Nala Charitre: The Legend of Nala(A Short Epic)
₹295.00
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.
Out of stock
| Categories: | Indian Literature in Translation, Works in Fiction |
|---|
| Author | |
|---|---|
| Format |
Related products
-
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

-
Akka Mahadevi, the questioning poet-saint
₹255.00Author: 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.
-
The Gandhi Cap and Other Short Stories
₹345.00Author: Raja Radhikaraman Prasad Sinha, Translator: Mahendra P Srivastava
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.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
-
Saga of The Uprooted
₹95.00Author: 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.
-
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.
-
Inti Dvadasha Akhyana
₹120.00Author: Sathyavathi Harikrishnan
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

-
Sati Kamale
₹240.00Author: S U Paniyadi Translators: B Surendra Rao, K Chinnappa Gowda
This eponymous novel is centred on Kamale, who is an embodiment of wifely virtue. For fifteen long years Kamale lives the life of a widow to the outside world, nurturing the hopes of reuniting with the husband one day. Alone in the room, each night she wears her marks of a married woman with the dagger gifted by Umesha next to her. It could be seen as an exposition on the then existing indigenous discourse in India in the 19th century and early 20th century. Kamale, in her rigorous commitment and in retrieving her husband from ‘death’, is fashioned after Savithri in an intertextual reference to Mahabharata’s episode of “Satyavan and Savithri”. The novel might look conservative for the present-day reader, but it is a representative literary work of the time when Paniyadi, among many others, wanted to regain the independent status of the Tulu language which had somehow slipped out of its pedestal.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
-
If we meet again we shall smile
₹199.00Author: Anushua Chakrabarti
People leave our lives. Some simply walk away from our world while some leave this world altogether. Through visuals, poetry and short stories, the author has a dialogue with the reader that takes them both through a journey full of characters that are no more, and yet have shaped the story. This fictional dialogue is a short trip down memory lane that visits the relationships one keeps hidden beneath.
Anushua Chakrabarti, originally from Kolkata, is a wandering minstrel. She lives on travel and music. Anushua has completed her MBA from TAPMI, Manipal, India, post which she worked in top technology brands like HP and Microsoft. She is presently back in Kolkata, driving social service through her acquired experience. Anushua has faced several childhood traumas but she believes she is what she is today, not in spite of it; but because of it.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.









