Book,
Bharathipura
Oxford university press, New Delhi, (2010)
Abstract
Perhaps the most significant work in caste literature since PremchandaEUR s Godan (1936), Bharathipura reveals U.R. AnanthamurthyaEUR s preoccupation with moving beyond caste and class interests. First published in 1973, Bharathipura is about the practice of untouchability in a traditional society that is evolving into modernity through new economic forces brought in by a certain class of people. When the townaEUR s wealthiest landlord returns home, multiple realities unfold. Violent and unexpected events follow JagannathaaEUR s attempts to revolutionize everyone and everything by linking his own transformation to the changes he wishes to orchestrate. Emotional, fast-moving, and deeply philosophical, this novel by one of IndiaaEUR s most famous living authors, himself the grandson of a priest, confronts every kind of reader with IndiaaEUR s greatest tragedy: caste. While Susheela PunithaaEUR s translation retains the cultural and linguistic power of the original, the introduction by N. Manu Chakravarthy sketches the contextual map of the work. The interview with the author unveils his rare worldview. With its display of literary discipline in handling intertwining themes, this masterpiece will appeal to readers of all hues including students and teachers of Indian writing, comparative literature, and translation and cultural studies.
