Swapna Saraswatha
₹530.00
Author: Gopalakrishna Pai Translator: Sumathi Shenoy, M R Rakshith, Savita Sastri
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.
Out of stock
| Author | M R Rakshith, Savita Sastri, Sumathi Shenoy, Gopalakrishna Pai |
|---|---|
| Format |
Related products
-
Ancient Stone Riddles: Megaliths of the Indian Subcontinent
₹185.00Ancient Stone Riddles is an introduction to the fascinating but less-known monuments called megaliths in the context of the Indian subcontinent. The book seeks to present the current understanding among archaeologists and other researchers in a lucid manner to the general reader, while stimulating thought on the many questions that linger about these remnants from our distant past and the people and cultures that built them. It also discusses recent research about the knowledge systems possessed by the megalith builders, including the possibility that some of these monuments were erected to observe celestial cycles.
Interested customers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
Also available on

-
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.
-
Retro India
₹350.00Author: 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.
-
Legends of Travancore – A Numismatic Heritage
₹1,250.00The Kingdom of Travancore in the Southern part of India was a native state in British India which was well known for its progressive outlook. Its enlightened royalty ruled the country as Sree Padmanabha Dasa. They had in place a well oiled administrative mechanism that implemented various programs and reforms, resulting in an overall development of Travancore. Though Travancore was under the colonial rulers, there was a well-orchestrated administrative machinery for coinage. Coins were minted as per the specifications ordered by the periodically issued Royal Proclamations. It is creditable that Travancore retained its independence in its functioning to a large extent. This book is an insight into the coins of Modern Travancore (from 1729 AD) which not only reflects the religious beliefs of the rulers, but also sketches the socio-political atmosphere of the period. Dr Joseph Thomas hailing from Thiruvananthapuram, is a Professor of Urology at Manipal University in India. His passion for collecting coins developed into a serious numismatic pursuit. His special area of interest is the study of the history of Venad and Travancore. His detailed study of the Travancore coins and the various related issues give an insight into the rich numismatic heritage of modern Travancore. He is a Life Member of the Philatelic and Numismatic Association of Thiruvananthapuram and a Life Member of the South Indian Numismatic Society, Chennai.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
-
Post Googlism and Other Short Stories
₹350.00Author: R C Natarajan
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.
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.
-
Reliving the memories of an Indian forester: Memoir of S Shyam Sunder
₹450.00Editor: 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.
-
Ayurvedic Inheritance- A Reader’s Companion
₹650.00Author: 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









