The Multivalence of an Epic: Retelling the Ramayana in South India and Southeast Asia

Culture and Creativity is a collection of essays of N Manu Chakravarthy, a prominent culture critic known for his discourses on music, cinema, literature and several aspects of culture and philosophy. This book illustrates the intellectual and ethical perspectives that shape his discussions on wide range of issues. These discussions are reflective of the inspiration he draws from his father Prof G N Chakravarthy and his teachers Prof C D Narasimhaiah, Prof U R Ananthamurthy, and Prof B Damodara Rao. The ideas of Ivan Illich and Noam Chomsky, and his friend D R Nagaraj are also instrumental in framing the critical nature of his interpretations. The essays in this book encompass Prof Manu Chakravarthy?s perspectives on religion, secularism, tradition, and modernity. The references to Sri Narayanaguru, M K Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, and the interview with Gustavo Esteva, evince his preoccupation with madhyamamarga. They also foreground his views on nationalism, metaphysics, media, politics and the crises of the third world and India in a globalised context. This work is a testimony to the form of scholarship he values.

Writing the Self in Illness: Reading the Experiential Through the Medical Memoir is MUP?s refreshing venture into the developing fields of Medical and Health Humanities with an aim to consider the necessity of the narrative knowledge as complementary to the contemporary notions of well-being, illness, and healthcare.

Is individual happiness contingent on health and well-being? How does one find happiness in the throes of illness? In the present-day scenario, wherein medical practice is largely dominated by evidence-based understanding, diagnostic language, and problem-solving methods, the discipline of Medical Humanities emerges with a reciprocal dialogue between Humanities, Social Sciences, Health, and Medicine. The study of varied experiential narratives ? literary works and unmediated accounts of patients and healthcare professionals, is foregrounded in Medical Humanities to amplify knowledge and understanding about the complexity of encounters with illness and their transformational quality in a nuanced manner. Both thought-provoking and informative, this publication brings about the anecdotal form of personal narratives in the light of medical discourses along with the specific cultural context of the narrative.
The present publication seeks to be an important reading for students and academics in the field of medical humanities, health professionals or medical practitioners, as well as scholars aspiring to venture into this flourishing field.

Transformation Beyond Sight is a gripping narrative of the author?s experience in the hospital administration of Kasturba Hospital (KH), Manipal. As an experiential account, the present book provides insights into the thoughts, concerns, and apprehensions of prospective hospital administrators, and spotlights the vital role played by a hospital administrator in the day-to-day operations of KH, which is also an advanced healthcare facility.This book draws attention to the transformational quality of the author?s experiences to emphasize that the evolution in leadership and management of the teaching hospital went hand-in-hand with the transformation of the author?s administrative skills, and his own persona as a diligent administrator. The biographical undertone also provides an insight into the complex and dynamic healthcare environment, alongside the competencies, creativity, and mindfulness necessary for an administrator. This book narrates a hospital administrator?s engagements with the traditional processes and his attempts to bring about effective changes in the management and monitoring of operations of KH and the overall management of a healthcare facility.