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: | Fiction, Literary Criticism, Poetry, Translation |
---|
Author | |
---|---|
Format |
Related products
-
Mahaammaayi
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. -
Post Googlism and Other Short Stories
This collection of short stories is for the fast-paced millennials, whom the author calls ?The Post Googlist Generation? who want everything hastily, at their finger-tips and on the go. The language has also shrunk in size to allow the pace. The world-view of this generation is that what cannot be done through an app cannot and should not be done. Their expectations of a story are a striking start, a quickly built middle and an interesting end. Stories in the collection seek to meet these expectations of this generation talking to them in their own language. They also echo the changing lives and changing aspirations of the time.
-
The Gandhi Cap and Other Short Stories by Raja Radhikaraman Prasad Singh
The book The Gandhi Cap and Other Short Stories offers a glimpse into the lifetime of work of a forgotten pioneer of Hindi fiction, Raja Radhikaraman Prasad Sinha. It is ironic that one cannot find a single book by this author who was so dedicated to Hindi literature. The stories in this collection are a testament not only to the contributions of Sinha to Hindi fiction but also, reflect the depth of political and social milieu of the times. Many readers will be moved by the elements patriotism, feminism, secularism, and spiritualism in these stories. Strong female characters are common in most of these stories. These characters provide both a moral fulcrum to the stories as well as reflect the struggle of women to balance prevailing customs with modernity. Some of these stories provide sharp political and social commentary that still have currency (The Gandhi Cap). Sinha incorporates a unique style of writing that uses lyrical prose and poetry together. He even employs a dialogue between the storyteller and a social gathering in the form of an epilogue, to offer a discourse on social dilemma about women?s plight to become modern while admonishing them to retain their Indian essence (An Expensive Bargain). We hope the readers will enjoy this wonderful collection.
-
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 Bond So Sacred
A Bond So Sacred tells the story of Raman, a satyagrahi, who adopts Kokila, an orphan. He leaves the five year old in the care of his mother while he plunges into the freedom struggle. His nationalist fervour, however, clashes with his love for Amina, his charming neighbour who wants parental approval to their marriage. Raman’s mother is as staunch a Brahmin as Amina’s father is a Muslim. Will Raman be able to get their consent? The joy of India becoming an independent nation is marred by Gandhiji’s death. Raman’s fellow satyagrahis have gone their ways and he finds himself with no role to play in a rapidly changing country. Meanwhile, Kokila, his protégée, has her own battles to fight. As the years bring them together again, Kokila discovers truths about Raman that she would never have imagined. She is forced to confront the ghosts of the past, his and hers.
-
Caught in the World of Binaries: Selected Poems of K S Nisar Ahmed
Professor K S Nisar Ahmed (b 1936) is a geologist by profession and a major writer in Kannada. His first collection of poems, Manasu Gandhi Bazar (?My Mind is like Gandhi Bazar?) was published in 1960, and since then he has published poetry (15 collections), prose (five collections), and translations from Shakespeare and Neruda. He has been honoured with many awards, including ?Padmashri?, Honorary D Litt (Kuvempu University), and Pampa Prashasti (Karnataka Government). Living between two languages and two cultures, Prof. Nisar has successfully achieved the balance necessary for the tight-rope walking as a poet. He believes that, ?Only when you understand another religion (or culture or language), you really understand your own religion (or culture or language).? The present volume of 100 selected poems exhibits the multifaceted poetry of Nisar that reflects his creative pluralism. The 13 translators of the poems in this volume include A K Ramanujan, V K Gokak and Tejaswini Niranjana.
-
The Zoo In My Backyard
What can you expect in a family of quirky adults, hyperactive children, and an assortment of pets? The author and her siblings shared their childhood with Kesavan, the incorrigibly curious black monkey; Judie, the nimble giant squirrel; Mini, the shy mouse deer that strayed; Psitta, the cackling parakeet; Devil, the runaway hound and many more creatures great and small. The adventures of the children and antics of their pets, together with the adults in the family make for a whole lot of fun and laughter ? not just in the backyard but indoors as well.
-
Inti Dvadasha Akhyana
ಸತ್ಯವತಿ ಹರಿಕೃಷ್ಣನ್ ಹಾಸ್ಯಬರವಣಿಗೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಮಾರು ಎರಡು ದಶಕಗಳಿಂದ ತನ್ನನ್ನು ತೊಡಗಿಸಿಕೊಂಡಿರುವ ಕವಯಿತ್ರಿ. ಇವರ ಹಾಸ್ಯಲೇಖನಗಳು ತರಂಗ, ತುಷಾರ, ಮಯೂರ, ಕರ್ಮವೀರದಂಥ ನಿಯತಕಾಲಿಕಗಳಲ್ಲಿ, ಉದಯವಾಣಿ, ಪ್ರಜಾವಾಣಿ ಮುಂತಾದವುಗಳಲ್ಲಿಯೂ ಪ್ರಕಟಗೊಂಡಿವೆ. 2002ರಲ್ಲಿ ಡೆಟ್ರಾಯಿಟ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ನಡೆದ “ಅಕ್ಕ” ವಿಶ್ವ ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಮ್ಮೇಳನದ ಸ್ಮರಣ ಸಂಚಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇವರ “ಗುಂಡ್ರಾಮನ ಚಿಕಿತ್ಸಾಯಣ’ ಎಂಬ ಕೃತಿ ಪ್ರಕಟವಾಗಿದೆ. ಸನ್ಮಾನ್ಯರಾದ ದೇಜಗೌ ಮತ್ತು ಜಿಟಿನಾರವರ ಸಂಪಾದಕತ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಕಟವಾದ “ಪುಸ್ತಕ ಪ್ರಪಂಚ’ದಲ್ಲಿ ಇವರ ಅನುವಾದಿತ ಲೇಖನಗಳು ಪಡಿಮೂಡಿವೆ. “ಕುಂಬಾಸ’, “ನುಗ್ಗೇಹಳ್ಳಿ ಪಂಕಜ’ವೇ ಮೊದಲಾದ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿಗಳನ್ನು ಪಡೆದಿರುವ ಸತ್ಯವತಿಯವರು ಈಗಾಗಲೇ ಐದು ಹಾಸ್ಯ ಸಂಕಲನಗಳನ್ನು ರಚಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಅವರ ಆರನೆಯ ಹಾಸ್ಯ ಸಂಕಲನವೇ – “ಇಂತಿ ದ್ವಾದಶ ಆಖ್ಯಾನ’. ಹಾಸ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಪಹಾಸ್ಯ, ತಿಳಿಹಾಸ್ಯ, ವ್ಯಂಗ್ಯ ಮುಂತಾದ ಪ್ರಭೇದಗಳಿವೆ. ವ್ಯಂಗ್ಯಮಿಶ್ರಿತವಾದ ತಿಳಿಹಾಸ್ಯ ಒಂದೇ ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಎರಡು ಉದ್ದೇಶಗಳನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿರುತ್ತವೆ. ಅದು ಮೇಲ್ನೋಟಕ್ಕೆ ಮನೋರಂಜನೆಯಾಗಿ ಕಂಡರೂ, ಅದರ ಇಂಗಿತ ಓದುಗರನ್ನು ಗಂಭೀರ ಚಿಂತನೆಗೆ ತೊಡಗುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡುವುದಾಗಿರುತ್ತದೆ. ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ನೋಯಿಸದೇ ಲಘುಹಾಸ್ಯ-ವ್ಯಂಗ್ಯಗಳಿಂದ ಸ್ವವಿಮರ್ಶೆ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವಂತೆ ಪ್ರೇರೇಪಿಸುವುದು ಹಾಸ್ಯದ ಕಲಾತ್ಮಕ ಪ್ರಕ್ರಿಯೆ. ಶ್ರೀಮತಿ ಸತ್ಯವತಿಯವರ ಈ ಕೃತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇಂತಹ ಒಂದು ಪ್ರಯತ್ನವನ್ನು ನಾವು ಕಾಣಬಹುದು. “ಇಂತಿ ದ್ವಾದಶ ಆಖ್ಯಾನ’ದಲ್ಲಿ ಹನ್ನೆರಡು ವೈವಿಧ್ಯಮಯ ಸಣ್ಣ ಹಾಸ್ಯಲೇಖನಗಳಿವೆ. ಸತ್ಯವತಿಯವರು ನಮ್ಮ ಜೀವನದ ಸಾಮಾನ್ಯ ಘಟನೆಗಳನ್ನೇ ರಂಗುರಂಗಾಗಿ ತಿಳಿಹಾಸ್ಯದ ಮೂಲಕ ಈ ಕೃತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ತೋರಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಕಾಲ್ಪನಿಕ ಘಟನೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಹಾಸ್ಯದ ಪಾತ್ರಗಳನ್ನು ಸೃಷ್ಟಿಸಿ, ಗಂಭೀರ ವಿಚಾರಗಳನ್ನು ಮನಮುಟ್ಟುವಂತೆ ನಿರೂಪಿಸುವ ಲೇಖಕಿಯ ಶೈಲಿಯು ಅಪೂರ್ವವಾದದ್ದು. ಪ್ರತಿ ಕತೆಯ ಶೀರ್ಷಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲೇ ಹಾಸ್ಯ ತುಂಬಿರುವ ಈ ಕೃತಿಯು ಓದುಗರನ್ನು ನಗಿಸುವಲ್ಲಿ ಯಶಸ್ವಿಯಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.
Interested customers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
Also available on