Retro India
₹350.00
Author: R M Rajgopal
Retro India is, in essence, a trip down the memory lane, meandering through the sixties, seventies, eighties and nineties of the twentieth century. Today’s youth would battle with the fact that India had experienced a sweeping change from what it was in just as recently as thirty years ago. What kind of a moribund economy could engender a continuing state of shortages, high inflation, low growth, a paucity of jobs, rampant smuggling, and a foreign exchange situation that was perpetually perilous! It took major political and economical transformations to remove the shackles that then bound the economy. This narrative provides a clear bridge between the then and now for the younger generations. And for the older reader, it provides a heap of nostalgia. In the latter half of the twentieth century, the changes in India have been vast and comprehensive. In these decades, economic indicators such as India’s growth in GDP rate, the proliferation of the number of Airlines in the Indian skies, the multiplying of car models, the flourishing of telephone connections and moving on to the world of mobiles, televisions going colour from black and white to operating with over a thousand channels, India turning digital, and so on clearly directs that India had taken a crucial turn in its history. India has changed. And how! The Indian consumer grins. This is notwithstanding the fact that poverty is endemic and the gulf between the rich and the poor.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
Category: | General Interest |
---|
Author | |
---|---|
Format |
Related products
-
Comets – Nomads of the Solar System
This book introduces the general reader to the world of comets – those celestial visitors from the outer Solar System that occasionally visit the Earth’s neighbourhood and put up spectacular shows in the night sky. The world had geared up for just such a show at the end of 2013, when Comet ISON was expected to light up the night sky. Using the occasion to bring the world of comets to those interested, this book is a delightful read about the quirky world of these unpredictable visitors. Apart from lucidly and accurately updating the reader about what comets are, where they come from, why is it that they assume the fantastic shapes they do etc. “Comets” also regales the reader with myths about comets in various cultural contexts, snippets about famous comets in the history of mankind, anecdotes on comet discoveries and discoverers, the bewildering procedures followed while naming comets and much more. The book takes a hard look at the hype surrounding the fiery expectations about Comet ISON an cautions the reader that, while there was a good chance of the comet blazing forth in the skies of December 2013, there was a realistic chance that the comet would not survive its close encounter with the Sun. Sadly, the pessimistic predictions came true and the comet disintegrated as it went around the Sun. As we wait for chance to throw us a Great Comet to gaze at in the future, “Comets: Nomads of the Solar System” is an excellent guide to prepare for the event!
Interested customers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
Also available on
-
The Ramayana of Valmiki: A condensed version of Valmiki’s epic
Author: M R Parameswaran
The world’s greatest epic poem Valmikiramayana, composed over 2,500 years ago, is loved by countless millions of men and women of all religions. The present book is the first condensed version in English of the most reliable version of Valmikiramayana, the Critical Edition prepared by Baroda Oriental Research Institute, India.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book. -
Defiance
Defiance 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.
-
Pot of Butter and other short stories
Author: 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.
-
Reliving the memories of an Indian forester: Memoir of S Shyam Sunder
Editor: Shiv Someshwar
Shyam Sunder’s memoir is a series of vignettes, from numerous comedic to a tragic few. The life narrated is varied and never short of excitement – being ten yards from a charging tusker or a foot away from a King Cobra; defying orders of the chief minister; being hauled up for contempt of the high court, and discussing with Indira Gandhi the best way to eat avocados. Possessed of wit and passion, the narration lays bare the hubris of popular discourse on noble forest livelihoods, and unflinchingly narrates neglect of rural communities, as well as of forests, at times by the callous imposition of rules and regulations.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
-
Bamonn: Story of a Konkani Roman Catholic
Author: 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.
-
Mukha Mudre – Kyamaradalli Kannada Saahitigalu
Author: A N Mukunda
ಪೋರ್ಟ್ರೇಟ್ ಅಂದರೆ ಕೇವಲ ಭಾವಚಿತ್ರವಲ್ಲ, ಅದೊಂದು ‘ವಿಶಿಷ್ಟ ಭಾವಚಿತ್ರ’ ಅಥವಾ ‘ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವ ಚಿತ್ರ’ ಎನ್ನುವ ಮುಕುಂದರ ನಿಲುವು ಈ ಛಾಯಾಚಿತ್ರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಮೂರ್ತವಾಗಿ ವ್ಯಕ್ತವಾಗಿದೆ. ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಯ ಮುಖವೇ ಅವನ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವದ ಸಮರ್ಪಕ ಅಭಿವ್ಯಕ್ತಿ ಎಂಬ ಪ್ರಬಲವಾದ ನಂಬಿಕೆ ಹಾಗೂ ವಿಶ್ವಾಸಗಳನ್ನು ಇಟ್ಟುಕೊಂಡಿರುವ ಮುಕುಂದರು ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಸಂಯಮದಿಂದ ಏಕಾಗ್ರತೆಯಿಂದ ಕಾದು ಸೆರೆಹಿಡಿದ ‘ಮಾಂತ್ರಿಕ ಕ್ಷಣ’ಗಳಿಂದಾಗಿ ಈ ಎಲ್ಲ ಭಾವಚಿತ್ರಗಳಿಗೆ ಏಕಕಾಲಕ್ಕೆ ಅಧಿಕೃತತೆ ಮತ್ತು ಆಪ್ತತೆ ಲಭ್ಯವಾಗಿವೆ. ಇಂತಹ ‘ಫೋಟೋ ಪುಸ್ತಕ’ವೊಂದು ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಕಟವಾಗುತ್ತಿರುವುದು ಇದೇ ಮೊದಲು.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
-
Ayurvedic Inheritance- A Reader’s Companion
Author: M S Valiathan
In ancient India, learning spanned four quarters of one’s life. Learning was sought from the teacher, from one’s individual effort, from fellow students and in the last quarter, from the school of life itself. This book belongs to the third quarter for students of Ayurveda regardless of their background in medicine, science, or humanities. Apart from topics in the eight branches of Ayurveda, the book also deals with Ayurvedic Biology which seeks to study the concepts and procedures of Ayurveda with the tools of modern biology. M S Valiathan is a National Research Professor of the Government of India. He is a medical graduate from the University of Kerala and completed his postgraduate training in general surgery from the University of Liverpool and other hospitals in the UK. He did his specialisation in cardiac surgery from the Johns Hopkins and Georgetown University Hospitals in the US. He was a cardiac surgeon for over three decades. His shift to Ayurvedic studies resulted in the publication of three volumes on Caraka, Susruta and Vagbhata, and an Introduction to Ayurveda. The Department of Science and Technology set up a Task Force in Ayurvedic Biology under his chairmanship to promote research in the nascent discipline.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
International Edition available on South Asia Edition available on