The Zoo In My Backyard

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.

Kaitan Gandhiya Swatantrya Horata is one of the very few novels written in Kannada on the Gandhian phase of the Indian freedom struggle. It is not globally unknown that Gandhi not only changed the idiom of the struggle and successfully experimented his lifetime-belief in non-violence on the vast canvas but also made it decisively inclusive. Kaitan Gandhi?s Freedom Struggle thematically illuminates these two crucial aspects of the great struggle and grapples with the naked truth as Charles, the priest in the novel revealingly says, ?The rulers, whosoever it is, are rulers. Caste, colour, or country does not matter to them. All are wicked.? Like in all true works of realist literature, the author, here too, creatively blends the individual, the social, and the historical in such a way that the novel poignantly unfolds the true spirit of quest ? for freedom and humanity.