‘Think in Kannada, write in English…most of us are like that': When Sudha Murty spoke about her writing style

Indian Express

27-05-2025

In a candid and charming exchange, acclaimed author and philanthropist Sudha Murty once explained to Shashi Tharoor why she deliberately uses simple English in her books.
'I have only one complaint with what you said,' Shashi Tharoor began with a playful smile. 'You know that Saraswati is also the goddess of dictionaries. What have you got against dictionaries?' he quipped, in comparison with his famously rich and ornate vocabulary.
Sudha went on to share her lived experience of interacting with readers across India. 'Actually, I realised one thing. In India, people do speak English, but out of 100 people, 10 to 20 percent—whatever you do—they don't understand English. I come across many people like that.'
She acknowledged that a small section of the population, including intellectuals like Ramachandra Guha and Tharoor himself, command an exceptional level of English. 'About 10–20 percent people are extremely good in English, with their vocabulary, like you, Ram Guha, and many more people. If I have to read yours, I require a new dictionary,' she laughed. 'Because it's so beautiful—sentences, such good words!'
But Sudha emphasised that the majority of Indian readers fall somewhere in the middle. 'Fifty, sixty percent of the people in India—they're like us. We speak colloquial languaged. We understand English, we will be able to read.'
Her most powerful insight came in the simplest words: 'I am fine, you are fine here, everything is okay, okay—that kind of English. Think in Kannada, write in English. Most of us are like that.'
For Murty, the goal isn't to impress with vocabulary, but to connect with readers. Her writing reflects how millions of Indians use English every day—not perfectly, but effectively, naturally, and with heart. In her hands, English becomes not a language of exclusion, but of inclusion.