Language Reviews

August 30, 2011 01:04 pm | Updated 01:04 pm IST

TAMIL

Gandhiji's thoughts

VAAZHUM DEIVAM MAHATMA: Naa. Perumal; Iswarya Publications, Plot No. 46, 2nd Cross Street, Nagappa Nagar, Chromepet, Chennai-600044. Rs. 130.

THIS BOOK gives glimpses into the life and work of Gandhiji. It is in fact a compilation of excerpts from his speeches and writings. As a follow-up to each of these, the author writes hortatory essays that should act as an inspiration especially to the youth.

The book is well-organised with more than 60 pieces marshalled under 26 topics from ‘love' through ‘duty' and ‘sacrifice' to ‘people's power.' The essays on such themes as ‘purity of mind', ‘womanhood' and ‘simplicity' have a topical relevance even today, which the author has highlighted with liberal use of quotations from Gandhiji and other leaders of national and international standing. The prose is elegant.

The fact that the source of the excerpts from Gandhiji's opus has not been given is a shortcoming. The information would have been useful to those who would like to further explore the subject. Illustrations are plentiful but few photographs are sharp and clear in printing.

The title of Ruskin's book is given wrongly.

The cover design is austere in tune with the subject of the book. The end-of-print graphic is apposite. The note on author should have been less prominent.

KANNADA

Historical novel in translation

SHIVAKAMIYA SHAPATA: Translation of Tamil novel Sivakamiyin Sabatham by Sashikala Raja; Sahitya Akademi, 35, Ferozeshah Road, New Delhi-110001. Rs. 400.

A PIONEER in historical novels in Tamil, Kalki is known for picking up some notable events mostly during the reign of ancient Tamil rulers and weave an interesting story around them, with a lot of imagination thrown in. His writings are marked by exhaustive descriptions of the social and cultural settings of those times.

Regarded as a milestone in the history of novels of this genre, Kalki's Sivakamiyin Sabatham is set against the backdrop of the vicissitudes in the relations between the Pallavas and Chalukyas, alternating between cordiality and hostility. Its core element is the vow of a danseuse, Sivakami, not to return to Kanchi until Vatapi is vanquished.

As the story unfolds, the glory of Tamil culture, the royal patronage the various art forms like dance and music enjoyed, the military strategies adopted by the rulers, the intelligence networks, the warring methods as also historical characters like Narasimha Varman and Paranjathi come alive in all their fascinating facets. So do the war scenes of Pulikesi's invasion of Kancheepuram. The parts played by a Buddhist monk (Naganandi) and the Kapalike in the politics of the time are brought out effectively.

MALAYALAM

Truths unpleasant

DEVADASIKALUM HIJADAKALUM: P. Surendran; DC Books, DC Kizhakemuri Edam, Good Shepherd Street, Kottayam-686001. Rs. 90.

THIS BOOK, by a writer known for his literary contributions, is an interesting study on the devadasis and hijadas of the Deccan belt based on information gathered first-hand from visits to the areas concerned.

The author seeks to get at the roots of traditional practices that exploited girls and women, for instance dedicating girls to Yellamma temples of Karnataka and justifying it in the name of surrender to God.

He takes a close look at the various issues related to sexual exploitation that drive girls into brothels or to become devadasis and analyses how such despicable practices became entrenched as ‘custom' and ‘tradition', gaining wider acceptability.

However, Surendran's failure to provide proper reference details of the kind expected of such anthropological studies has considerably devalued his work from the academic standpoint.

Also, some of the generalisations Surendran makes are debatable. For instance, it is hard to agree that the devadasi tradition has a significant part in the legacy of performance arts in Kerala. The fact is that devadasi lineage was never prominent in the State. Basically, in Kerala, the temple-centric female performing arts tradition was associated with ‘Nangiarkoothu', a totally family-oriented performance heritage. If ‘Mohiniyattam' got corrupted, devadasi system was not the primary cause.

A little more care on the production side, especially re-production of the photographs, and the inclusion of a bibliography would have served to enhance the value of the book.

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