Akka Mahadevi, the questioning poet-saint
₹255.00
Author: D A Shankar
This book presents the mystical ruminations and literary excellence of Akka Mahadevi, the earliest example of a gender-liberated woman writer, credited with the composition of over four hundred and forty remarkably self-explorative Vachanas. Akka Mahadevi represents a powerfully authentic female voice of the radical, egalitarian Sharana Movement, which questioned the socially established barrier between genders and ushered in a world of socio-cultural equality.
In this book, the author explores the questioning spirit intrinsic to Akka Mahadevi’s life and writings, as she questions the widely held conventional norms: the traditional husband-wife relationship, her parents, elders; she questions Basavanna and Allama for their habituated patriarchal manner of speaking, and she bravely questions her personal deity whom she loves and adores. Apart from discerning a credible ‘history’ and background to Akka’s works, this book makes available a rendition of her selectively profound and memorable Vachana in modern English, that crosses the ?the gulf of language and the gulf of time.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
Categories: | Texts in Translation, Works in Fiction |
---|
Author | |
---|---|
Format |
Related products
-
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.
-
Chomasya Dakka
Author: Shivarama Karanth Translator: Ananthapadmanabha Shastri
Set in the coastal Karavali region of Karnataka, Chomasya Dakka is the story of Coma, a Dalit bonded-laborer. Set in the pre-independent India, Comasya Dakka tells a poignant tale of dalit lives, and the suppression of their fundamental rights and identity through the character of Coma. Denied the right to even till and cultivate their own land due to their caste and identity, Coma and his children work as bonded-labourers for their landlord, Sankappayya. The plot of the novel follows the lives of Coma and his children and the tragedies that befall them. The original work in Kannada, Comana Dudi, was adapted into a well-acclaimed, national award-winning film in the year 1975. Directed by B V Karanth, it won the Swarna Kamal, Indias National Award for the Best Film in the year 1976.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
-
Sümi and the Dance of the Dark Spirits
Author: Toinali Sema
Join the shy Moi, spirited Sumi and brave Vikai in this folk-fantasy adventure of self-discovery, bravery, mystery, and above all loyalty and friendship as they embark on a journey into unfamiliar territories and encounter supernatural beings, get chased by spirits, befriend dragonflies, meets the wind family, and fight the dark spirits.
Interested customers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
Also available on
-
Defiance
Defiance is a captivating tale of the march of globalization and its impact on the lives and times of the Santher Guthu family in Ombathkere, a village located between Mangaluru and Kasaragodu. Set in the picturesque Malabar coast of Karnataka in the late 20th Century, the novel takes the reader through four generations of the family. Ambakke, the protagonist, along with her brother Sankappa Hegde, the third-generation descendants of the family form the lifeblood of this story of human relationships in the midst of time and change. The novel is born out of deep contemplation of a community in the face of transition. There is anxiety that grips this part of Karnataka in the wake of modernity. The vast canvas of the novel and the depiction of folk culture provides a unique touch to the saga of the community. Defiance is a novel about traditions and the fear of losing out to modernity. It is about change and the desire to remain rooted.
-
Makkala Padya Manjiri
Author: Kayyara Kinhanna Rai
ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಪದ್ಯಮಂಜಿರಿ ಶ್ರೀ ಕಯ್ಯಾರ ಕಿಞ್ಞಣ್ಣ ರೈ ಅವರಿಂದ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗಾಗಿ ಕವನಗಳ ಪುಸ್ತಕ. ಶ್ರೀ ಕಯ್ಯಾರರ ಕವನಗಳು ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಹಿನ್ನೆಲೆಯ ಜನರನ್ನು ತಲುಪುವುದರಿಂದ ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರು ಕಾವ್ಯವನ್ನು ಓದುವ ಬೆಳವಣಿಗೆಯನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಗ್ರಾಮೀಣ ಅಥವಾ ನಗರ, ಶ್ರೀಮಂತ ಅಥವಾ ಬಡ. ಈ ಕವಿತೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಬಾಲ್ಯದ ಸವಿನೆನಪುಗಳು ಅಡಗಿದ್ದು, ಓದುವಾಗ ಓದುಗರಿಗೆ ನಾಸ್ಟಾಲ್ಜಿಕ್ ಆಗುವುದರಿಂದ ಅವು ದೊಡ್ಡವರಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಜನಪ್ರಿಯವಾಗಿವೆ. ಕಲಾವಿದ ಪ್ರಸಾದ್ ರಾವ್ ಜಿ ಅವರು ಚಿತ್ರಿಸಿದ ಚಿತ್ರಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಪ್ರಸ್ತುತ ಪುಸ್ತಕವು ಓದುವಿಕೆಯನ್ನು ಇನ್ನಷ್ಟು ಆಸಕ್ತಿದಾಯಕವಾಗಿಸುತ್ತದೆ. ಇದು ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಠ ಕವಿ, ಬರಹಗಾರ ಕಯ್ಯಾರ ಅವರ ಶತಮಾನೋತ್ಸವ ವರ್ಷದಲ್ಲಿ ಹೊರತರಲಾದ MUP ಯ 50 ನೇ ಪ್ರಕಟಣೆಯಾಗಿದೆ.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
-
A Shrine for Sarasamma
Author: Shivarama Karanth Translator: D A Shankar
A Shrine for Sarasamma is the English translation of Sarasammana Samadhi written by K Shivarama Karanth in 1937, in his early thirties. It offers one of the most authentic and searing accounts of Indian womanhood, which consistently, and through the ages, has suffered deep anguish, humiliation and crushing insult from the oppressive patriarchal culture prevalent in all parts of India and among all castes and classes. The novel is a classic in Kannada and the English translation is an attempt to bring to the English reading audience a taste of the regional classic.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
-
Saga of the Uprooted
Author: Ranga Hari, Translator: Saratchandra Shenoi
This English translation of Visthapanachi Katha, a Konkani Khanda Kavya, depicts the saga of the migration of the Konkani community from Goa to a land far away from home. This collection of poems encapsulates the reign of a colonial power over the region of Goa that began with the entry of the Portuguese in the 16th century. It illustrates the displacement of the Konkani people and their resurgence at Cochin port. The poems describe the transformation of Goa – both culturally and topographically – and the people of Goa who were plundered, displaced, uprooted, and were forced to strip off their culture and identity. The poet is unfolding the tale of his very own ancestors by tracing out these events and graphically portraying the plight of the Konkani people. Saratchandra Shenoi, the author of this English translation, is a multilingual translator and a Sahitya Akademi Award winning (Antarnad – 1999) Konkani poet based in Kochi. He has over twenty books to his credit which include collections of poetry, works of fiction and non-fiction, translations, edited anthologies and language guides. Ranga Hari is the author of the Konkani original text titled Visthapanachi Katha. He has written more than twenty-five books in different languages, and was associated with Bharatiya Sikshan Mandal and Vidya Bharati.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
-
Swapnasaraswatha
Author: Gopalakrishna Pai Translator: Sumathi Shenoy, M R Rakshith, Savita Sastri
Swapna Saraswatha is the saga of migration of a community called Saraswaths in the west coast of India, extending from Goa to the south of Mangalore. It captures the dominance of a colonial power over the region that began with the entry of the Portuguese about four hundred years ago. The novel is a graphic description of the displacement of this strongly-rooted community which saw its resurrection in a new area. In the course of its narrative, the novel traces the gradual changes in the structure of the family that moved from a closely knit joint family of the bygone era to the nuclear family. It also deals with the factors that are responsible for the change in value systems of individuals in the wake of such paradigm shifts. With its vast canvas, it remarkably weaves fiction with myth and history, peppered with cultural details and linguistic nuances. The narration in Swapna Saraswatha progresses in the form of an epic detailing the story of nine generations spread over a period of two hundred and fifty years from 1510 to about 1760. It encompasses more than a hundred and fifty characters which include Hindus, Muslims, Christians, chieftains, traders, farmers, priests and black magicians, and covers a range of themes spread across folk tales, legends, armies, myths and a sprinkling of history.