A princess thinks she was a bird, a coconut that cost a thousand rupees, and a shepherd with a bag of

words...Kings and misers, princes and paupers, wise men and foolish boys, the funniest and oddest
men and women come alive in this sparkling new collection of stories. The clever princess will only
marry the man who can ask her a question she cannot answer; the orphan boy outwits his greedy
uncles with a bag of ash; and an old couple in distress is saved by a magic drum. Sudha Murty's
grandparents told her some of these stories when she was a child; others she heard from her friends
from around the world. These delightful and timeless folktales have been her favourites for years,
and she has recounted them many times over to the young people in her life. With this collection,
they will be enjoyed by many more readers, of all ages. Age group of target audience is 8+.

The Magic Drum and Other Favourite Stories is a collection of children’s tales by Sudha Murty.
Summary of the Book
In this collection of stories from Indian folklore, Sudha Murty retells them from her memory of her
grandparents. She tells the story of the clever and haughty princess who will only marry the man
who asks her a question she cannot answer. She also tells the stories of kings, misers, wise men
and foolish boys in this collection of hilarious and instructive stories which she loved from her days
as a young girl.
About Sudha Murty
Sudha Murty is an Indian entrepreneur, businesswoman and writer. She is well known for her books
in Kannada and English: Dollar Sose, Runa, Old Man and his God and Wise and Otherwise among
them.
Mrs. Murty completed her M.E. from the Indian Institute of Science and was the first female engineer
hired at India's largest auto manufacturer TATA Engineering and Locomotive Company or TELCO.
She is married to Infosys chairman N. R. Narayana Murthy.