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
-
Defiance
₹495.00Defiance 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.
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. -
Makkala Padyamanjari
₹180.00Author: 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.
-
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.
-
Anurakte- The Enamoured
₹390.00Author: Vyasaraya Ballal Translator: Poornima Hebbar
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.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
-
Two Plays – The Sahyadri Saga and The World of Swayamvara
₹199.00Author: Akshara K V Translator: Jayanth Kodkani
These two plays negotiate with the real problems of contemporary India. If Sahyadri Kanda is about the ripples caused in the life of the people in a village on the Western Coast which will soon have a nuclear plant, Swayamvaraloka, is an allegorical narrative set in a small village that extends to include the larger contemporary world. Both the plays dwell on the seeming binaries of village-city, success-failure, modern-traditional while examining the nature of human relationships in the changing world. These plays also reflect an ambition to elevate the real experience to a mythical level. While most playwrights attempt to echo contemporary concerns by reinterpreting history and mythology, for these plays, the epics, their grandeur, the struggle, the wars are not episodes that happen in kingdoms and palaces and battlefields, they are also that which takes place in the microworld of one’s consciousness. Each character in these plays find their own dharma, yet it offers no model for the reader, and remains only a pointer to the complex process of finding it.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
Also available on

eBook available on

-
Sümi and the Dance of the Dark Spirits
₹199.00Author: 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

-
A Shrine for Sarasamma
₹180.00Author: 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.









