NARRATIVE ETHICS, CULTURAL PEDAGOGY AND MORAL COGNITION: A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF VALUE CONSTRUCTION IN SUDHA MURTHY’S CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

Abstract

Sudha Murthy stands as one of the most significant and influential voices in contemporary Indian English children's literature. This study undertakes a critical examination of some of her short stories from the book “HOW I TAUGHT MY GRANDMOTHER TO READ and other stories”, arguing that her narratives function as a sophisticated, layered framework for value construction. The research overtly analyzes the interwoven roles of Narrative Ethics (the conveyance of morality through story structure), Cultural Pedagogy (the use of Indian culture and tradition as teaching tools), and their combined impact on Moral Cognition in young readers. By creating folklore, everyday realism, cultural and mythological retellings in a simple, accessible style, Murthy effectively revives the ‘grandmother-driven oral tradition’ for the modern child. The findings demonstrate that Murthy’s literature is a deliberate pedagogical project that fosters self-reliance, determination, faith, trust, and love in family, emotional intelligence, social responsibility, discipline, and cultural rootedness, thereby laying a strong groundwork for future ethical life. Her contribution is confirmed as a hallmark in modern times for value-based education of children.