Bridging Tradition and Modernity | Karmic justice in The Man-Eater of Malgudi: A throwback to the Jataka and Panchatantra tales

Dhruba Basu

While he based The Man-Eater of Malgudi on the Mohini-Bhasmasur myth, RK Narayan also drew on the subcontinent's oldest folk tales to end the novel with an absurdly ironic climax. 

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Bridging Tradition and Modernity | Mohini-Bhasmasur in Malgudi

Dhruba Basu

RK Narayan was a huge fan of myths and folk tales. In The Man-Eater of Malgudi, he draws on both to craft a hilarious modern interpretation of some of oldest themes in storytelling. Here we look at his subversive treatment of myth in the 1961 novel. 

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Bridging Tradition and Modernity | The use of Harikatha in Raja Rao’s Kanthapura

Dhruba Basu

Folk traditions are indispensable links to our shared cultural heritage, but they are more than just a reminder of simpler times. In this series, we look at some of the ways in which these complex, powerful and enduring traditions have been reimagined for the modern era. 

In his seminal novel Kanthapura, pioneering Indian writer Raja Rao shows us how a small orthodox village in Karnataka adapts the ancient south Indian storytelling tradition of harikatha to the needs of the Indian freedom struggle.

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