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
-
Bamonn: Story of a Konkani Roman Catholic
₹255.00Author: Na D’Souza Translator: S M Pejathaya
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? . . .
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
-
Pot of Butter and other short stories
₹250.00Author: 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.
-
Mahāmmāyi
₹195.00Author: 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. -
The Other Face
₹550.00Author: 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

-
Comasya Dhakka
₹195.00Author: 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.
-
Just a few pages: Some Memories of Saraswatibai Rajwade
₹210.00Author: Vaidehi, Translator: Deepa Ganesh
This book is a coming together of two women writers of modern Kannada literature; one from its early period, the other, a contemporary. Saraswati Bai Rajwade, the early writer, became a fable, a mythology, leaving behind only the shadows of her writing. Vaidehi, the contemporary writer, reinvents Rajwade from the folds of history and gives her a life in the present. Saraswati Bai Rajwade was born into a poor family in the Dakshina Kannada of yore. By chance, she stepped into theatre and later into films. But all the glory that came to her unexpectedly, vanished just as suddenly. She later became the wife of a rich and high official, travelled abroad and underwent immense suffering. In her pain and loneliness, she took to books and also began to write and attained glory as a writer. In the last years of her life, she returned to a life of austerity and anonymity. Vaidehi has collected bits and pieces from her life and writing, presenting before us a unique tapestry. In this tapestry, Vaidehi?s perceptions criss-cross with Rajwade?s life and writing. Art does not reside in the object, but in its close encounter with life. This work unfolds before us as a grand illustration of such twin narratives.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
-
A Handful of Sesame
₹310.00Author: 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.
-
Madhavi Kathana Kavya
₹195.00Author: ONV Kurup Translator: Parvathi G Aithal
ವ್ಯಾಸ ಮಹಾಭಾರತದ ಉದ್ಯೋಗ ಪರ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ ಬರುವ ಒಂದು ಉಪಾಖ್ಯಾನವನ್ನಾಧರಿಸಿ ಬರೆದ ಒಂದು ಕಾವ್ಯವಿದು. ಮೂಲಕಥೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಧವಿಯ ಶೋಷಣೆ ಎದ್ದು ಕಾಣುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ವಿಶ್ವಾಮಿತ್ರ ಶಿಷ್ಯನಾದ ಗಾಲವನು ತನ್ನ ವಿದ್ಯಾಭ್ಯಾಸವನ್ನು ಮುಗಿಸಿ ಹೊರಡುವಾಗ ‘ಗುರುದಕ್ಷಿಣೆಯಾಗಿ ಏನನ್ನು ಕೊಡಲಿ?’ ಎಂದು ಕೇಳುತ್ತಾನೆ. ವಿಶ್ವಾಮಿತ್ರರು ಗುರುದಕ್ಷಿಣೆ ಬೇಡವೆಂದರೂ ಕೇಳುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಕೊನೆಗೆ ವಿಶ್ವಾಮಿತ್ರರು, ‘ಒಂದು ಕಿವಿ ಮಾತ್ರ ಕಪ್ಪಾಗಿರುವ ಎಂಟುನೂರು ಶ್ವೇತಾಶ್ವಗಳನ್ನು ಕಾಣಿಕೆಯಾಗಿ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡು ಬಾ’ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಆದರೆ, ಅಂಥ ವಿಶೇಷ ಗುಣದ ಕುದುರೆಗಳು ಬಹಳ ದುರ್ಲಭವಾದುವೆಂಬುದನ್ನು ಅರಿತಾಗ ಗಾಲವ ದಾನಶೂರ ಯಯಾತಿ ಮಹಾರಾಜನ ಬಳಿ ಸಹಾಯ ಬೇಡಲು ಹೋಗುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಆಗಷ್ಟೇ ದೊಡ್ಡದೊಂದು ಯಾಗ ಮುಗಿಸಿದ ಯಯಾತಿಯ ಬಳಿ ಅಶ್ವಗಳಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದರೆ, ತನ್ನ ಪ್ರತಿಷ್ಠೆಯನ್ನು ಉಳಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದಕ್ಕೋಸ್ಕರ ಯಯಾತಿ ತನ್ನ ಮಗಳು ಮಾಧವಿಯನ್ನು ಗಾಲವನ ವಶಕ್ಕೆ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ‘ರೂಪಸಿಯಾದ ಈಕೆಯನ್ನು ಬೇಕಾದ ಹಾಗೆ ಬಳಸಿಕೊಂಡು ನಿನಗೆ ಬೇಕಾದ ಅಶ್ವಗಳನ್ನು ಪಡೆ’ ಅನ್ನುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಹಾಗೆ ಗಾಲವನು ಮಾಧವಿಯನ್ನು ಮೂರು ಮಂದಿ ರಾಜರ ಬಳಿಗೆ ಕರೆದೊಯ್ದು ಅವರಿಂದ ತಲಾ ಇನ್ನೂರು ಅಶ್ವಗಳನ್ನು ಪಡೆದು ಆ ರಾಜರುಗಳಿಗೆ ಒಂದು ವರ್ಷದ ಮಟ್ಟಿಗೆ ಉಪಯೋಗಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲು ಮಾಧವಿಯನ್ನು ಒಪ್ಪಿಸುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಮೂಲ ಕಥೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಧವಿಯ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನ ಸಂಘರ್ಷಗಳು ವ್ಯಕ್ತವಾಗಿಲ್ಲ. ‘ಪುರುಷರಿಂದ ಲೈಂಗಿಕವಾಗಿ ಎಷ್ಟು ಸಾರಿ ಬಳಸಲ್ಪಟ್ಟರೂ ನನ್ನ ಕನ್ಯತ್ವ ಉಳಿಯುವಂಥ ವರ ನನಗಿದೆಯಾದ್ದರಿಂದ ನಾನು ನಿನಗೆ ಸಹಾಯ ಮಾಡಬಲ್ಲೆ’ ಎಂದು ಗಾಲವನ ಬಳಿ ಅವಳೇ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾಳೆ . ಓಎನ್ವಿ ಕುರುಪ್ ಬರೆದ ಈ ಕೃತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಅವರು ಕೆಲವು ಬದಲಾವಣೆಗಳನ್ನು ಮಾಡಿಕೊಂಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಇಡೀ ಕಥೆಯನ್ನು ಪುರುಷರಿಂದ ಘೋರ ಅನ್ಯಾಯಕ್ಕೊಳಗಾಗಿ ಮಾನಸಿಕ ಯಾತನೆಯನ್ನು ಅನುಭವಿಸಿರಬಹುದಾದ ಮಾಧವಿಯ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಯಿಂದ ಬರೆಯಲಾಗಿದೆ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಇದರ ಸ್ತ್ರೀವಾದಿ ಓದು ಒಂದು ವಿಶಿಷ್ಟ ಅನುಭವವನ್ನು ನೀಡುತ್ತದೆ.ಮಲಯಾಳದ ಜ್ಞಾನಪೀಠ ಪ್ರಶಸ್ತಿ ವಿಜೇತ ಸಾಹಿತಿ ಓಎನ್ವಿಕುರುಪ್ ಅವರ ‘ಸ್ವಯಂವರಂ’ ಎಂಬ ಖಂಡಕಾವ್ಯದ ಭಾವಾನುವಾದವಿದು. ಮಹಾಭಾರತದ `ಉದ್ಯೋಗ ಪರ್ವ’ ದಲ್ಲಿ ಬರುವ ಒಂದು ಉಪಾಖ್ಯಾನದಲ್ಲಿ ಪುರುಷ ವರ್ಗದಿಂದ ಘೋರವಾಗಿ ಶೋಷಣೆಗೊಳಗಾದ ಮಾಧವಿ ಈ ಕಥೆಯ ನಾಯಕಿಯಾಗಿದ್ದು ಇಡೀ ಕಾವ್ಯವೇ ಅವಳ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಕೋನದಿಂದ ರಚಿತವಾಗಿದ್ದರಿಂದ ಸ್ತ್ರೀವಾದಿ ಓದಿಗೆ ಒಳಪಡಿಸಲು ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಸೂಕ್ತವಾದ ಕೃತಿಯಿದು ಎಂದೆನ್ನಿಸಿ ಅನುವಾದಕಿ ಅದರ ಶೀರ್ಷಿಕೆಯನ್ನು ‘ಮಾಧವಿ ಕಥನ ಕಾವ್ಯ’ವೆಂದು ಬದಲಾಯಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ . ಇದನ್ನು ಓದಿದಾಗೆಲ್ಲ ರಾಮಾಯಣದ ಸೀತೆಯ ನೆನಪಾಗುತ್ತದೆ.
Interested customers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
Also available on














