Sudha Murthy pens new book as Diwali gift for kids; 'Unique stories, far from exhaustive'

One of India's favourite authors Sudha Murthy has a Diwali gift for children - her latest book "The Sage with Two Horns" in which she tells numerous lesser-known and fascinating stories that have been lost in the pages of Indian mythology.

This is the fifth and last book of her 'Unusual Tales from mythology' series featuring kings and queens, gods and goddesses, sages and extraordinary men and women of wisdom. It is the follow up to "The Man from the Egg", "Serpent's Revenge", "The Upside-Down King" and "The Daughter from the Wishing Tree".

Over the five volumes, Murthy has gone through different versions of the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita in different states and languages.

"They may seem to differ in many ways, but the thread remains the same in all versions. Some supporting characters mentioned in mythology have their own stories to tell with their own perspectives of life," she says.

Each book is independent of the other but even together, they are far from being exhaustive, she writes.

Published by Puffin, the book has illustrations by Priyankar Gupta.

"The Sage with Two Horns" has stories ranging from quarrels among gods and the follies of great sages to the benevolence of kings and the virtues of ordinary mortals.

Murthy says there is a powerful force in the universe that can be called by any name.

"This force is an eternal witness of our deeds, both good and bad, and is always there to guide us if we pay attention to it and listen to it carefully," she says.

Murthy has written novels, technical books, travelogues, collections of short stories and non-fiction pieces, and bestselling books for children.

According to Sohini Mitra, associate publisher at Penguin Random House India, there could be no better way to celebrate and soak in the festive spirit than experiencing the joy of a well-told story by the ever-favourite Sudha Murthy.

Image: Instagram/@SudhaMurthy