KALA KRISHNAN’S MURUGAN TRILOGY DELVES RIGHT INTO THE HEART OF WHAT IT IS ABOUT THIS GOD THAT’S SO COMPELLING, WHY HE ELICITS NOT JUST DEVOTION BUT ALSO LOVE. The Vast: a still, dark, endless field of nothing, in which something broods and gathers, rising and billowing into waves. Everything emerges from these waves of the Vast, including Time, Creation, and the woman and two men known as The Three. From the waves come multitudes of beings, including the Asura, those of untiring breath who seek knowledge, and the Sura, the bright ones who keep order. The greatest of all the Sura and Asura is Surapadman, who will embody inventiveness, wisdom and statecraft for all time to come. The only one who can counter his might and his challenge to the rules of creation is Karthikeya, child of Shambhu and Uma, and brother to Ganesha, the all-seeing elephant-headed god. Kala Krishnan has been exploring the Murugan universe for years now. In this first volume of a planned trilogy, she expands the mythologies of the god. Kumara, Karthikeya, Kandhan, Velan, he is the god of Tamizh, the patron of the Great Assembly of poets in Madurai, friend and mentor to the hot-headed and fiercely loyal Aambal, who is known to all as ‘Murugan’s poet’. A reimagining of the life and exploits of the magnificent young god, Mahasena is resonant with the stories that were, as well as vividly original.

About the Book KALA KRISHNAN'S MURUGAN TRILOGY DELVES RIGHT INTO THE HEART OF WHAT IT IS ABOUT THIS GOD THAT'S SO COMPELLING, WHY HE ELICITS NOT JUST DEVOTION BUT ALSO LOVE. The Vast: a still, dark, endless field of nothing, in which something broods and gathers, rising and billowing into waves. Everything emerges from these waves of the Vast, including Time, Creation, and the woman and two men known as The Three. From the waves come multitudes of beings, including the Asura, those of untiring breath who seek knowledge, and the Sura, the bright ones who keep order. The greatest of all the Sura and Asura is Surapadman, who will embody inventiveness, wisdom and statecraft for all time to come. The only one who can counter his might and his challenge to the rules of creation is Karthikeya, child of Shambhu and Uma, and brother to Ganesha, the all-seeing elephant-headed god. Kala Krishnan has been exploring the Murugan universe for years now. In this first volume of a planned trilogy, she expands the mythologies of the god. Kumara, Karthikeya, Kandhan, Velan, he is the god of Tamizh, the patron of the Great Assembly of poets in Madurai, friend and mentor to the hot-headed and fiercely loyal Aambal, who is known to all as 'Murugan's poet'. A reimagining of the life and exploits of the magnificent young god, Mahasena is resonant with the stories that were, as well as vividly original. About the Author Kala Krishnan is the author of two books of poetry, He Is Honey, Salt and the Most Perfect Grammar (2016) and Offer Him All Things, Charred, Burned & Cindered (2018) and of Theivanai, Part Two of the Murugan Trilogy. She lives in Bangalore with Paru, Gauri, Sathyavak and Totoro.

KALA KRISHNAN’S MURUGAN TRILOGY DELVES RIGHT INTO THE HEART OF WHAT IT IS ABOUT THIS GOD THAT’S SO COMPELLING, WHY HE ELICITS NOT JUST DEVOTION BUT ALSO LOVE. The great battle of Chendur has drawn to a close and Murugan has fulfilled his role as Mahasena. But it has left his beloved war bard Aambal enervated, her memories obliterated, her tongue stilled, unable to compose sentences, let alone verses. Will Aambal find her way to words again? The battle had also kept Murugan from Theivanai whose mere presence had tugged at his feet. Will he succeed in wooing her now? Kala Krishnan has been exploring the Murugan universe for years now, first in verse and now in prose. In this second volume of a planned trilogy, she expands the mythologies of the god. Kumara, Karthikeya, Kandhan, Velan, Mahasena: the god of Tamizh, the patron of the Great Assembly of poets in Madurai, friend and mentor to the hot-headed and fiercely loyal Aambal, known to all as ‘Murugan’s poet’. Exploring the stories of the women in the god’s life—his poet Aambal and his wife Theivanai—Book Two of the trilogy is resonant with the stories that were, as well as vividly original.

Murugan -- the younger son of Shiva and Parvathy, the younger brother of Ganesha -- is a tricky and temperamental god, but he is beloved of the poets. Fittingly then, Kala Krishnan Ramesh's contemporary bhakti poems in He Is Honey, Salt and the Most Perfect Grammar speak in the voices of many poets. We don't always know who they are, but as the poems unfold, one voice emerges above those of the rest. She is the god's favourite poet, a woman whose whole life revolves around him.

About the Book KALA KRISHNAN'S MURUGAN TRILOGY DELVES RIGHT INTO THE HEART OF WHAT IT IS ABOUT THIS GOD THAT'S SO COMPELLING, WHY HE ELICITS NOT JUST DEVOTION BUT ALSO LOVE. The great battle of Chendur has drawn to a close and Murugan has fulfilled his role as Mahasena. But it has left his beloved war bard Aambal enervated, her memories obliterated, her tongue stilled, unable to compose sentences, let alone verses. Will Aambal find her way to words again? The battle had also kept Murugan from Theivanai whose mere presence had tugged at his feet. Will he succeed in wooing her now? Kala Krishnan has been exploring the Murugan universe for years now, first in verse and now in prose. In this second volume of a planned trilogy, she expands the mythologies of the god. Kumara, Karthikeya, Kandhan, Velan, Mahasena: the god of Tamizh, the patron of the Great Assembly of poets in Madurai, friend and mentor to the hot-headed and fiercely loyal Aambal, known to all as 'Murugan's poet'. Exploring the stories of the women in the god's life-his poet Aambal and his wife Theivanai-Book Two of the trilogy is resonant with the stories that were, as well as vividly original. About the Author Kala Krishnan is the author of two books of poetry, He Is Honey, Salt and the Most Perfect Grammar (2016) and Offer Him All Things, Charred, Burned & Cindered (2018) and of Mahasena, Part One of the Murugan Trilogy. She lives in Bangalore with Paru, Gauri, Sathyavak and Totoro.

The series Religion and Society (RS) contributes to the exploration of religions as social systems - both in Western and non-Western societies; in particular, it examines religions in their differentiation from, and intersection with, other cultural systems, such as art, economy, law and politics. Due attention is given to paradigmatic case or comparative studies that exhibit a clear theoretical orientation with the empirical and historical data of religion and such aspects of religion as ritual, the religious imagination, constructions of tradition, iconography, or media. In addition, the formation of religious communities, their construction of identity, and their relation to society and the wider public are key issues of this series.

The devastatingly original debut novel from a winner of the Windham-Campbell Prize for Fiction. “Profoundly moving . . . I cannot remember when I last read something as touching as this.” —Amitav Ghosh, author of The Glass Palace First published by a small press in India, Jerry Pinto’s debut novel has already taken the literary world by storm. Suffused with compassion, humor, and hard-won wisdom, Em and the Big Hoom is a modern masterpiece, and its American publication is certain to be one of the major literary events of the season. Meet Imelda and Augustine, or—as our young narrator calls his unusual parents—Em and the Big Hoom. Most of the time, Em smokes endless beedis and sings her way through life. She is the sun around which everyone else orbits. But as enchanting and high-spirited as she can be, when Em’s bipolar disorder seizes her she becomes monstrous, sometimes with calamitous consequences for herself and others. This accomplished debut is graceful and urgent, with a one-of-a-kind voice that will stay with readers long after the last page.