Karya

by Aravind Malagatti, Susheela Punitha (Translator)

On the third day after the death of Bangaravva, a solemn procession making its way towards the graveyard encounters a strange obstacle. A blast of wind rises up in revolt, the embers flare and the sacred ritual fire falls to the ground. The ceremony is ruined because custom demands that the ritual fire never touch the ground.

What follows is chaos and confusion. Who will bear the blame for things going awry, and how might they be set right? The division between castes and communities comes to the fore as the panchayat struggles to pronounce justice.

A poetic work calling for change in our casteist society, Karya unfurls a kaleidoscope of perspectives. Studded with symbols drawn from nature and myth, this small but significant novel unfurls the politics and power embedded within a Dalit community.

Genres: Fiction

176 pages, Hardcover

Published April 12, 2021

Reviews

[ghostatmidnight · Rating 4 out of 5]

This must not have been an easy story to translate into English. The specificities of regional religious traditions along with their associated transgressions, consequences and emotions against the backdrop of volatile social dynamics within and between the communities depicted, are interweaved with a great deal of nuance into the plot and the writing. There were moments in the story when, being unfamiliar with the gravity or lightness of certain rituals, I strongly felt that I needed more context in order to understand what the character must be feeling or why they were reacting a certain way, but such are the pitfalls of translation, no matter how effective. However, having read stories with similar subjects and conflicts within the space of my own ethnic background, I believe that I was able to grasp the essence of all the major emotional and story beats. Hence, the story was immediately immersive, the characters enticing, (sometimes bewildering, but at all times memorable), and the gnawing undercurrent of caste oppression drove a dull ache in the belly throughout the 90 odd pages.

[Dhanaraj Rajan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a regional novel about a regional practice.

The region it depicts is North Karnataka and the regional practice it presents is the Funeral Rite relating to a Particular Dalit Community.

So most probably, the regional touch lost itself in the translation or the regional practice is so provincial in nature that I could not get into the novel completely.

[Aruna Kumar Gadepalli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This translated book brings out the rituals that are performed in a community.

[Bharath Manchashetty · Rating 4 out of 5]

“ಕಾರ್ಯ-ಅರವಿಂದ ಮಾಲಗತ್ತಿ, 1988 ರಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಕಟವಾದ ಕೃತಿ, ದಲಿತ ಸಮುದಾಯದೊಳಗೆ ಹುದುಗಿರುವ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಮತ್ತು ಶಕ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ಬಿಚ್ಚಿಡುತ್ತದೆ.”

“ಈ ಲೇಖಕರ ದಲಿತ ಆತ್ಮಕಥೆಯಾದ “ಗವರ್ನಮೆಂಟ್ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ” ಓದಿ ತುಂಬಾ ತುಂಬಾ ಮೆಚ್ಚಿದ್ದೆ, ಇವತ್ತಿಗೂ ಕೆಲವು ಘಟನೆಗಳು ಕಾಡುತ್ತವೆ.”

“ಈ ಕೃತಿ ಎಂ.ಎ ವಿದ್ಯಾರ್ಥಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಪಾಠ ಆಗಿದೆ ಅಂತ ಕೇಳ್ಪಟ್ಟಿದ್ದೆ, ಕಥೆಯ ಪುಟಗಳು ಹಿಂದಿನಿದ ಪ್ರಾರಂಭವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ, ಕಥೆಯ ಆಳ, ಅಗಲ ಬಗೆದಷ್ಟು ಬುಗ್ಗೆಯಾಗಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚುತ್ತಲೇ ಹೋಗುತ್ತದೆ, ೬೦ ಪುಟಗಳ ಕೃತಿಗೆ ೧೦೦ ಪುಟಗಳ ವಿಮರ್ಶೆ ಮಾಡಬಹುದು.”

“ದಲಿತ ಸಮುದಾಯದ ಆಚರಣೆ, ಕುಡಿತ, ಅಧಿಕಾರದ ದಾಹ, ಮುಗ್ಧತೆ, ಕುತಂತ್ರತೆ, ಆಧುನೀಕತೆ etc ಎಲ್ಲವೂ ತೆರೆದುಕೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ”.

“ತುಂಬಾ ಮೆಚ್ಚಿದ, ಕಾಡಿದ, ಕಾಡುತ್ತಿರುವ ಕೃತಿ”.

-ಭರತ್ ಎಂ.
ಓದಿದ್ದು ೨೩.೦೩.೨೦೨೫

[AdityaJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

For all the cultured words, there is an amazing glossary at the end of this book. This book felt like watching a dark comedy movie punching up on the social structure which are still prevalent and relevantly punitive for the people the urban population usually don't care to talk to. The inherent sense of hierarchy in everyone with their own quirks ( be it physically or in their thoughts), make this book beautiful and hearty to read.