If thinking for Descartes is proof of Being (I think, therefore I am), writing, to many of us, is an act of intense suffering. In fact, suffering is integral to thinking as well. Bertrand Russell’s sarcastic comment, “most people would rather die than think and many of them do,” perhaps reflects his disdain for the ‘lowly’ existence of such non thinkers. Thinking and writing are interrelated. Writing is a natural corollary of the act of thinking. While thinking involves sincerity, open mindedness, flexibility and curiosity, writing entails discipline, focused and uninterrupted attention, not easily available in today’s world. That would explain why there are very few good writers amidst us. However, the crux of the matter is this: without doubting and questioning there can be no new knowledge, and for Descartes, the founder of the Rationalist School of philosophical thought, therefore, doubting and questioning are absolutely important virtues. These two acts are constant reminders and indicators of human existence. Plop! Notes on Heidegger is an outcome of the aforementioned virtues – an artistic expression that is creative and critical at once. Life is all about trying to make sense of the seemingly nonsensical. Meanings are to be made of our everyday life – joys, sorrows, friends, enemies and every relationship that we form in this temporal world. What is that unifying factor that binds all these, the ‘is-ness’ that was crucial to Heidegger? It’s interesting to learn that this work is born out of such a curiosity – a curiosity to understand and make meanings out of certain phenomena, perhaps even the most common ones, which yet may have gone unnoticed or conveniently ignored all the while. As the book is a critique of Heidegger’s philosophy and in their objective to be faithful to his huge breadth of works, the authors have discussed a vast gamut of topics ranging from everyday commonplace phenomena to art and culture, from freedom to media and technology, politics, philosophy and education. Philosophy is both inclusive and eclectic and this book too reflects that. It is also quite heartening to know that our faculty and students have such critical insights and more importantly they are brought to the fore through such creative initiatives. I take this opportunity to congratulate the team, and also appreciate their efforts. A great work indeed from a small team! All the essays have been well conceived, well researched and written in a way any one can not only understand the philosophical underpinnings of Heidegger’s thoughts but also appreciate the relevance of Philosophy as a discipline itself. Dr Abilash Chandran is from the Department of English, Ms Neha Aggarwal is from Department of Psychology, and Mr Ayush is a student of Science. So here is an instance of Humanities, Social Science and Science bonding to create a new paradigm and for CHRIST which is focused on inter- and multi-disciplinary approaches to learning this connection is extremely significant. As illustrated through the work, the possibilities of one’s ‘being’ are limitless, and my best wishes to the team to continue to exploring the possibilities by doubting, questioning, introspecting, and reflecting. In all this, have the courage to be self-critical of your own work, ideas, and practices – and that is yet another explicit sign of one’s ‘being’. Best Wishes! Dr John J Kennedy Professor and Dean, Humanities and Social Sciences

When Bhakkiyam falls in love with a Dalit sub-inspector, death is the only punishment that will satisfy her village panchayat. Pazhani, her father, is ordered to kill her. But how can a father murder his own daughter? Imayam's powerful tale about caste bitterness--sickness that continues to plague Indian society--eerily preceded an actual event that occurred two months later. The narrative, constructed on short, crisp dialogues, is an unflinching account of the ugliness and trauma that await those who dare to transcend caste borders.

Macroeconomics: An Introduction, provides a lucid and novel introduction to macroeconomic issues. It introduces the reader to an alternative approach of understanding macroeconomics, which is inspired by the works of Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes, and Piero Sraffa. It also presents the reader with a critical account of mainstream marginalist macroeconomics. The book begins with a brief history of economic theories and then takes the reader through three different ways of conceptualizing the macroeconomy. Subsequently, the theories of money and interest rates, output and employment levels, and economic growth are discussed. The book ends by providing a policy template for addressing the macroeconomic concerns of unemployment and inflation. The conceptual discussion in Macroeconomics is situated within the context of the Indian economy. Besides using publicly available data, the contextual description is instantiated using excerpts from works of fiction by Indian authors.

Midnight- when stone and water melt- at the village entrance, the guardian-lamp spirits meet, they talk, exchange notes, share joys, share sorrows. Devanoora Mahadeva leads us to a world of spirits ruled by a strong sense of justice. As we listen in, their conversation introduces four generations of a family: Akkamahadevamma; her son Yaada; his son Somappa; and the main protagonist, Somappa's daughter, Kusuma. In this intricately woven cosmos, death casts its shadow. Following the different voices around, we come face to face with the harsh realities of Dalit life. Steered by the nuances of folk tale and oral tradition, this extraordinary account of feudal oppression presents a rare blend of poetry and prose. A modern classic, when it first appeared in 1988, Kusumabale marked a turning point in modern Kannada literature.

The New York Times–bestselling author’s Whitbread Prize–winning debut—“Winterson has mastered both comedy and tragedy in this rich little novel” (The Washington Post Book World). When it first appeared, Jeanette Winterson’s extraordinary debut novel received unanimous international praise, including the prestigious Whitbread Prize for best first fiction. Winterson went on to fulfill that promise, producing some of the most dazzling fiction and nonfiction of the past decade, including her celebrated memoir Why Be Happy When You Can Be Normal?. Now required reading in contemporary literature, Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit is a funny, poignant exploration of a young girl’s adolescence. Jeanette is a bright and rebellious orphan who is adopted into an evangelical household in the dour, industrial North of England and finds herself embroidering grim religious mottoes and shaking her little tambourine for Jesus. But as this budding missionary comes of age, and comes to terms with her unorthodox sexuality, the peculiar balance of her God-fearing household dissolves. Jeanette’s insistence on listening to truths of her own heart and mind—and on reporting them with wit and passion—makes for an unforgettable chronicle of an eccentric, moving passage into adulthood. “If Flannery O’Connor and Rita Mae Brown had collaborated on the coming-out story of a young British girl in the 1960s, maybe they would have approached the quirky and subtle hilarity of Jeanette Winterson’s autobiographical first novel. . . . Winterson’s voice, with its idiosyncratic wit and sensitivity, is one you’ve never heard before.” —Ms. Magazine

This book, companion to the much-acclaimed Dalit Literatures in India, examines questions of aesthetics and literary representation in a wide range of Dalit literary texts. It looks at how Dalit literature, born from the struggle against social and political injustice, invokes the rich and complex legacy of oral, folk and performative traditions of marginalised voices. The essays and interviews systematically explore a range of literary forms, from autobiographies, memoirs and other testimonial narratives, to poems, novels or short stories, foregrounding the diversity of Dalit creation. Showcasing the interplay between the aesthetic and political for a genre of writing that has ‘change’ as its goal, the volume aims to make Dalit writing more accessible to a wider public, for the Dalit voices to be heard and understood. The volume also shows how the genre has revolutionised the concept of what literature is supposed to mean and define. Effervescent first-person accounts, socially militant activism and sharp critiques of a little-explored literary terrain make this essential reading for scholars and researchers of social exclusion and discrimination studies, literature (especially comparative literature), translation studies, politics, human rights and culture studies.

As land wrestles unsuccessfully with water to save itself from being swallowed, everyone leaves except Ganapayya and his family. When the Sharavathi rises, it isn't only snakes that enter the little farmhouse. Unknown to Ganapayya, his wife's playmate from long ago finds a place in an otherwise happy marriage. Everyone and everything changes in the farmer's life as the values and ways of the Malnad region disappear under the flood waters of the hydroelectric project.

Koogai, the owl-huddled in its hollowwith the sun overhead,it flies freewhen darkness descendsBird of the night -an abuse, a bad omenattacked and shunnedby birds, by humans ...Strong, but unaware ofits immense power,Koogai, the owl -foolishor wise?Set in post-Independence Tamil Nadu's era of agrarian and industrial change, Koogai reflects the nuances of an authentic contemporary myth leavened with irony and fierce humour. Empowering themselves with the image of the owl, a totem of self-respect and hope, men and women break free of old castetaboos only to find themselves entangled in the doublespeak of an egalitarian rhetoric