Let Polly Thrive: May anyone shout as they please
₹200.00
Author: Kotiganahalli Ramaiah, Translator: Anusha Ravi Sood
Who are you?
Let Polly Thrive: May anyone shout as they please poses this very question. Can a piece of laminated paper define your identity, or should society’s rules dictate who you are? Why can’t a man dream of food, or a buffalo fall in love with a girl? A quirky yet hard-hitting play, it holds up a mirror to you and me, forcing us to take a long, honest look at ourselves. Perhaps the answer lies within this unusual love triangle between a man, a woman, and a buffalo—or maybe it flickers under the lantern that lights up a Dalit woman’s home. Could it be hidden within the farce of communism among the privileged castes, which reeks of casteism?
Well, if you can figure out this riddle, let me in on it too.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
Category: | Indian Literature in Translation |
---|
Author | |
---|---|
Format |
Related products
-
BAKA – Collection of Two Plays
Author: M S Keshava Prabhu, Translator: L V Shantakumari
Baka dramatizes the episode of Bakasura, from the Indian epic, Mahabharata. Baka is a cannibal demon that terrorizes a village with its horrifying attacks. The king of the village strikes an agreement with the demon, putting its people in peril. They live in constant fear for years until the sudden arrival of a hero changes everything.
A theatrical and evocative narration, this play satirically mirrors society’s greed and irresponsibility. It depicts power struggles through the conflict that arises between Baka the demon, the cowardly king, and the oppressed people.Interested customers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book. -
A Handful of Sesame
Author: Srinivas B Vaidya, Translator: Maithreyi Karnoor
With a captivating start, A Handful of Sesame plunges us into the heart of the dying years of the 1857 mutiny. But the mutiny is largely a backdrop to the novel. When Kamalanabh of Kashi is manipulated by an impoverished Brahmin of Navalgund into marrying his daughter, the novel becomes basically the story of an internal migration. This is rare, and it remains one of the strengths of the novel. We are so used to speaking of migration across the postcolonial bridge and accredited national borders that we forget that India is a country of endless internal migrations – in the past and the present.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
-
Mahāmmāyi
Author: Chandrasekhara Kambara, Translator: Kathyayini Kunjibettu
Mahāmmāyi is the story of the legend of Shatavithaayi – the Goddess of death, and her adopted son Sambhashiva. Out of affection for her son, Goddess Shatavithaayi blesses him with the “power of life”. The blessing was that death will evade the people who are treated by Sambashiva. But a certain condition set by Shatavithaayi forbade him from healing every ill man. The condition was that, if Shatavithaayi stood on the right side of the patient, Sambhashiva could treat that person and he would live; but, if she stood on the left side of the patient, he should not treat that person as his death was inevitable. Through a distinct method of story-telling, the story follows the life of Sambhashiva as he begins to question the ideas of fate and destiny. Thus, the conflict between fate and human efforts to change that fate is vividly described in this play. -
Anurakte- The Enamoured
Author: Vyasaraya Ballal Translator: Poornima Hebbar
There are many rags-to-riches stories around the city of Mumbai. However, here is a story of transformation of a woman and her true self in the city of dreams. Set in Mangalore and Mumbai of the late 1940s, Anurakte- The Enamoured is an elegantly written story of a woman and her changing worldview over a period of time. Sumithra, a young woman with ordinary dreams and aspirations, comes to the then Bombay in search of livelihood. Little did she know that her experiences in the city and her zest for an independent life would transform her into a different person. She breaks the shell and resolves not to look back. The book is a poignant tale of love, loss, betrayal, family, relationships and traditions. The culturescape of Mumbai beautifully intertwines with her dreams. It is as much a story of the vibrancy of Mumbai as it is about Sumithra’s journey towards freedom.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
-
Pot of Butter and other short stories
Author: Sunanda Belgaumkar Translator: Sa Usha, Vaijayanti Suryanarayana
Pot of Butter and other Short Stories is a collection of nine short stories, originally composed by Sunanda Belgaumkar in Kannada, handpicked and translated from her collections – Kajjaya and Koduvudenu Kombudenu. The bulk of her literary work including the stories in this book are inspired by the experiences in her early life, in the rustic and robust atmosphere of Dharwad. Her stories are predominantly semiautobiographical, laced with a liberal dose of artistic freedom.
This collection weaves together her writings on the underprivileged and marginalized as seen from the comfort of her palatial home, but rendered with compassion and empathy. Often, we find her narrative infused with self-directed questions such as, “What if I was in her shoes? ” or “Could that have been me? ” These stories are reflections on human nature, suffering, and destiny. There is hope, there is despair. There is love, there is longing. There is defeat, and there is triumph. In her stories, an oft-recurring metaphor for picking up one’s life after loss is a scorching summer followed by a torrential downpour and subsequently a plant springing to life.
As a translation, this book attempts to introduce Sunanda Belgaumkar’s literary and artistic creations to the non-Kannada reader, retaining as much of the indigenous elements of the original writings as possible. In doing so, it seeks to preserve the cultural climate of North Karnataka as it was around fifty years ago.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
-
The Other Face
Author: Na Mogasale Translator: N T Bhat
Set in a fictitious village called Kanthapura in Kasaragod district, Mukhāntara spans across the life of seven generations of a Havyaka Brahmin family. A story about the realities of living in a society marked by caste distinctions, the desire to find communal harmony and the tribulations of the characters through the entirety of the novel, it is also a tale of changing times and people. After unexpectedly coming into possession of a huge portion of land, Thirumalēshwara Bhat of Īshwarīmūle becomes a satisfied man. But childless, Thirumalēshwara Bhat and his wife Pārvathakka decide to adopt Venkappaiah and also give shelter to his widowed mother, Rathnamma. Venkappaiah is to inherit Thirumalēshwara’s vast wealth but when Krishnaiah, the illegitimate child of Thirumalēshwara and Rathnamma is born, rivalry ensues. Through the overlapping narratives of the characters, we get a glimpse into their journey from tradition to modernity. The characters strive to reshape new values when old values are slowly questioned and erased as they move on and are swept along in the waves of globalization.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
Also available on
eBook available on
-
Nala Charitre: The Legend of Nala(A Short Epic)
This book presents the mythological narrative of Nala-Damayanti as an epic poem in English. Among the luminaries of sixteenth century Bhakti tradition, Kanakadasa’s literary and musical compositions (kirtanes) are imbued with philosophical meanings, which show immense formative influence on the cultural and literary scene of Karnataka. Also, Kanakadasa’s literary works such as Mohana Tarangini, Haribhaktisara, and the eminent allegorical masterpiece Ramadhanya Charitre incorporate metaphors taken from everyday life, which fascinate the commoners and offers them respite from mundane life-struggles. While such metaphorical expressions represent a remarkable trend in Bhakti poetry, in Kanakadasa?s depiction of Nala and Damayanti’s misfortunes, the toilsome life of common men and women stares forth. Hauled out of their palatial leisurely living, a curious turn of events compels them to survive amidst endless suffering. On one hand Nala Charitre is a poignant story of love, and on the other, it thematizes human existence, humandivine relationship and simplifies poetry to reach the audience beyond the limited circle of literates. As the Bhakti Literature assimilates the vernacular into devotional poetry, Kanakadasa?s epic poem interweaves mythological themes from Mahabharata with struggles of medieval Indian society, thus overcoming the binaries of human and divine.
-
Tunes of a Single String
Author: Kathyayini Kunjibettu, Translator: N Thirumaleshwara Bhat
Dive into the enchanting poetry of Dr Kathyayini Kunjibettu through Tunes of a Single String, a captivating translation of her anthology Ekthari Sanchari. Kathyayini’s verses defy convention with unrhymed lines and free verse, reflecting a profound liberation of spirit and language. Each poem brings rural landscapes and Indian mythological scenes to life with remarkable freshness and emotional depth.
This collection invites readers to explore why Kathyayini’s works align with Renaissance Poems of a Modernist Tradition. Her poetic voice resonates with freshness and depth, deftly blending familiar themes into uniquely unconventional settings. Tunes of a Single String invites readers to delve into the vibrant world of modern Kannada poetry through Kathyayini’s fearless exploration of life, culture, and language.
Interested customers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.