A poignant tale about death rituals going wrong, Karya is a perfect companion read to UR Ananthamurthy’s Samskara. The book unfurls the politics and power embedded within a Dalit community.
Karya brings out the poignancy in a situation that gets out of hand when a Dalit community performs the rites for the dead.
A draft of wind flames the fire of the kullagi (the ritual fire made out of dung cakes) and it has to be put down on the ground. The ceremony is ruined because the ritual demands that the fire be carried by hand and never be placed on the ground. A series of things then since start going wrong because one part of the ceremony has not been completed.
Karya is critique of religious customs and rituals. It also highlights the pathos of belonging to a Dalit community.
About The Author
Aravind Malagatti is a prominent poet and writer in Kannada. He has authored more than forty books which include poetry, short fiction, a novel, and essays. His Government Brahamana, the first Dalit autobiography in Kannada, won the Karnataka Sahitya Akademi Award. He was also appointed as the Chairman for Kannada Sahitya Akademi.
April 2021 | Penguin Random House India
Rs 399 | Hardcover
