THE UNSUNG SONG OF SHAMBUKA AND OTHER POEMS


Book Description

The book contains 60 selected poems which are written in the line of protest-poetry, dares to expose the social inequalities and social injustice in an artistic way.




The Liberation of Sita


Book Description

Valmiki's Ramayana is the story of Rama's exile and return to Ayodhya, of a triumphant king who will always do right by his subjects. In Volga's retelling, it is Sita who, after being abandoned by Purushottam Rama, embarks on an arduous journey towards self-realization. Along the way, she meets extraordinary women who have broken free from all that held them back: husbands, sons, and their notions of desire, beauty and chastity. The minor women characters of the epic as we know it -- Surpanakha, Renuka, Urmila and Ahalya -- steer Sita towards an unexpected resolution. Meanwhile, Rama too must reconsider and weigh his roles as the king of Ayodhya and as a man deeply in love with his wife. A powerful subversion of India's most popular tale of morality, choice and sacrifice, The Liberation of Sita opens up new spaces within the old discourse, enabling women to review their lives and experiences afresh. This is Volga at her feminist best.




Imagining Lahore


Book Description

An anecdotal travelogue about Lahore - which begins in the present and travels through time to the mythological origins of the city attributed to Ram's son, Lav. Through the city's present - its people, communities, monuments, parks and institutions - the author paints a vivid picture of the city's past. From its emergence under Mahmud Ghaznavi to the Mughal centuries where several succession intrigues unfolded on its soil, its recasting as the capital of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Khalsa Empire, the role it played in preserving the British Raj, to acting as an incubator of revolutionaries and people's movements, Lahore influenced the subcontinent's political trajectory time and again. Today, too, Lahore often determines which way the wind will blow on Pakistan's political landscape. The Lahore Resolution of 1940, which laid the blueprint for the creation of the country, was signed here. The city saw the birth of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's PPP, as well as his downfall. It was to Lahore that Benazir Bhutto returned to combat a military dictator, and where Imran Khan heralded his arrival as a main contender on the political battlefield. As the capital of Punjab, Lahore continues to cast a long shadow over the federal state.




Valmiki's Ramayana


Book Description

Valmiki's Ramayana, composed as early as 500 BCE, remains a story that speaks to every generation and continues to enthral millions of people in the Subcontinent and beyond.The noble prince Rama is exiled from Ayodhya on his stepmother's whim, and his loyal brother Lakshmana and beautiful wife, Sita, follow him into the forest despite the many dangers it holds. But when Sita is kidnapped by Ravana, king of the rakshasas, Rama must go deep into himself to find the physical and emotional resources he needs to rescue her.Apart from exploring the fundamental human question of how to be good, the Ramayana is also the story of a god who comes to earth to establish righteousness. The tension between Rama's essentially divine nature and his all too human trials makes this one of the most compelling epics in world literature.




The Shudra


Book Description

The Shudras echoes Dr Ambedkar's question in Who Were the Shudras? that he asked in 1946. More than 70 years later, Kancha Ilaiah and his team of authors revisit this issue to give Shudras a voice again' -CHRISTOPHE JAFFRELOT The Shudras: Vision for a New Path weaves together multiple dimensions of the predicament of India's productive castes-in the spiritual, social, political, economic, philosophical and historical spheres. It reformulates their current position as well as future pathways. It strives to provoke Shudras-including regional political party leaders-all over India to realize their unique historical role in fighting unequal caste structures. And it gives a call to resist Hindutva, in which they have no liberated, equal space with the Dwija castes. At a juncture when the Shudra castes are regionalized and the Dwijas have become 'national', the fifth volume of the Rethinking India series, in collaboration with the Samruddha Bharat Foundation, seeks to bring home the real picture of their marginalized status in all key structures of the nation. It posits that the emancipation and progress of the Shudras are vital to sustain Ambedkar's constitutional democracy and move towards socio-spiritual equality.




Generations


Book Description

Generations is an intricate tale, simply told by a master of fiction about a community of Tamil speakers who live on the borders of modern-day Kerala. Set in the 1940s, it is a novel of generational change and conflict, and how the boy Diravi grows up to take charge of his family, which embodies a distinct culture. Diravi’s sister, Nagu’s marriage to Perumal is wrecked when the latter, enraged at his own failings rejects his young wife. Unacceptable in her own family, Nagu continues to endure Perumal’s cruelty till her brother, Diravi decides on an alternative course of action slashing through outdated social customs that discourage any constructive solutions. Amidst the background of language, myth, and ethnic consciousness, we are offered a sensitively drawn profile of the passing of a traditional way of life into modernity and the nostalgia that comes with change.




An Anthology of Dalit Literature


Book Description

This unique selection of the heart-rending expression in prose and poetry by contemporary Dalit poets are passionate protests of the rejected.




Srimad Ramayana


Book Description

In this the second book of 'Shrimad ROamOayana' the reasons for the 'ill-fated travel' of Lord ROama are described."




The Vigil


Book Description

Interpretations of Valmiki's poem about the epic battle between Raman and his nemesis, Ravanan, tend to focus on the glory and virtues of the hero. But in the Malayalam modern classic Oorukaaval - translated here as The Vigil - Sarah Joseph tells a turbulent tale: that of Angadan, who believes that Raman killed his father Vali against all principles of dharma. Unlike the celebrated central characters who are blind to or choose to ignore that which is inconvenient, Angadan is acutely aware of the silent sufferings of the weak and disempowered. Over and over, the tormented young vanara prince sees Raman act against justice and fair play, not the least of which is his consent to Sita's fire ordeal. Ultimately, though, it is the person most wronged by Raman - Sita - who provides him redemption from his searing quest for revenge. In The Vigil, the familiar rhythm of the original poem is stirred up by Angadan's ascetic touch. Sarah Joseph provides a new spin to the grand old story, bringing in contemporary concerns such as the environment, peace and women's empowerment, and provides a new path, a fresh way of understanding it.




Anthology of Australian Aboriginal Literature


Book Description

In a political system that renders them largely voiceless, Australia's Aboriginal people have used the written word as a powerful tool for over two hundred years. Anthology of Australian Aboriginal Literature presents a rich panorama of Aboriginal culture, history, and life through the writings of some of the great Australian Aboriginal authors. From Bennelong's 1796 letter to contemporary writing, Anita Heiss and Peter Minter have selected works that represent the range and depth of Aboriginal writing in English. Journalism, petitions, and political letters from both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are brought together with major works of poetry, prose, and drama from the mid-twentieth century onward. These works voice not only the ongoing suffering of dispossession but the resilience of Australia's Aboriginal people, their hope and joy. Presenting some of the best, most distinctive writing produced in Australia, this groundbreaking anthology will captivate anyone interested in Aboriginal writing and culture.