I Love My Amma

I Love My Amma is a tender, funny and heart-wrenching tribute to mothers everywhere. First published in Kannada, this unforgettable collection of essays traces a son's journey from childhood reverence to adult understanding, when he finally sees his mother for who she truly is-flawed, stubborn, fierce and magnificently human.

Bursting with vivid details of smelly school toilets, monkey raids, steel-plate obsessions, temple vows and cinema-crazy crowds, the book brings alive the everyday dramas of growing up in a house ruled by Amma. Fearless before teachers and gods alike, relentless in her devotion and quietly resilient in the face of age and illness, Amma is as unforgettable as she is familiar.

Told with wit, warmth and aching honesty, I Love My Amma captures the messy, tender bond between a mother and child. And when the roles reverse and the son finds himself caring for his ageing mother, love comes full circle in the most unexpected ways. Top of Form

Heartfelt, humorous and deeply relatable, this book is for anyone who has argued with their mother, taken her for granted, and then realized that she was the quiet miracle holding everything together.

Vasudhendra is an Indian author and writes in Kannada. He is known for his short stories and novels. He lives in Bangalore, India.

Vasudhendra has been publishing prolifically in Kannada for over twenty years. He hails from Sandur of Bellary district in Karnataka. A graduate of NITK, Surathkal and an ‘ME’ from the Indian Institute of Science, he worked for software industry for over twenty years and now devotes his time mainly to traveling, studying, writing, and publishing. He is the first openly gay litterateur in Kannada.

Short stories and essays are among his largest contributions; “Nammamma Andre Nangishta,” (I like my mother) a collection of personal essays has been so popular that it has seen twenty one reprints. “Mohanaswamy” a collection of stories dealing with the life of gays and their pain and pleasure has been subject to extensive critical review among literary enthusiasts in addition to being translated into Spanish, Malayalam, Telugu, Marathi, Hindi, and Tamil. His latest publication, “Tejo-Tungabhadra,” a novel resulting from extensive study of Indian and Portuguese history of more than five centuries ago has been a subject of extensive debate and critical appreciation

Vasudhendra is a recipient of Sahitya Academy award “Sahitya-Shree” and many more. He has established a publication “Chanda-Pustaka” which he uses for introducing young and new writers in Kannada as well as to publish and market his own writings.

Vasudhendra has also done a professional course in counseling and spends most of his time these days in counseling his clients

An enthusiastic hiker, Vasudhendra has scaled Tanzania’s Kilimanjaro and several peaks of the Himalayas, and he has hiked around the Kailash Manasarovar. He enjoys playing squash, reading classics like the Mahabharata and listening to Indian classical music. He took an oath not to watch TV in 2000 as it was coming in the way of his keen studies; he has kept his pledge, so far!

'A compelling, single-sitting read that made me reflect on my own mother and her surprising similarities with Vasudhendra's, despite their different backgrounds.' - Perumal Murugan

'The spontaneity, wit, wisdom and heart-rending humour of these quotidian tales and loving recollections about Vasudhendra's Amma carry the universality of all great art.' - Namita Gokhale