Caught in the World of Binaries: Selected Poems of K S Nisar Ahmed
₹310.00
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.
Categories: | Indian Literature in Translation, Works in Fiction |
---|
Author | |
---|---|
Format | |
Editor |
Related products
-
Bamonn
Konkani Roman Catholic Christians were converted from other groups by Goan Missionaries long back, keeping the caste system tradition to a large extent in layers such as the Bamonn, the Charodi, the Gawdi, the Nendar, the Shudra, etc. At the time of marriages and other social gatherings they continue to consider caste system norms and customs in the community. Caste system in Indian Christians is vividly described in the novel Bamonn. Christopher Pai of Kalyanpura hails from a Bamonn family and takes great pride in his ancestry. He believes in the stories about his Konkani Roman Catholic ancestors from his elders and about their being true Christians, holding on to their faith despite tremendous pressure to convert to Islam during Tipu Sultan?s regime. He also believes Bamonns are superior to other Christians in the community. After retiring from his job of a Headmaster, he refuels his obsession to retrace his roots and find out the truth about his ancestors. In his journey of self-assurance and faith, will he succeed in his mission to convince his family, his children and the community at large of his glorious ancestry and in still pride in the next generation? . . .
-
Ati Sannakathe: Swarupa, Siddhi Mattu Sadhyate
Author: T P Ashoka Translator: Prakash Nayak
ಕಲ್ಪನೆ ಎಂಬುದು ಸತ್ಯಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಸತ್ಯ, ಕನಸು ಎಂಬುದು ವಾಸ್ತವಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ವಾಸ್ತವ ಎಂಬುದು ಅತಿ ಸಣ್ಣಕತೆಗಳು ನಮಗೆ ಮನದಟ್ಟು ಮಾಡಿಕೊಡುವಂತೆ ಕಾಣುತ್ತವೆ. ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಅತಿ ಸಣ್ಣಕತೆಗಳು ವಾಸ್ತವವಾದೀ ಮಾರ್ಗವನ್ನು ಬಿಟ್ಟುಕೊಟ್ಟಿರುವುದಕ್ಕೆ ಪ್ರಾಯಶಃ ಇದೇ ಕಾರಣ. ವಿವರಣೆ-ವರ್ಣನೆಗಳ ಹಂಗು ಇಲ್ಲದಿರುವುದರಿಂದ ಸಂಕ್ಷಿಪ್ತತೆ ಮತ್ತು ಸಾಂದ್ರತೆಗಳು ಇವುಗಳ ಸಹಜ ಲಕ್ಷಣಗಳಾಗಿವೆ. ಅಂತರಂಗದ ಆಳವನ್ನು, ಅಮೂರ್ತವನ್ನು, ಸಾಂಕೇತಿಕವಾದುದದ್ದನ್ನು ಮತ್ತೊಂದೇ ಸ್ತರದಲ್ಲಿ ಗ್ರಹಿಸಿ ಅಭಿವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಸಲು ಲೇಖಕರಿಗೆ ಈ ಪ್ರಕಾರ ಹೇಳಿ ಮಾಡಿಸಿದಂತಿದೆ. ಹಾಗಾಗಿ ಜಗತ್ತಿನ ಎಲ್ಲ ಭಾಷೆಗಳ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಲೇಖಕರು, ದೀರ್ಘವಾದ ಕತೆ-ಕಾದಂಬರಿಗಳನ್ನು ಬರೆದವರನ್ನೂ ಸೇರಿಸಿಕೊಂಡು, ಈ ಪ್ರಕಾರದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೃಷಿಮಾಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ತುಂಬ ಸೂಕ್ಷ್ಮವಾದ, ನಾಜೂಕಾದ ಸಂಗತಿಗಳನ್ನು ಸೂಚ್ಯವಾಗಿ, ಕೆಲವೊಮ್ಮೆ ಪರೋಕ್ಷವಾಗಿ, ಇನ್ನೂ ಕೆಲವು ವೇಳೆ ಮುಚ್ಚಿಟ್ಟು ಹೇಳಲು ಈ ಪ್ರಕಾರವು ತನ್ನ ಸ್ವರೂಪದ ಕಾರಣದಿಂದಲೇ ಅನುವು ಮಾಡಿಕೊಡುತ್ತದೆ. ಇದು ಆಧುನಿಕ ಪೂರ್ವದ ದಂತಕತೆ, ನೀತಿಕತೆ, ದೃಷ್ಟಾಂತ ಕತೆಗಳ ಆಧುನಿಕ ರೂಪವಾಗಿ ಕಂಡರೂ ಆಶ್ಚರ್ಯವಿಲ್ಲ.
Also available on
eBook available on
-
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.
-
Swapnasaraswatha
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
Anurakte
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.
-
Pot of Butter and other short stories
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.