’s mother who had passed away.
• Finally, before she left the house, at the gate, Sudha Murthy gets an opportunity to speak.
She says that she had heard that the man’s mother was not well. Before the man could speak,
his wife says that she was not well for a long time and they had lot of problems because she
was old fashioned and would not adjust. She continued to complain bitterly about her mother-
in- law. The husband could not say anything.
• “ She suffered a lot.” he says. But his wife continues her complaint. She finally says that it was
good riddance. “ Death solved the problems for all of us. My mother was relieved from all her
suffering. The man said.
• This cold and unaffected behaviour of her neighbours leaves Sudha Murthy sad and disturbed.
She asks herself whether we have become so busy that we don’t bother about the people in
our life?
Summary (cntd)
6. Text Content Source :
1 .Wise and Otherwise, Murthy Sudha, Penguine India, New Delhi, Reprint(2006).
