Songs Of The Cauvery

The time: The transition years between the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries. The space: The fertile delta of the Cauvery. The backdrop: The early stirrings of a freedom struggle against British colonialism in South India. Nothing can disturb the serenity of Tiruvaiyaru, South India, until Panju, a brilliant boy from an orthodox family, decides to join the revolutionary freedom movement. His actions affect not only him, but those he holds close�his sister Janaki who, breaking age-old tradition, aims to become the first local woman with a college education; his father Sambu who finds himself getting waylaid from his spiritual quest and the beauteous temple dancer Ranjitham, who covets Panju. As Panju�s decisions come with ripple effects, Sambu, Ranjitham and Janaki are compelled to make compromises they had never bargained for. Like the Cauvery�who exhausts herself to a mere trickle to enrich those around her�the characters in the novel must learn the true meaning of sacrifice. With a cast of unforgettable personalities, Songs of the Cauvery is a poignant meditation on grace, virtue and renunciation.

Categories: Fiction