Knit India Through Literature Volume IV - The North - Sanskrit
By Sivasankari
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About this ebook
‘Knit India Through Literature...' is a mega literary project, first of its kind in Indian literature, is the result of the penance-yagna done for 16 years by Sivasankari, noted Tamil writer.
'Knit India Through Literature' has inolved intense sourcing, research and translation of literature from 18 Indian languages. The project she says aims to introduce Indians to other Indians through literature and culture and help knit them together.
The interviews of stalwart writers from all 18 languages approved by the eighth schedule of Indian Constitution, accompanied by a creative work of the respective writer are published with her travelogues of different regions, along with an indepth article by a scholar on the cultural and literary heritage of each of the language, in four volumes - South, East, West and North respectively.
Her travelogues, her interviews and the overview of each literature she has sought, all reveal one important unity... the concern our writers and poets express in their works for the problems that beset our country today. Through her project Sivasankari feels writers can make an invaluable contribution with their writings to change the thinking of the people and help eliminate those problems.
In this volume she deals with Hindi one of the languages spoken in northern region of India.
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Knit India Through Literature Volume IV - The North - Sanskrit - Sivasankari
https://www.pustaka.co.in
Knit India Through Literature Volume IV - The North – Sanskrit
Author:
Sivasankari
For more books
https://www.pustaka.co.in/home/author/sivasankari-novels
Table of Contents
Foreword
Preface- I
Preface – II
Preface – III
Preface - IV
But for whom this project would not been possible...
Rajendra Mishra
The Nameless
Poems
R. Thiagarajan
Aircraft in Ancient India - An Aerial Survey
Modern Sanskrit Literature
Vision of Indian Literature
award from
The Tamil Literary Garden, Canada
Foreword
As the last volume of her Magnum Opus ‘Knit India Through Literature’ nears publication, Sivasankari is bound to feel overwhelmed by the sense of fulfilment. One can easily gauge how excruciating the task was. Sixteen years, a tapa, of her creative life, has been spent in mapping multilingual literary India. By taking this project to its logical conclusion, she has substantiated Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan’s assertion that though we write in many languages our literature is one.
I had earlier read the first three volumes and now am privileged to go through the fourth one, even before it has gone to press. The reading has helped me to learn immensely about the other languages and their literatures. As Sivasankari herself put it, her work introduced me to other fellow countrymen like never before. It is said that Mahatma Gandhi, in order to understand the people of his country, undertook a tour of entire India before plunging into the nationalist movement. Sivasankari’s travels across the length and breadth of the country and the interviews with some of the celebrated creative minds assumes similar significance, as they not only project the glorious literary scenario prevailing in India but also throw light on the shortcomings and the problems faced by literature in India.
I have known Sivasankari much before she embarked on this ambitious project. I knew her as an eminent fiction writer. But these four volumes have revealed to me the other facets of her creativity. The brilliant account of her travels through various terrains is so amazing that I am sure, if compiled, the travelogue can be termed as ‘Another Discovery of India.’ If the Discovery of India has introduced the history and culture of India in its entirety, Sivasankari’s work is a discovery of literary India that thus far was unexplored so exhaustively.
The account of her travel experiences is vivid and descriptions absorbing. She so vivifies her journeys and sojourns as to give the reader a feeling of travelling and meeting people along with her. Laced with anecdotes, folktales and historical sagas, the travelogues are very informative. She has not missed to mention the architectural genius of Robert Lutyens who built the modern city of New Delhi or Le Corbusier, the Swiss architect who designed the planned city of Chandigarh and the marvel of 1,500 – year - old iron pillar near Qutub Minar built by Chandragupta that has not caught any rust so far. She has also enlightened her readers by going to the roots of the names of places, rivers or monuments. How did the Urdu language get its name? From what was the name Kashmir derived? How Bhopal is a derivative of Bhojpal, the kingdom of Raja Bhoj. And Punjab is the Land of Five Rivers. Etymology somehow makes reading remarkably interesting.
Folklore is a record of the socio - cultural history of the people of a region. The selected anecdotes she came across during her travels have been presented in a gripping manner. We are familiar with the legend of Parshurama who created the Gomant - Bhumi (Goa) or the coastal Kerala by reclaiming land from the sea. But here is a totally different story behind the formation of the valley of Kashmir. Jalod Bowa, a demon who hid in a hill - side lake tortured the people living on the slopes of the hills. Kashyap, a sage, carved a hole to the hill in a manner that caused the water of the lake to be drained out. The demon was exposed and then vanquished. The valley created by the drained-out lake was allowed to be inhabited by the people living on the slopes and came to be known as Kashmir, after the sage Kashyap. Similarly, the story of King Avanti Verma who streamlined the waters of river Vishishtha to overcome the fury of the floods remind us of Bhagirath who relocated the course of the River Ganges.
Yes! The Qutub area of New Delhi adorns the look of a grazing place for cattle and goats. Why? It is because of the curse of the Saint Nizam – ud - din who was stopped by the emperor Tughlak from constructing a mosque in that area. Yet another tale tells about the barbaric Hun king, Mahir Gul, who drew sadistic pleasure in pushing a hundred elephants off a cliff just because their death cries sounded like music to his ears. The tragic story of Mummal and Mahendra as told in Rajasthan is a heart - rendering one. Princess Mummal of Jaisalmer fell in love with Prince Mahendra of Sindh. Mahendra’s father was against the union. The day Mahendra was to go to meet Mummal, the king drove nails into the shoes of the camel he was riding. Meanwhile, Mummal’s sister, eager to catch a sight of the prince, accompanied Mummal dressed up as a male drummer. As the time of meeting approached, Mummal started dancing to the tune of her sister’s drumbeats. Mahendra’s arrival was delayed as his camel could not keep up the pace. Tired, both the sisters fell asleep. Mahendra, enraged by the sight of his love sleeping in the embrace of a male drummer, returned to Sindh never to meet her again. The sad episode has found place in Rajasthani folklore.
The account is replete with attention - grabbing information. The only temple of Lord Brahma is in Pushkar because his wife Saraswati, furious over Brahma’s infidelity, cursed him that there would be no temple of Brahma anywhere in the world other than in Pushkar. Kwaja Moin – ud - din Chisti, the famous saint had travelled from Persia to Ajmer in 1192. Sivasankari goes on to describe some strange sights too. While in Bikaner, she visits the Karni Matha temple where, apart from the presiding deity, thousands of rats that are considered as divine, live freely climbing all over the idol, sipping milk in the plates and eating the sweets offered by the devotees.
Sivasankari’s travel writings are not mere objective narratives. She is very much subjective in her approach. She opens up her mind to share her personal experiences with the readers. How for example, one feels scared at Manikarnika Ghat of Kasi - Benaras where bodies are being cremated twenty - four hours a day. The sight leads her to confirm her belief that ‘the death is the absolute and ultimate truth... the essence of life.’ The view of Patna, where the ugly appearance of the large scale unfinished houses, believed to have left half-finished to avoid the taxes, leaves a bitter taste in one’s mouth. The appalling state of the city of Gaya shocks her. And the plight of 2000 - odd widows dumped in Brindavan Ashram stings her creative mind prompting her to make a decision to write on this subject at a later date. There is a brighter side to it too when she joyfully describes the pleasant ritual of aarati offered to the River Ganga at the Dasaswamedha Ghat at Kasi. During a boat ride in the serene waters of the Ganga, she has a feeling of being on a time machine... transported several years back in time.
The vivid memories that came back to her of her earlier visits also make interesting reading. Her two visits to Kashmir so different from each other, to Rajpath in Delhi that reminds her of her first visit to Delhi as a student where she represented the State Natioanl Cadet Corps in the Republic Day Parade; to Lucknow where a film was shot on her novel; to Jamshedpur where she was invited to lecture on the evils of drug abuse; to Rashtrapati Bhavan where she met the President, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and most importantly the warm reception she received when she interviewed the then Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi at the South Block.
The lucid descriptions of places like Pushkar, Sanchi, Kasi, Ladakh are greatly absorbing As I read them I myself revisited many places like Shimla, Kulu - Manali, Sanchi, Agra, etc., and developed an urge to visit those I have missed. Sivasankari’s compassionate appeal to writers to visit the places like Delhi, Kasi, Ladakh amply proves her faith in sharing.
***
Sivasankari is a