U.R. Ananthamurthy – författare

Examining the caste system, culture, religious rules, and traditions, as well as the ambivalent relationship between handed-down cultural values and the new values of a changing world, Samskara looks at deeper moral and philosophical issues like how to lead a righteous life, the validity of customs, and the concept of brahminism in a contemporary world. A classic of modern Indian literature, it is both a religious novel and a contemporary reworking of ancient Hindu themes and myths. Probing multiple meanings of the word 'Samskara', which means rite of passage, ritual, preparation, transformation, as well as death rites, this novel is an engrossing tale of the personal transformation of a man living in a community that refuses to change with the times. This Oxford India Perennials edition includes detailed notes that explain Hindu myths, customs, Indian names, flora, and other terms, an afterword that explores the various dimensions of the novel's substance and meaning, and an essay by Susheela Punitha based on an interview with the author.

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. The story revolves around the life of an 'enlightened' modern Indian, Jagannatha. Violent and unexpected events follow Jagannatha's attempts to revolutionize everyone and everything by linking his own transformation to the changes he wishes to orchestrate. With its display of literary discipline in handling intertwining themes, the novel exposes the complexities of the caste system and the myth of social justice in modern India.

U.R. Ananthamurthy (1932-2014), author of Samskara and such other contemporary Indian classics, wrote in Kannada. Born in the heart of the Western Ghats, he grew up in an atmosphere steeped in Vedic thought. Suragi is his autobiographical work where he recounts how he grappled with questions of religion and secularism, orthodoxy and modernity, authoritarianism, and democracy. Drawing from Indian thought, he developed the concept of the critical insider, arguing that criticism of a culture becomes genuine and worthy of acceptance when it comes from one living within it. His evocative writing portrayed relationships shaped by the flux of contemporary India. He won the highest literary honours in India, including the Jnanpith, and was shortlisted for the Booker prize. He headed the National Book Trust and Sahitya Akademi, and served as vice-chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam. Travelling across the world, Ananthamurthy served as a cultural ambassador who represented India through its ideas and metaphors. He did not shy away from unpopular stands, and remained a daring writer and provocateur till the very end. Suragi tells the story of his life. 'Suragi' is the flower that leaves behind a sweet fragrance long after its freshness is no more.