From Tagore To Harper Lee, Here Are Arundhati Bhattacharya’s Favourite Reads

The gospel of Ramakrishna. A collection of the songs of Tagore. A young girl's tale of hope and courage that captures the struggle of immigrants. A classic on injustices in society and relevance of the right values. These are the themes that comprise State Bank of India's former Chairman, Arundhati Bhattacharya's reading list. Here's a look at her most cherished reads.

Ramakrishna Kathamrita

Ramkrishna Kathamrita (also known as the gospel of Ramkrishna). “I read it in Bengali as a teen and it made a very deep impression on me, by its earthy common sense and humanitarian approach.” It treats all faiths with respect and accords bhakti and service the highest importance in a person's life.

Gitabitan - The Collection Of Songs Of Tagore

Geetanjali is an extract of his works but Gitabitan has it all.

I love it because there is no mood in the entire human experience that doesn't find an expression in some song or the other of Tagore.

For every single situation one can locate lyrics rendered in the most beautiful words possible in this book.

To Kill A Mockingbird, By Harper Lee

“Such a beautiful rendering from a child's point of view of the injustices in society and parents' struggle to do the right thing and foster the right values.”

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, By Betty Smith

It's a story that is told by a young girl and represents the struggles of all immigrants - their dreams and challenges their longings and desires and their spirited efforts to achieve, in the face of seemingly impossible odds. In those days I imagine Brooklyn must have been a concrete jungle. For a tree to grow there was impossible and yet it did.

Pride And Prejudice, By Jane Austen

So much has been said about it - the story line is so simple - a mother's anxiety to see her daughters well married and settled - and yet it's a page turner - you just can't put it down. Its exploration of what drives people - why they do what they do - is so subtle and yet so true that once you have read it you can never forget it.