Gently Falls The Bakula by Sudha Murty

Gently Falls The Bakula Reviews

• 
  Shipra

  A typical Sudha Murthy book:
  - Simple story
  - Not too long
  - Strong Characters
  
  You pick any Sudha Murty book and you are glued to it till the end despite the simplicity (and repetitiveness of plots). They are not a great literary treat but her story telling is simply riveting. It makes you visualise the scenes as if being enacted, the surroundings and everything. Her books are set ack in time but the issues are still relevant and you can very well relate to them.
  
  Good and easy read. The kinds with which you can curl up in bed and read till you sleep :-)
• 
  Versha

  “Gently falls the Bakula” is a beautiful story of two different individuals- Srikant and Shrimati Deshpande, where both approach life very differently from each other. Srikant is a very ambitious guy from the very beginning who falls in love with the very intelligent yet simple girl Shrimati for whom nothing is more important than Srikant’s companionship and his happiness. This simple story turns into a complex one, when Srikant starts loving his career more than Shrimati and when she starts realizing that her life is going nowhere apart from revolving around her husband and his needs. Though here we sympathize with Shrimati a lot than Srikant, I felt somewhere she is also responsible for his change in behaviour. I felt She was too submissive than needed. Submissive to some extent is fine in any relationship but if it goes beyond necessary then obviously that person is taken for granted and that’s what happened here too. The open ending is quite appropriate here, but still, I would like to assume that at one point in time they again met and lived with each other happily!!
  
  Though the language is very simple which Sudha Murthy has used, yet I think that brings a lot more beauty to this story. The connection with the story for me started instantly from the very first page as the background and religious practices which Sudha Murthy has explained here, I know it and have seen very closely too. Somehow I feel if I would have read this in Kannada (the original language in which this was written), I would have definitely enjoyed it even more!
  
  
  https://varshasbookshelf.blogspot.com/
• 
  Padmashree

  ಸುಧಾಮೂರ್ತಿಯವರ ಬರಹವೆಂದರೇ ನನಗ��ಂಥರ ಆಕರ್ಷಣೆ. ನಾನು ಓದಿದ ಮೊದಲ ಮೂರು ಕಾದಂಬರಿಗಳು ಡಾಲರ್ ಸೊಸೆ, ತುಮುಲ ಮತ್ತು ಮಹಾಶ್ವೇತೆ ಅವರದ್ದೇ. ಇಂದು ಬಹಳ ಸಮಯದ ಬಳಿಕ ಅವರ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯನ್ನು ಓದಿ ಬಹಳ ಸಂತೋಷವಾಯಿತು.
  
  ಶ್ರೀಕಾಂತ್ ಮತ್ತು ಶ್ರೀಮತಿ.. ಎರಡು ಬೇರೆ ಬೇರೆ ರೀತಿಯ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಗಳು. ಅಕ್ಕಪಕ್ಕದ ಮನೆಯವರಾಗಿದ್ದರೂ, ಒಂದೇ ತರಗತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಓದುತ್ತಿದ್ದರೂ ತಮ್ಮ ತಮ್ಮ ಮನೆಯವರ ನಡುವೆಯಿರುವ ಮನಸ್ತಾಪಗಳ ಕಾರಣದಿಂದ ಒಮ್ಮೆಯೂ ಒಬ್ಬರಿಗೊಬ್ಬರು ಮಾತನಾಡಿಕೊಂಡವರಲ್ಲ.
  
  ಶ್ರೀಕಾಂತ್ ಒಬ್ಬ ಮಹಾತ್ವಾಕಾಂಕ್ಷಿ ಯುವಕ. ತನ್ನ ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ ಬಹಳ ದೊಡ್ಡ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಆಸೆಗಳನ್ನಿಟ್ಟುಕೊಂಡು ಅದನ್ನು ಪೂರೈಸಲು ಅವಿರತ ಶ್ರಮಿಸುವ ಬುದ್ಧಿವಂತ ಹುಡುಗ. ಇವನದ್ದು ವಿಜ್ಞಾನ ವಿಭಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಸಕ್ತಿ. ಶ್ರೀಮತಿ ಇತಿಹಾಸದಲ್ಲಿ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಆಸಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿರುವ, ಸಣ್ಣ ಸಣ್ಣ ವಿಷಯಗಳಿಗೆ ಖುಷಿಪಡುವ ನಿರಹಂಕಾರ, ಸರಳ ಮತ್ತು ಬುದ್ಧಿವಂತ ಹುಡುಗಿ. ಹತ್ತನೇ ತರಗತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ರಾಜ್ಯಕ್ಕೇ ಪ್ರಥಮ ಸ್ಥಾನ ಬಂದರೂ ಪಿಯುಸಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಆರ್ಟ್ಸ್ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡಂತವಳು.
  
  ಸಮಯ ಸರಿದಂತೆ ಈ ಇಬ್ಬರು ಭಿನ್ನ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಗೆಳೆತನವಾಗಿ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯಾಗುತ್ತದೆ. ಮನೆಯವರ ವಿರೋಧದ ನಡುವೆಯೂ ಇಬ್ಬರೂ ಮದುವೆಯಾಗಿ ಜೀವನ ಪ್ರಾರಂಭಿಸುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಶ್ರೀಮತಿ ತನ್ನ ಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚಾಗಿ ಪ್ರೀತಿಸಿದ್ದು ಎರಡನ್ನೇ. ಒಂದು ಇತಿಹಾಸ ಇನ್ನೊಂದು ಶ್ರೀಕಾಂತ್. ಆದರೆ ಮದುವೆಯಾದ ನಂತರ ಶ್ರೀಕಾಂತ್ ಮೇಲಿನ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯಿಂದಾಗಿ ತನ್ನ ನೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಇತಿಹಾಸವನ್ನು MA ಯಲ್ಲಿ ಎರಡೆರಡು ಗೋಲ್ಡ್ ಮೆಡಲ್ ಪಡೆದರೂ ಕೂಡ ಅವುಗಳನ್ನೆಲ್ಲ ತೊರೆದು ತನ್ನ ಗಂಡನನ್ನು ಆರಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಾಳೆ. ಶ್ರೀಕಾಂತ್ ತನ್ನ ಬುದ್ಧಿವಂತಿಕೆ ಮತ್ತು ಶ್ರಮದಿಂದಾಗಿ ತನ್ನ ವೃತ್ತಿಜೀವನದಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದೊಂದೇ ಯಶಸ್ಸಿನ ಮೆಟ್ಟಿಲುಗಳನ್ನು ಹತ್ತುತ್ತಾ ಇದಕ್ಕೆಲ್ಲ ಮುಖ್ಯ ಕಾರಣವಾದ ತನ್ನ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ ಹೆಂಡತಿಯನ್ನೇ ಮರೆತುಬಿಡುತ್ತಾನೆ.
  
  ಆಕೆ ಅವನಿಂದ ಎಂದೂ ಹಣ, ಅಧಿಕಾರ, ಶ್ರೀಮತಿಕೆಯನ್ನು ಬಯಸಿದವಳಲ್ಲ. ಆಕೆಗೆ ಆತನಿಂದ ಬೇಕಾಗಿದ್ದು ಕೇವಲ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯಷ್ಟೇ. ತನ್ನ ಅತ್ತೆ ಮತ್ತು ಅತ್ತಿಗೆಯಿಂದ ಸದಾಕಾಲ ಕೇವಲ ಕೊಂಕು ಮಾತುಗಳನ್ನೇ ಕೇಳುತ್ತಾ ಬಂದವಳಿಗೆ ಗಂಡನ ಸಾಂತ್ವನ ಮತ್ತು ಆಕೆಗೋಸ್ಕರ ಅವನ ತುಸು ಸಮಯ ಬೇಕಾಗಿತ್ತಷ್ಟೇ. ಆದರೆ ಇದರ ಅರಿವೇ ಇಲ್ಲದೇ ತಾನು ದುಡಿದ ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ ಮೊತ್ತವನ್ನು ತಂದು ತನ್ನ ಹೆಂಡತಿಯ ಕೈಗೆ ಕೊಟ್ಟು ಆಕೆಯನ್ನು ತಾನು ಸುಖವಾಗಿ ನೋಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತಿದ್ದೇನೆಂಬ ಭ್ರಮೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಗುವ ಶ್ರೀಕಾಂತ್ ಕೊನೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇದಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ತೆರಬೇಕಾಗುವ ಬೆಲೆಯಾದರೂ ಏನು?
  
  ನವಿರಾದ ಪ್ರೀತಿಯ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಹಲವಾರು ಇತಿಹಾಸಕ್ಕೆ ಸಂಬಂಧಿಸಿದ ಮಾಹಿತಿಗಳನ್ನು ತಿಳಿಸುತ್ತಾ ಹೋಗುವ ಕಥೆ ಓದಲು ಮುದ ಕೊಡುತ್ತದೆ. ಕಥೆ ಮುಗಿದಾಗ ಶ್ರೀಮತಿ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಾಳಕ್ಕೆ ಇಳಿದು ಹೋಗುತ್ತಾಳೆ. ಒಮ್ಮೆ ಎಲ್ಲರೂ ಓದಬೇಕಾದ ಕಥೆ.
• 
  Radhika

  A story told in a simple style. It questions the choices women make and are they happy with those choices. Are they happy with the sacrifices they make for their partner to succeed and I feel this happens in every culture. For any one person to be insanely successful somebody close to that person pays the price
  
  Shrimati and Shrikant two intelligent competitive classmates. They hail from a small town in Karnataka,are neighbours and their families are involved in an ancient feud. Shrimati is very intelligent and could ace anything she put her mind to,but she loved history and studied for the love of the subject. Shrikant wanted to be an acheiver. Both follow their dreams and fall in love and get married. But with success comes a high price. The couple slowly start drifting apart. Shrikant meteoric rise to the top makes him ambivalent towards his wife. He wants to acheive more and more and treats Shrimati like his secretary who is there to do everything to run his life smoothly. Being childless too makes Shrimati lonelier, adoption is not an option as Shrikant does not support the notion
  
  Shrimati who put her career on hold and even gave up her chance to a full scholarship for a Phd program in the US now is second guessing her choices....
• 
  BookStarred

  The book has a very common blurb and was written long ago but it is still important because it's simple and gives a clear message without confusing the readers as much. The story sticks and follows just as shown in the back cover of the book. It's really good for beginner readers and it's a light & small read. It also can be used to improve English or vocabulary enhancement. Also good for one or two sitting read. I personally completed it in just 2 sittings.
• 
  Sathish

  This was one of the best books I have read, the characters are very realistic, problems which we could easily relate too and more so, the accurate happenings within an Indian family.
  
  The character Shrimati was so very impressive and highlights the sad fact in our society that " WOMAN DON'T HAVE THE SAME FREEDOM MEN HAVE "..
  
  The author has dedicated this book " To all those women who allowed family commitments and responsibilities to overpower their own aspirations "
  
  Well, this book surely does justice to the author's dedication..
• 
  Umang

  this was the first of Sudha Murty's that i read. my friend gifted it to me. I loved the story and how beautifully she dealt with it. After reading the other few i feel that her women should become more stronger.good read. the soft love story.
• 
  Kushagra Singh

  This is a beautifully narrated story which many might relate to. There's a lot to take from this book if you read it intently and shall give you a lot to mull over. Recommended.
• 
  beautywithbooks

  As usual this is sort simple story. This is story to two different individuals Shrikant and Shrimati Deshpande. They both have very different approach towards life. Shrikant is a very ambitious young lad where as Shrimati is an intelligent yet simple girl. They both get married and start their live together in a new city. Shrikant joins an IT firm and soon reaches the pinnacle of his industry. He puts all his passion and love for his job. On the other hand, Shrimati abandons all her dreams and ambitions to help Shrikant make his dreams come true. She becomes a fulltime homemaker and helps Shrikant by becoming a leader’s wife.
  This story points towards the typical Indian society where the girl abandons all her academic aspirations after marriage to accompany her husband. But here there was no pressure on Shrimati to leave her dreams. But she herself was too submissive to give up her aspirations to look after Shrikant. In the beginning of their lives together even Shrikant insists her to join in a college and continue her studies and research. But she denied and kept postponing her plans. But her submissiveness made Shrikant to take her for granted. Shrikant was so hungry for success in his career, that he put all his soul to his industry. He started growing in his professional life and achieved success in all steps. And Shrimati became just a tool to help him in his basic needs. The quote from the book aptly describes the nature of Shrikant:
  

  Initially men work for money but soon, money becomes unimportant. It is power. There is nothing like power. Power is like liquor. Once the intoxication of power catches hold of an ambitious person, there is no escape from it. It is a vicious circle. Like in a whirlpool, it is difficult to come out of it. More work, more involvement and more power. The individual loses the ability to see and enjoy anything outside his work. He is immersed in work throughout the day. Work is his breath. What happens when such people grow old? All the pages in their book of life will be empty, except the page of achievement. Shrikant’s book will contain different computer languages, different specifications and products, but nothing about his wife, family or friends.

  
  Shrimati stays in touch with Professor Collins, who time and again stated to Shrimati that he can arrange a scholarship for her and she can continue her studies. Shrimati realizes very late that, Shrikant loves his career more than her. Shrimati just becomes a personal secretary to entertain Shrikant’s business partners in his life. She realizes that there is no more love, affection and meaning to their relations. And she cannot blame anyone else for this. She is the one responsible for her situation now. She gave all power and authority to Shrikant to behave with her like this, to take her for granted by giving up her everything for him and his success in his career. Now when she looks back, she has nothing. Her life is empty.
  This when she decides that she has to become a student once more to give a meaning to her life, to do something to makes her happy.
  This is a simple story questioning the choice that a woman make and are they happy with their choice. Are they happy with the sacrifices they do for the success of their partner?
  
• 
  Shilpi Jain

  Gently Falls The Bakula- a story about a lower-middle class girl and a boy from a sleepy southern town of Hubli who fall in love and how the man's career takes precedence over everything else. The story is simple, a tad too simple yet it's touches a chord. Way too familiar now, you find such stories everywhere around you, the ambitions- sacrificed in the name of family, the discontent at not being able spend more time together but I must congratulate Sudha Murthy for writing this some thirty years back, much before liberalization and all! The downside, the narrative is very weak, the storytelling almost like that of school kid which frustrates you in the beginning but if you have the patience, you won't be disappointed, not totally at least. An emotional family drama- stay away if you are allergic them :)
• 
  Samaira Sharma

  This book actually has a lot of twists and turns, which makes the book more exciting to read. This gives so many learnings about following your heart and being practical always doesn't always do you good. this book has a really strong and impactful reading which was totally not expected. this book is totally recommended as it first starts from school competition to teen lovers and entering real life. people say usually the teens are the ones who always figure themselves out but this book totally changed my opinion. Srimati, a 35-year-old woman figured herself out and followed her heart, and finally got her happiness.
• 
  Fahima M (Hitch Theory)

  For more book reviews, visit
  I Read, Ergo I Write
  
  A quick word on the author...
  
  First of all, I never knew that Sudha Murty even wrote. That makes me feel very uneducated since both she and her husband N. R. Narayana Murty are pretty well known out here. The husband-wife duo are very down to earth, and involved in philanthropy, besides managing one of the largest IT companies in India. My aunt knows of her from when she lived in Dubai, and I often hear the story of how they maintained their own bathrooms when I crib about doing my chores. Sudha Murty is the recipient of the Padma Shri award, the forth highest-ranking civilian award from the Government of India and a recipient of the N K Narayana
  
  Gently Falls The Bakula was originally written in another language and translated into English.
  
  Have you ever read a book in which the writing was great, but you didn't like the characters? Gently Falls The Bakula was one such book for me. The style of writing was simple and neat, a perfect portrayal of Indian speech. But the characters... meh. But maybe, it is a sign of the author's excellence that I feel so strongly about the characters?
  
  Shrikant and Shrimati are both star pupils of their school and next door neighbors whose properties are divided by a Bakula tree. Their families are locked in a feud for the past few generations.
  
  Shrikant and Shrimati offer each other stiff competition in school. One day on a train journey after they have passed out from school, they slowly start to get acquainted with each other. They fall in love, and the relationship stands the test of time and distance. They eventually get married and move to Bombay.
  
  It is in the city that the marriage starts going downhill. Shrimati plays the 'perfect wife' in lieu of pursuing her passion and Shrikant rapidly and steadily climbs the corporate ladder, without realising that his family life is taking a hit. Will the couple find a way to mend their relationship or will they go on as they are, with Shrikant using his wife like a secretary and Shrimati finding herself unsatisfied and unstimulated in her role as the 'corporate leader's wife'? Or will they go their own ways?
  
  I could completely relate to the book, being an Indian myself. The ideologies, the family rivalry, the typical mother-in-law and sister-in-law vs daughter-in-law enmity, the misconceptions about educational qualifications, and the practices surrounding marriage and match making are all very familiar. Though Indian society is changing, antiquated thoughts still exist in the older generation.
  
  I'm not very fond of the characters. Shrikant I had a very low opinion of right from the start, while Shrimati I grew increasingly frustrated with as the story progressed.
  
  Shrikant is a self serving, wife-ignoring, my-job-is-my-life attitude holding male chauvinist. Think that's harsh? Well, the guy is an idiot. Right from the start, even at school, he does not consider Shrimati a worthy opponent & is shocked when she one-ups him at the board exams (I laughed gleefully :D Go Girls!). He allows himself to start a relationship with her only after he concludes that they are no longer rivals since they are in different fields. I often wondered if one reason he 'fell' for her was so that he could show himself that no matter how many times she beat him in school, ultimately she is completely dependent on him, and a simple housewife while he has advanced to the one of the highest steps on the ladder. But I have to admit that he did encourage Shrimati to pursue her Masters.
  
  Shrimati is a sensitive, intelligent, quiet girl with a passion for History. At the end of the book, the couple is well advanced in their years, but Shrimati remained a girl in my mind. Shrimati loves her 'Shri' with all her heart. She wears Bakula flowers in her hair and sends him a few in their periodic letters. Shrimati has very simple wants. She just wants to have the love and attention of her husband, be accepted by her in-laws, and have a symbol of their love in a child. Unfortunately, the couple is unable to have a child due to a rare disorder. This loss greatly affects Shrimati. You would think that she would divert her attention to other things right? But no. It made me so mad when Shrimati just watched life pass her by when she had so much untapped potential. And all that she took from Shrikant before putting her foot down... Unbelievable. No woman is sopatient and doormat-esque. Then again, this is India we're talking about, and this book was written 30 years ago, so its understandable. But India's changing, Alhamdulillah :)
  
  Symbolism plays a huge role in the story. Shrikant first notices Shrimati because of the Bakula flowers she puts on her hair. It is in the shade of the Bakula tree that the youngsters fall in love. The unassuming Bakula flower has an extraordinary property; it has a sweet fragrance, but when the flower dries, it has an even sweeter smell. I dont know if this is what the author meant, but his is my understanding of the Bakula's relevance to the chracters. Shrimati, like the Bakula is unassuming and quiet in her ways, though she is intelligent and passionate about several things. And like the Bakula, it is in her later years, after she 'falls' and had 'dried' that her 'fragrance' becomes sweeter and she comes alive again. And, the historic story of sage Bhamati that Shrimati narrates to Shrikant proves to be almost prophetic.
  
  Overall, I liked the book, though I was peeved by the characters. Recommended if you want a glimpse of yesteryear Indian society and some interesting Indian History lessons.
  
  
  
  
• 
  Akanksha Saxena

  Gently Falls The Bakula is one the best works of Sudha Murthy. Beautiful narration, simple story and a strong lesson- all are her forte. This story will surely make you think about your priorities in life. I loved how Shrimati’s character developed as the story progressed. Although written decades ago, it’s still a very relevant story.
• 
  jaadhimalli

  I have always seen Sudha Murty as Mrs.Narayanamoorthy. This books changes my perception about her. Now I see her as a writer, an individual. And a good one at that.
  
  There is no hi-fi language in this book. Its a book that shows the nature of people, portrays a true picture of the relationships in Indian families in a very simple and elegant writing. A beautiful love story that has NO happy ending.
  
  The way Shrikant runs after his work leaving everything behind reminds me again of the 'Life is a game of juggling five balls' story from Suzzannes diary for Nicholas book.
• 
  Alfiya

  It is a wonderful book! I never enjoyed reading as much I liked this book in particular. It is a story of a couple who marry because they love each other. the best thing that is depicted in this book is that it depends on a person to choose his career or family.It is about the adjustments both try to do but realize of the false relationship the were trying to leave and then finally......You better read it. This emotionally bonds you to both the characters. :)
• 
  Niranjan Kamath

  In this book the author has shed light on lifestyle and culture in our society. She has beautifully narrated how ones life is interpreted by others.
  Nothing is free in life, we have to pay for it. To achieve something, we have to sacrifice something. Sometimes, it's too late when we realise it's value.
  A person can live only by his own faith. He needs to travel on his own path, to fulfill his aspirations.
  A very good book to introspect our lives.
• 
  Stuthi Baskar

  I enjoyed sudha murty's simple writing and the conflict was usual; daughter in law trying to fit in but I like that she gave us a reasonable ending
• 
  Harsh Thakkar

  This is my first book by Sudha Murthy. I thoroughly enjoyed it but the story wasn't something that I couldn't guess. I have read That Long Silence by Shashi Deshpande and couldn't help but compare the similarities of the two. It is a beautiful read and an interesting addition to my readings about feminism.
• 
  Sneha

  The story mainly focuses on the two lead characters Shrimathi and Shrikant. Both are smart and intelligent students in the class n competitive with each other. But Shrimathi doesn't much care about ranks or marks, she only focuses on knowledge. As they grow gradually their friendship blossoms into love and after finishing studies they both get married.
  
  Shrimathi abandons her dreams and n studies for shrikanth and fulfils the duties as his wife. Time passes shrikanth enormously grows in each year from employee to head of the company. As a result, Shrikant enjoying luxuries and money coming in the way. But other side shrimathi feels alone and misses her studies. She makes a drastic decision to restart her life n career.
  
  Sudha Murthy used very simple language making it easier for everyone to read. The writing style is crisp and engaging. The best thing about the story is its characters. The author describes them with detailed manner. We find similar characters or story everywhere in society. How always women contribution n sacrifices done for their families are getting ignored and they don't even get any recognition. Sudha Murthy brilliantly captures the emotional trauma of shrimathi going through being ignored by her husband. While fulfilling or competing in the race we often forget to live our lives. But not everyone can do what shrimathi did. I absolutely loved the plot.
  
  If u haven't read any Sudha Murthy books start with this. Recommended. Trust me you will fall in love with her writing.
• 
  Ayati Choudhary

  Is career more important, or marriage? For many years women are sacrificing everything for their husbands. The career of men are given more importance than the career of women. A woman is, by default, thought of as a housewife, caregiver and uncomplaining shadow of her husband. Her desires, dreams, ambitions and freedom are not given utmost importance, as compared to men's. Isn't this the harsh truth? Women are told to leave their career midway because there's no demand for ambitious women in the marriage market.
  
  This novel was first written in Kannada and it was the very first novel of Sudha Murthy in the Kannada language.
  
  Gently Falls The Bakula is the story of Shrikant and Shrimati. The story begins from the time when Shrikant and Shrimati were in 10th standard. Both were brilliant students, no doubt and were each other's rivals in the class. As the years pass, a simple friendship between them develops into love. For generations, their families are each other's sworn enemies and Shrikant and Shrimati were able to get married only after endlessly persuading their family members. Even after marriage, Shrimati's in-laws are harsh towards her and are hell-bent on not accepting her as a part of the family. Shrimati is always the centre of the taunts of her mother-in-law and sister-in-law. As a young married couple, Shrikant and Shrimati move to Bombay and there, Shrikant starts climbing the corporate ladder, whereas Shrimati, very passionate about history, leaves her career to be the uncomplaining shadow of her husband. But as the years pass, Shrikant gains power and money, while Shrimati, being the uncomplaining shadow of her husband, starts feeling lonely among this corporate lifestyle.
  
  I really liked the character of Shrimati, her resilience and strength. I particularly loved the decision she makes in the end. The writing style, as usual, is simple, but nonetheless brilliant. The story is set in the North Karnataka of 1980s. The society is extremely patriarchal and highly discriminative between different castes and sects. The Indian match-making is portrayed in its true sense, with all the buzz about horoscope, caste, sect, wealth and how Indian women are believed to be – submissive, docile and selfless. Shrikant is the typical Indian man, who will never appreciate his wife but will talk endlessly about his mother's sacrifices. There are endless talks about history, our protagonist being a history buff.
  
  Recommended to Sudha Murthy fans, those looking for short reads and those looking for books with strong female protagonist.
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  Shonali

  When I had picked up the book from the book store I had no idea of reading it so soon but just reading the first page drew me in to the story . I loved it from Line one. Summary on the book cover gives you a fair idea of what the story is but only by reading it do you understand the emotions filled in to the story . When I read about Shrimati , the protagonist ,I remembered so many women I knew who had done the same for their spouses.The commitment ,the sacrifices that go unsung and un noticed by the family and their husbands is not new but its very rarely talked about and much more rarely written about in such a beautiful manner. Women according to Indian traditions and so to say many other world cultures are supposed to stay at home ,cook and take care of the family willingly or unwillingly. This has come down from ages and not many households have changed their view on women’s rights or their independence financially or career wise.You might say that modern culture is different but look closely , Is it really that different? Even career women are expected to do what she would have done if she had stayed at home. Working doesn’t exempt her from being subjected to taunts from in laws or sometimes husband. Not generalising it but 70% of women go thru it.
  
  Characters are really well written, and plot holds the imagination of the reader up to the last page. The idyllic life of Hubli-Dharwad, the harshness and hustle bustle of Mumbai are pictured in a way only Sudha Murthy could have done.The book neither justifies nor glorifies anybody ,but it tells a good deal about our choices ,be it good ones or bad ones , or the ones that make us who we are today. I loved the ending and I think it couldn’t have been concluded in a better way.
  
  I would highly recommend this book. Read it and do tell me how you felt about it.
• 
  Sadaf

  I'd heard of the 'Dollar Bahu' by Sudha Murty, and when I chanced upon this small book, I decided to go ahead with it.
  In the beginning of the book, one encounters a naive romance, a simple case of opposites attract, of love happening amidst fierce competition. The result is the protagonist Shrimati, marrying Shrikant despite the problems that she would have to face, the chief ones being - hostility from his family is she is not the daughter-in-law they would have liked, not only because she is not wealthy, but also because of a family feud going back many decades, and secondly, she has to give up her career aspirations.
  As the years go by, Shrikant gets more and more involved in his work, and it is only because of her shy, submissive and loving nature that Shrimati is able to put up with it. With the absence of children, the gaping hole of love in Shrimati's life becomes all the more pronounced. She ends up being Shrikant's secretary at home, and nothing more.
  Eventually, incidents start happening that remind her of what all she is and has been missing, and the true worth and meaning of happiness. The sacrifices that she had to give for marital happiness become too much to bear, and she takes a strong decision, finally.
  Although the book has been written a decade or so ago, it is still applicable today. It is a simple book, a simple story, told beautifully.
  It reminds that sacrifices should come from both partners in a relationship, and not so much that the relationship itself becomes a giant hassle that is eating up each instance or source of happiness.
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  Tripti Saini

  A very well written book, the author dedicated it to the women who sacrificed their preferences for the welfare of the family. Living in India, you would surely come across many such women for sure.
  But the end of the book is probably something that the Indian women can never think of.
  What adhered me to the book was the Simplicity of the love story. The innocence of falling in love to the childhood teasing and connecting to the fragrance of bakula flower seem out fashioned but works vey well with the setback of the story. The scene when they meet each other on train by chance and kept holding hands! The meetings at the bakula tree that actually named the book and the way Shrikant told her that she can ask for Siddhartha, their third child while actually proposing for marriage.
  
  I would like to appreciate the homework author has put in for the book. I have enjoyed all the parts in which history was described on behalf of Shrimati starting from golden triangle of north karnatka, Badami aihole and pattadakallu.
  The feel of bombay in the book is an add-on.
  The book opens up the cover of "happily ever after" tag and shows the instances that a couple faces when the relationship is taken for granted. And the ending was never expected. Though it hurt, but that's the true fact!
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  Harry b nair

  A brilliantly written novel, felt a little "Feminist" but it was needed to express the feelings of women who is intelligent and capable in her own standards.Really i am happy for reading such a good book on women and on their ideologies.Shrimathi is such a gem of a person which are very rare and wouldn't be able to find in the present generation.I recommend this book to "Durjoy Dutta and other modern Indian writers( including Niharika) to use their Pen for writing this kind of novels, instead of wasting their time in writing Porn and boyfriend/Girlfriend swapping crpas.
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  Rupali Gore

  A beautiful , visually appealing novel. Sudha Murty , as usual, brings the characters to life, with simple description of the persons, situations, feelings , thoughts, actions. It is a story set in India.Shrikant and Shrimati are visualized during reading , by the reader. It is a story about love, sacrifices, understanding, ambitions, individuality. As a reader, I could understand, to some extent the emotions, feelings and thoughts of Shrimati and Shrikant. I think that is the success of the writer- when a reader gets involved in the story! It is a book which can be read again and again....
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  Reechi Tatkare

  This book was so tender, this is exactly the feeling I got from start to end that she wrote these characters there circumstances so tenderly and purely that there happy moments, their sad moments became my own. There are books after finishing one just wants to hold close to their heart and just wants it to melt in you this was one of them.
  Both are characters felt so real and tangible there relationship growth also was so realistically done. I don't have enough words to explain my thoughts here, I would just say that Sudha Murty knows how to make a story simple yet effective.
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  Beena

  A good love story. It would had been good if Shrikanth is little sensitive towards Shrimathi's feelings. He was successful in his professional life but failed to keep his toe high in his love life.
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  Krithika

  Beautiful book! Written in simple language, it deals with one of the chief issues that many Indian women have silently faced for years. Wonderful read!!