Sudha Murty’s,The Circle of Life is a heartwarming novel that beautifully explores friendship, relationships, values, and the unexpected twists of life. A tribute to her alma mater, the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, the book delves into the power of lifelong bonds and shared experiences. The story follows Uttara Rao, Janaki Paranjape, Arvind Shah, K. Subba Rao, and Sumitra Iyer, five students who first meet at the Indian Institute of Science in 1999. Despite their diverse backgrounds, they form an unbreakable bond, supporting each other through academic challenges, personal dilemmas, and the uncertainty of the future. As they embark on …

“Grief is a cruel kind of education. You learn how ungentle mourning can be, how full of anger. You learn how glib condolences can feel. You learn how much grief is about language, the failure of language and the grasping for language. Why are my sides so sore and achy? It’s from crying, I’m told. I did not know that we cry with our muscles. The pain is not surprising, but its physicality is, my tongue unbearably bitter, as though I ate a loathed meal and forgot to clean my teeth, on my chest a heavy, awful weight, and inside …