Gandhi's Tiger and Sita's Smile presents a collection of compelling essays which interrogate a variety of Indian texts and contexts along intersecting axes of gender, nation, and desire. The primary theme that weaves these varied essays together, written at different points of time with varying focal points of interest, is intertextuality. Vanita examines the way in which medieval texts speak to each other and draw on earlier canonical works, rewriting and transforming narrative in a spirit of respectful conversation. She also looks at modern texts, such as nineteenth-century poetry and twentieth-century fiction and cinema, as they converse with each other and with older texts. In doing so, she tries to explore how such pre-modern and modern texts are received in later periods or by other cultures in the same period. These captivating and intensely thought-provoking writings demonstrate the author's superb ability to turn the norm, whether Right-wing or Left-Wing, on its head, and find a fresh way to appreciate diversity and change, and the valuable dialogue they give rise to.

This Volume Has Two Parts, Surveys Of All The Languages And Selections From Three Languages Assamese, Bengali And Dogri.

"The poem is rising into splendid popularity. Some say it is better than Milton-but that is all bosh-nothing can be better than Milton; many say it licks Kalidasa; I have no objection to that. I don't think it impossible to equal Virgil, Kalidasa, and Tasso." Michael Madhusudan Datta wrote this in a letter to a friend about his verse narrative, The Slaying of Meghanada (1861). The epic, a Bengali version of the Ramayana story in which Ravana, not Rama, is the hero, has become a classic of Indian literature. Datta lived in Bengal at the height of what is frequently called the Bengal Renaissance, a time so labeled for its reinvigoration and reconfiguration of the Hindu past and for the florescence of the literary arts. It was also a period when the Bengali city of Kolkata was a center of world trade-the second city of the British empire-and thus a site of cultural exchange between India and the West. Datta was the perfect embodiment of this time and place. The Slaying of Meghanada is deeply influenced by western epic tradition, and is sprinkled with nods to Homer, Milton, and Dante. Datta's deft intermingling of western and eastern literary traditions brought about a sea change in South Asian literature, and is generally considered to mark the dividing line between pre-modern and modern Bengali literature. Datta's masterpiece is now accessible to readers of English in Clinton Seely's elegant translation, which captures both the sense and the spirit of the original. The poem is supplemented by an extensive introduction, notes, and a glossary.

The book entitled Memorable Characters from The Ramayana and The Mahabharata by Chandra Mauli Mani highlights the excellent qualities of head and heart of the characters in the great epics and their achievements which have universal appeal. Apart from being useful for the general reader, it has something to offer to the discerning reader.

A Major Activity Of The Sahitya Akademi Is The Preparation Of An Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature. The Venture, Covering Twenty-Two Languages Of India, Is The First Of Its Kind. Written In English, The Encyclopaedia Gives A Comprehensive Idea Of The Growth And Development Of Indian Literature. The Entries On Authors, Books And General Topics Have Been Tabulated By The Concerned Advisory Boards And Finalised By A Steering Committee. Hundreds Of Writers All Over The Country Contributed Articles On Various Topics. The Encyclopaedia, Planned As A Six-Volume Project, Has Been Brought Out. The Sahitya Akademi Embarked Upon This Project In Right Earnest In 1984. The Efforts Of The Highly Skilled And Professional Editorial Staff Started Showing Results And The First Volume Was Brought Out In 1987. The Second Volume Was Brought Out In 1988, The Third In 1989, The Fourth In 1991, The Fifth In 1992, And The Sixth Volume In 1994. All The Six Volumes Together Include Approximately 7500 Entries On Various Topics, Literary Trends And Movements, Eminent Authors And Significant Works. The First Three Volume Were Edited By Prof. Amaresh Datta, Fourth And Fifth Volume By Mohan Lal And Sixth Volume By Shri K.C.Dutt.

(This) Absorbing New Book Shows How Subtly And Imaginatively Indian Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Unions Have Evolved Over The Centuries&And Offers A Marvelously Global Perspective Characterized By Profound Historical Understanding, Impeccable Scholarship, And A Rare And Delightful Precision Of Feeling. - Terry Castle, Professor At Stanford University, Editor Of The Literature Of Lesbianism. Why Should The State S Refusal To Recognize A Union As Marriage Mean That The Union Is Not A Marriage? In Love S Rite Ruth Vanita Asks This Challenging Question In Order To Emphasize That Mutual Consent And Family And Community Recognition Validate A Marriage-And This Support Frequently Extends To Same-Sex Marriages As Well. When People Claim The Right To Marry, Their Sex Or Sexuality Is Not Intrinsic To That Right, Although Social Prejudice Makes It Appear So. Moreover, It Cannot Be Denied That A Multitude Of Events And Depictions In Vastly Different Cultures, Times And Places, All Point To The Possibility Of Same-Sex Love And Commitment Being Recognized And Accepted. Marriage Is A Universal Rite Of Passage That Can, In The Right Circumstances, Become The Perfect Ceremony Of Love S Rite . Vanita Examines The Twin Phenomena Of Same-Sex Weddings And Same-Sex Joint Suicides (Mostly Female) That Have Been Reported From Many Parts Of India. She Argues That These Couples, When They Choose To Marry Or Die Together, Invoke Long-Standing But Fluid Indian Legal, Religious, And Literary-Cinematic Traditions To Declare Their Love To The World. Using Her Intimate Knowledge Of Ancient Indian Textual History, The Author Demonstrates That Same-Sex Love And Relationships Are Deeply Rooted In Indian Culture- And Compares The Cultural And Legal Implications Of Same-Sex Marriage In India With Those In The West. The International Debate On Same-Sex Marriage Is Relevant To All Democratic Societies Today. Ruth Vanita Brings A Fresh Perspective To This Debate, Suggesting That Same-Sex Marriage Dwells At The Heart, Not On The Margins, Of Culture. An Effortless Combination Of Empathy, Moral Conviction And Deep Cultural Sensitivity -Ashis Nandy

This is the first book to examine the same-sex weddings and same-sex couple suicides reported in India over the last two decades. Ruth Vanita examines these cases in the context of a wide variety of same-sex unions, from Fourteenth-century narratives about co-wives who miraculously produce a child together, to Nineteenth-century depictions of ritualized unions between women, to marriages between gay men and lesbians arranged over the internet. Examining the changing legal, literary, religious and social Indian and Euro-American traditions within which same-sex unions are embedded, she brings a fresh perspective to the gay marriage debate, suggesting that same-sex marriage dwells not at the margins but at the heart of culture. Love's Rites by Ruth Vanita is a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award.

This companion takes the reader on a journey from Ayodhya to Lanka, through forests, seas and skies. Along with an overview, synopsis and 'who's who' of the Ramayana, the epic is recounted, episode-by-episode, with analytical comments drawing a parity between the present and a bygone time.

The book critically analyses questions of gender and sexuality in the medieval religious texts of Bengal. It analyses the emergence of religious cults in patriarchal contexts, the humanization of the goddess figure as a wife and mother who is subject to social and ethical codes, and demythologization of folk epics. This book discusses the folk genre of the Mangal Kavyas such as the Chandi Mangal and the Manasa Mangal, against the perspectives of Sanskrit texts like the Devi Mahatmya and the Devi Bhagavata Purana, and compares and contrasts the Kalika Purana against the texts and practices of the Tantric cult, to shed light on the paradoxes and parallels in the images of Kali found in the texts and practices dominant in the eastern region of India. The author also highlights the centrality of Chaitanya in the Gaudiya Vaishnava movement, the social and religious revolution he brought with the philosophy of raganuga bhakti along with the androgynous aspects in his relationships; explores the concept of mystical eroticism in the love of Radha and Krishna as seen in the song sequences of the Gaudiya Vaishnavas; and discusses women’s Rama-kathas found in a variety of languages across India. Rich in archival material, this book will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of gender studies, women’s studies, literature, medieval history, social history, cultural anthropology, religious studies, cultural studies, South Asia studies, and those interested in the history of medieval Bengal.