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Editorial: Interrogating Cultural Translation

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Hari M G

Assistant Professor, Department of English and Humanities, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham, Coimbatore, India. Email: harimg09@gmail.com

Volume 10, Number 1, 2018 I Full Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v10n1.01

‘Cultural translation’, a much debated and contested topic in Postcolonial studies as well as in Translation studies, in a way, is symptomatic of the postmodern problematisation of cultural identities. Translation Studies has reached a critical juncture where the attempt to ‘translate a culture’, invariably, leads to arguments on the appropriation involved in any type of discourse. Rather, when we discuss the accuracy of cultural representation through translation, it becomes an opening to contest the cultural appropriation that has been taken for granted in discourses in general.  Similarly, in postcolonial studies, ‘cultural translation’ has garnered academic attention since the publication of Homi K Bhabha’s essay “How Newness Enters the World: Postmodern space, postcolonial times and the trials of cultural translation” wherein he stresses the ‘translational’ nature of postcolonial discourse and identity construction. Both these perspectives can be placed within a broader postmodern/post structural approach of doubting certainties and being radically open to the ‘other’. In this sense, ‘cultural translation’ is an umbrella term which signifies the ‘in-between’ state of the cultural transactions of our times, across genres and disciplines. The nuanced thought on conceptualising culture is also significant for the fact that it is a counter-narrative to the institutionalised ‘othering’ which has gone to ridiculous levels in this post-truth age of digital media and social networking sites. It is in this context that the international conference on “Interrogating Cultural Translation: Literature and Fine Arts in Translation” organised by Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in association with Caesurae Collective, placed ‘cultural translation’ within an interdisciplinary framework and thus, facilitated the discussion of the topic touching upon its varied implications. Keep Reading

There’s gloom and doom when things go boom in Dexter’s lab

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Mavik Banner: physician; scientist. Searching for a way to tap into the hidden strengths that all humans have… then an accidental overdose of gamma radiation alters his body chemistry. And now when David Banner grows angry or outraged, a startling metamorphosis occurs. The creature is driven by rage and pursued by an investigative reporter. The creature is wanted for a murder he didn’t commit. David Banner is believed to be dead, and he must let the world think that he is dead, until he can find a way to control the raging spirit that dwells within him.

What would we do baby, without us?

I bet we been together for a million years, And I bet we’ll be together for a million more. Oh, It’s like I started breathing on the night we kissed, and I can’t remember what I ever did before. What would we do baby, without us? What would we do baby, without us? And there ain’t no nothing we can’t love each other through. What would we do baby, without us? Sha la la la.

Here’s the story of a lovely lady

Here’s the story of a lovely lady, who was bringing up three very lovely girls. All of them had hair of gold, like their mother, the youngest one in curls. Here’s the store, of a man named Brady, who was busy with three boys of his own. They were four men, living all together, yet they were all alone. ‘Til the one day when the lady met this fellow. And they knew it was much more than a hunch, that this group would somehow form a family. That’s the way we all became the Brady Bunch, the Brady Bunch. That’s the way we all became the Brady Bunch. The Brady Bunch!

Who can turn the world on with her smile? Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile? Well it’s you girl, and you should know it. With each glance and every little movement you show it. Love is all around, no need to waste it. You can have a town, why don’t you take it. You’re gonna make it after all. You’re gonna make it after all.

In time of ancient gods, warlords and kings, a land in turmoil cried out for a hero. She was Xena, a mighty princess forged in the heat of battle. The power. The passion. The danger. Her courage will change the world.

Being evil has a price. I hear a lot of little secrets. Tell me yours, and I’ll keep it. You oughta know my name by now, better think twice. Being evil has a price. I’ve got a nasty reputation. Not a bit of hesitation, you better think twice. ‘Cause being evil has a price.

Chosen from among all others by the Immortal Elders – Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles

The time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights. It’s time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight! It’s time to put on makeup, it’s time to dress up right. It’s time to raise the curtain on the Muppet Show tonight. Why do we always come here? I guess we’ll never know. It’s like a kind of torture to have to watch the show! And now let’s get things started – why don’t you get things started? It’s time to get things started on the most sensational inspirational celebrational Muppetational… This is what we call the Muppet Show!

Chosen from among all others by the Immortal Elders – Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, Mercury – Billy Batson and his mentor travel the highways and byways of the land on a never-ending mission: to right wrongs, to develop understanding, and to seek justice for all! In time of dire need, young Billy has been granted the power by the Immortals to summon awesome forces at the utterance of a single word – SHAZAM – a word which transforms him in a flash into the mightiest of mortal beings, Captain Marvel!

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What is Performance Studies?

Richard Schechner Tisch School of the Arts, New York University  Download PDF Version Because performance studies is so broad-ranging and

sample

91 views

Volume 10, 2018

Volume 9, 2017

  • Number 1 (General Issue & Leonard Cohen & Bob Dylan)
  • Number 2 (Technocracy, War and Walls in Art and Literature)
  • Number 3 (General Issue)
  • Number 4 (General Issue)

Volume 8, 2016

Volume 7, 2015

Volume 6, 2014

Volume 5, 2013

Volume 4, 2012

Volume 3, 2011

  • Number 1 (Interdisciplinary Relationship between Science and Art)
  • Number 2 (Contemporary Poetry in English)
  • Number 3 (Hierarchical Economy)
  • Number 4 (Open Issue)

Volume 2, 2010

  • Number 1 (Special Issue on Visual Arts)
  • Number 2 (New Literatures in English)
  • Number 3 (Bicentennial of Mexican Independence)
  • Number 4 (Rabindranath Tagore, 150 Years)

Volume 1

A Review of Literature and World Cinema, edited by Itishri Sarangi

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 Hardcover: 134 pages

Publisher: Authorspress; 1st Edition 2017;  Language: English; ISBN- 978-93-5207-447-1; Price: Rs. 600/-

Reviewed by

Dr. Sandip Kumar Mishra

orcid.org/0000-0003-0513-0907. Email: amardisha123@gmail.com

  Volume 9, Number 4, 2017 I Full Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v9n4.r03

Anand Neelakanthan, the writer of Bahubaali, released the book Literature and World Cinema, edited by Itishri Sarangi in the Kalinga Literary Festival, 2017 at Mayfair Convention. The book is an anthology of critical articles written by different contributors on popular literature translated into films. According to the editor, the new book is an attempt to rediscover global cinema based on the literary pieces which later turned to movies. In the preface, Dr. Sarangi writes, “World cinema is no more Hollywood centric. Rather it has moved beyond its geographical area. Bollywood and Hindi film industry are loved by the audience worldwide.  The book speaks about the role of Literature and its contribution to cinema, a popular culture” (Sarangi, 2017). The cinematic representations of the popular novels revive the works and get critically acclaimed by the people who watch them. The movies are easier understood by the audience than the novels and stories. The scriptwriters get attracted to the popular literary pieces for the theme of the movies and the directors are prone to literary texts if they find any cinematic potentiality in literature. It is their professionalism too, which makes famous literary text become successful movies. The book is an attempt to rediscover some eternal texts translated into films.

The present book taken for review has ten distinctive chapters. In the Chapter “Meeting Jim: A Film in the Making” Dr. Chittaranjan Mishra portrays the journey of a man transcending boundaries to unite people and create bonds. The film is about Jim, who for more than four decades has been hosting dinners at his Parisian articles providing opportunities for people from various countries and walks of life to connect with each other. The paper traces Jim’s cultural connections with people and speculates the dimensions of their representations on the basis of the ideas the filmmakers are trying at.

Dr. Gourhari Behera and Mr. Chayan Dutta in the article “Of Children, Witches and the Problematic of Succession: Justine Kurzel’s Macbeth” discuss the legacy of demystifying the works of the literary giant, William Shakespeare. Kruzel’s cinematic adaptation makes the play more relevant to its contemporary audience in the sense that it tries to answer many of the perplexing questions that have hounded Shakespeare’s readers and audience since centuries.

Chapter III is written by Dr. Sonal Srivastava entitled “Aesthetics & Semiotics of Film Language”. It discusses cinema as a powerful medium of expression to a silent audience. The chapter focuses on the fact that films form a connection between the verbal language and the real world, encouraging an establishment of connections. But a film, unlike language, can act without any convention by falling back easily to the real world with the help of natural signs and with all its arbitrariness.

The article in chapter IV is written by Mr. Akaitab Mukherjee named “Rituparno Ghosh’s Antarmahal: Auteurist Adaptation and Authorial Suicide”. It lucidly presents the film adaptation of Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay’s short story Protima (1937). Rituparno Ghosh’s film adaptation Antarmahal (Views of an Inner Chamber, 2005) is based on a popular play by Bandyopadhyay, an eminent Bengali novelist and short story writer. The short story deals with the landlord family where the bohemian landlord tortures on his wife and the issue of domestic violence has been expanded in Ghosh’s film. Ghosh’s appreciation distances itself from Bandyopadhyay’s text and tries to imagine the world of women in landlord family in late 19th century. The article explicates that Antarmahal seems like, to use Deborah Cartmell and Imelda Whelehan’s term, “authorial suicide” of Bandyopadhyay.

The article “Literature Adapted into Film: An Ecocritical Analysis of Chander Pahar (The Mountain of the Moon)” by S. Mishra, offers an ecocritical approach to the film adaptation of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s novel. Bibhutibhushan’s forte is his portrayal of the man in the midst of nature. The article seeks to delve deep into Chander Pahar to find out Ecocritical implications in the film based on the original adventure novel by the great nature novelist.

In the Chapter VI, “Movies: An Effective Tool to Interpret Soft Skills” Mitashree Tripathy and the editor herself link usability of soft skills in the film medium” and interprets how movies contribute significantly in perceiving soft skills. The sole purpose of good movies is not only to entertain but also to teach and educate. The study shows how soft skills through movies enable students, employees in multifarious sectors and even the non-professionals to acknowledge the diverse aspects of soft skills and their weight to reintegrate successful business ventures and interpersonal relationships.

Chapter VII is a study by Ms. Reethi P entitled “Trapping the Marginalised: Reading the movie Ottal”. It discusses cinema as the most popular genre to communicate ideas and feelings in the most proficient manner. The paper discusses the movie Ottal keeping side by side the Russian short story Vanka by Anton Chekov. The objective of the paper is to connect and read the movie Ottal as a narrative of the subaltern in a natural background- where nature itself is marginalized. Ottal, the trap narrates the story of human beings trapped in the complex web of life. The marginalized gets trapped in the web and becomes nameless.

Chapter VIII “Absurdist Flow in Cinema and Art” written by Ms. Bhagyalaxmi Das and the editor Dr. Sarangi discusses the depiction of the ‘absurd’ in world cinema taking into focus, Extremely Loud and Incredibly, one of the finest examples of Absurdist cinema. The war left devastating consequences and propounded the vision that life is meaningless and every human action is absurd worthless. Giant, Albert Camus, the French philosopher coined the term ‘Absurd’ and formulated a new school of thought known as ‘Absurdism’. Artists portrayed this meaninglessness through abstract representations in their works. Cinema is the most popular and powerful medium to present the ‘Absurd’ in its myriad shades as expressed in the paper.

In the Chapter IX “Adaptation: Healthy Process for Intellectual Growth of Film Industry” Ms. Surabhi Yadav talks about adaptations in Bollywood films. While the practice of adaptation is termed as cheating, Yadav’s paper peels out the accusations and outlines the positivity in being inspired by great works. Adaptation is often confused with stealing but according to her, there is nothing wrong in getting inspired by someone’s work and then producing something new with the local flavour that is an original piece of one’s own creativity.

The final chapter “A journey from Eerie to Effervescent” by Ms. Minushree Patnaik in collaboration with the editor Dr. Sarangi, gives essence to the film adaptation of the literary works of black women writers and showcases films as a powerful medium of demonstrating such atrocities. The writers of this chapter have explored the movies like Beloved, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Color Purple to give essence to the literary works of black women writers and voice to the voiceless Afro-Americans.

To conclude, the book is an excellent collection of literature as translated into world cinema. It is not fixed to a concrete boundary of a particular area. It explores the movies without frontiers and tries to analyze culture, people, and way of life and opens a pathway to understanding globalization. The new book offers an extensive appreciation of the literary classics to shape the concept of film studies from the critical approach. The articles in the book give focus to the parallel cinema, the absurdist flow in film, the subaltern, the ecocritical approach, the soft skills, the black literature etc. The readers will get varied flavour of literary taste within the short compass of a single book.

 

References:

Authorspress. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2017, from http://www.authorspressbooks.com/author_detail.php?a_id=730

I., Sarangi (Ed.). (n.d.). Literature and World Cinema. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from https://www.researchgate.net/project/Literature-and-World-Cinema

Literature and Cinema. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2017, from https://books.google.co.in/books/about/Literature_and_Cinema.html?id=rmi3AQAACAAJ&redir_esc=y

Sarangi, I. (Ed.). (2017). Literature and World Cinema. New Delhi: Authors Press.

 

Dr. Sandip Kumar Mishra is an Assistant Teacher of a Govt. Aided High School in West Bengal. His doctoral thesis explores the ecocritical praxis of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay’s select novels. He has already presented papers in two National and two International Conferences held in Vidyasagar University, St. Paul’s Cathedral Mission College, Maharshi Markandeswar University, and Berhampur University respectively. His articles have been published in books and international journals listed by UGC.

Editorial: Vol. 9, No. 4, 2017

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Volume 9, Number 4, 2017 I Full Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v9n4.00

With the publication Volume 9, number 4, the journal enters 10 years of scholarly Open Access publishing. The year 2018 will celebrated in various ways; there will be Special Issues, awards for authors and more. At the same time, we feel, it is time to introspect the context of the making of the journal and its future. In the year 2008 when the founding editors thought of promoting researches in Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities and Open Access utilizing the new web technology, we entered a vast area of emerging technology. So primarily it was our tryst with technology that led us to explore and organize the necessary tools for creating a journal. Now when we look back at what went to the making of the journal, we understand that we were truly inspired by the promise of the web facilitating communications in wholly new way. Of course, we were amateurs in the field of scholarly publishing, but at the same time we were seeking to implement certain international standards and norms at a time when research publication rarely followed those criteria in India.

Along with the promise of instant global communication, the new web technology also brought a curse, the curse of predatory publishing. In an editorial in 2013 we spoke of the controlling measures to be taken in India—the formulation of quality factors and creation of new citation index, in order to save the Indian publication industry from great infamy it was accumulating. After few years the Indian government agencies took up some corrective measures, especially the creation of a dynamic journal list for promotion and appointment of teachers. But confusion and ambiguities still remain as certain deciding key terms like ‘refereed’, ‘national’, ‘international’ ‘impact factor’ etc have not been addressed in any way. So, the use of fake or counterfeit Impact Factors (which is a trademark property of Thompson Reuters) continues to confuse researchers and make the publications more questionable. In order to address this also, India needs a neutral citation index that would provide some quality factors at least in the Indian context.

Much of the confusion and exploitation of the new technology by the predatory publishers can be attributed to the lack of discussion about the principles of Open Access publishing in India. Because of the lack of professionalism and bureaucratic approach to education, the author-pays model quickly became a condemned one, whereas on the other hand, the demands of the API forced many true researchers to go with the predatory publishers. At present, Indian stake holders are in urgent need of formulations of Open Access policies and creation of viable business and academic models in publishing in India. Otherwise, the phenomenon of, what P. K. Nayar has recently called “arranged academia” will continue to plague us evermore.

Review Article: The Adivasi Will Not Dance: Stories by Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar

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New Delhi: Speaking Tiger, 2017, 187 Pages, Rs 275, ISBN: 978-93-85288-93-7

Reviewed by

Priyanka Tripathi

Assistant Professor of English (Indian Institute of Technology Patna), India.  Email: priyankatripathi@iitp.ac.in

 Volume 9, Number 4, 2017 I Full Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v9n4.r02

Postcolonial formations lead to the spaces of cultural consumption where it is open to scrutiny way beyond the polemical and political correctness of an individual or a State. Several instances in the literary tradition of India clearly indicate that whenever the feeble voice of the margins have grown loud and strong enough to be heard at the centre, the centre is left with no other option but to ‘listen’. One such text that represents this phenomenon in the contemporary times is Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar recipient Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar’s The Adivasi Will Not Dance (2015). A collection of ten short stories dealing with Adivasis from Jharkhand, referred as Santhals, the book is an insightful representation of Santhali life and culture.

The title story, “Adivasi will not Dance” is a moving tale of Mangal Murmu, an old man who has trained dance troupes for years but refuses to sing and dance for a high profile function. Shekhar writes that a major inspiration for this short story came to the writer in 2013 when President Pranab Mukherjee was visiting Jharkhand to inaugurate an ambitious thermal plant project which also implied that Adivasis will be displaced from their lands making them ‘homeless’. This had led to minor agitation amongst the Adivasis as it did not correspond with the egalitarian view of the State and responded well to the fears of Karl Marx, propounded in his theory, the ‘Law of Increasing Poverty’ in which ‘the rich get richer and the poor get poorer’. In his narrative, he renders voice and words to the unspoken sentiments of the Santhals. Breaking the stereotype where the margins remain tacit under the tyrannous utterance of the centre, Mangal Murmu announces,

‘We Adivasis will not dance anymore’ – what is wrong with that? We are like toys – someone presses our ‘ON’ button, or turns a key in our backsides, and we Santhals start beating rhythms on our tamak and tumdak, or start blowing tunes on our tiriyo while someone snatches away our very dancing grounds. Tell me, am I wrong? (p. 170)

The last lines of the short story raise some deep-seated questions validating the growing industrialisation at the cost of the tribals, making the reader ponder over the booming economy and rethink of Victor Hugo’s quote that states, “…there is always more misery among the lower classes than there is humanity in the higher…” (p. 7). He writes,

We will sing and dance before you but tell us, do we have a reason to sing and dance? Do we have a reason to be happy? You will now start building the power plant, but this plant will be the end of us all, the end of all the Adivasi. These men sitting beside you have told you that this power plant will change our fortunes, but these same men have forced us out of our homes and villages. We have nowhere to go, nowhere to grow our crops. How can this power plant be good for us? And how can we Adivasis dance and be happy? Unless we are given back our homes and land, we will not sing and dance. We Adivasis will not dance. The Adivasi will not – (p. 187)

The first short story, “The Eat Meat!” is about Panmuni-jhi and her husband Biram-Soren, who get transferred to Vadodara after living for almost two decades in Bhubaneshwar. Mr Rao, their new landlord considers that ‘people believe in purity’ (6) in this city. Mr Rao also suggests them to give up their non-vegetarian food and abstain from revealing their tribal identity. The Sorens do ‘confirm’ to the assumed rules of the State as Shekhar appropriately mentions, “In Odisha, Panmuni-jhi could be Santhal, an Odia, a Bengali. In Gujarat, she had to be only a Gujarati” (p. 14). However, the conspicuous unity in the divided neighbourhood is rightly captured by the author towards the end of the short story when the Gujarat riots take place in 2002 and the neighbours come together against the rioters.

One of the most heart-rending tales of poverty and helplessness in the collection is the third story, titled, “November is a Month of Migrations”. Epitomised through a 20-year-old girl, Talamai who is going to Bardhaman district of West Bengal with her family to plant rice and other crops in farms owned by zamindars of Bardhaman depicts the extremes that poverty can lead to. At the railway platform, she is approached by a young jawan who carries out a sexual transaction with her only for “two pieces of cold bread pakora and a fifty-rupee note” (p. 42). This particular short story infuriated many readers and critics and Shekhar was accused for objectifying the Adivasi women. However, there was another reading to the short story that clearly indicated that in no way was the story meant to titillate but reflected the painful, disturbing and sad state of Adivasi for whom every day was a struggle to survive. The writer also commented that even with its very explicit descriptions of sex there was nothing romantic about it.

Other short stories in the collection like, “Sons” is about Kalpana-di, wife of a corrupt bank manager and her spoilt son, Suraj. In contrast to Kalpana-di, her cousin Vidya-di is introduced who has a humble family. Her son, Raghu becomes a doctor towards the end of the story whereas Suraj ends up in jail. The author in his most simplistic style and language indicates, “We Adivasi are very bad at stealing. Corruption isn’t in our blood” (p. 32). Shekhar, taking his cue from other aspects of Santhali life creates his other stories in the collection around Santhali characters and their experiences within and beyond themselves. “Getting Even” is a story of dreadful revenge, where a boy, perhaps of nine or ten year old is implicated on false charges of rape of a four year old girl. “Eating with the Enemy” is about Sulochana and husband’s another wife, Mohini and their bonding over needy/greedy times. “Blue Baby” is the story of love and betrayal where Gita marries Suren but carries a love-child with Dilip, her lover before marriage. “Baso-jhi” is about Basanti and her dreadfully painful experiences with superstition in the Adivasi society. First, she is thrown away by her own sons accusing her to be witch and then charged by Pushpa, her new refuge, to be a dahni – witch (p. 122) after three consecutive deaths take place in Sarjomdih. “Desire, Divination and Death” narrates the story of Subhashini and her ailing son and “Merely a Whore” traverses through the bestial terrain of prostitution through Sona, the protagonist.

On the surface, The Adivasi Will Not Dance may well appear to be a riveting tale of the face-off between the tribals and the State, but a layered interpretation of the stories may read it to be a confrontation of the hierarchies of the society –  the powerful and the powerless, the rich and the poor. Despite dealing with events like human-trafficking, prostitution, women’s abuse, witch-hunting etc. The Adivasi Will Not Dance is perhaps not a politicised writing. Contradicting the allegations that his stories are politically charged, Shekhar remarks that his book isn’t “political in the electoral sense rather it explores themes that are socio-political” (The Hindu, December 02, 2016).

Creating a kind of counter-narrative to the Euro-centric one, clearly reminding us of Baldwin’s more than appropriated phrase ‘bear the burden’ by Achebe where he mentions that English as a language has the ability to bring out the native experience without altering much with the language (Ashcroft, 2009, p. 109), The Adivasi Will Not Dance liberally but very appropriately uses words from Santhali language. Words common in the Santhali vocabulary like jawan (soldier), pitha (sweet dish), lungi, gamcha, saya (types of wearing cloth), mathabhangi (broken head) are used within the sentences without giving any appendix. Quite unapologetic about refashioning the English language to suit the Santhali sentiments, he comments, “Glossaries are destructive. You come across a word, then you have to turn 200 pages to see its meaning, and then turn back to the story, It’s best to go with the flow” (The Hindu, December 02, 2016).

The stories mainly depict the lives of Santhals from the Jharkhand region, constantly struggling to live their life with dignity in this mineral-rich land where corporate takeovers and development anthem is trending. The characters in the collection may/may not be real but the issues, the violence and the treatment that he depicts in his fiction is surely relevant to our times as the Ideologies of State has the potential to be major threat to the democratic and diverse fabric of the Indian society. In nutshell, these distinctive stories attempt towards sensitizing the society regarding various issues in society and especially the ones with the Santhals. What Pablo Picasso once said about great art: “Art is never being chaste…Where it is chaste, it is not art” (p. 182) holds true in this context as well. I echo the same sentiment as the writer himself, “What the point is of just liking a book…They should bring about some change” (The Hindu, December 02, 2016).

References

Ashcroft, B. 2009. Caliban’s Voice: The Transformation of English in Post-Colonial Literatures. New York: Routledge.

Hugo, V. 1994. Les Miserbles. Hertfordshire: Wordsworth Classics.

Picasso as quoted in Kush Kalra and Priyanka Barupal. 2013. Law, Sex and Crime. New Delhi: Vij Books.

Radhika. S. (2016, December 2). Review: Hansda Shekhar’s The Adivasi Will Not Dance is a no-holds-barred account of life on the margins. The Hindu. Retrieved from http://www.thehindu.com/books/literary-review/Review-Hansda-Shekhar%E2%80%99s-The-Adivasi-Will-Not-Dance-is-a-no-holds-barred-account-of-life-on-the-margins/article16442867.ece

U.R. Ananthamurthy’s Crusade against Caste: the Text and Context

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Virender Pal

Assistant Professor of English, University College Kurukshetra. ORCID ID is 0000-0003-3569-1289. Email: p2vicky@gmail.com

  Volume 9, Number 4, 2017 I Full Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v9n4.17

Received August 15, 2017; Revised December 07, 2017; Accepted December 15, 2017; Published December 25, 2017.

Abstract

Caste system is a reality in India and the discrimination based on caste is probably the most horrifying truth. Many studies have been conducted on the psychological impact of untouchability on the Shudras, but U.R. Anathamurthy’s writings concentrate more on the impact of practising untouchability on the Brahmins. His novels and short stories showcase the impact of practising untouchability on the Brahmins. Brahmins live lives of automatons where their every move and action from birth to death is governed by some precedent of the distant past. They live a life that is sterile and barren. The paper studies the impact of practising caste system on the Brahmins in the writings of U.R. Ananthamurthy.

Keywords: caste, Brahmin, oppression, Hinduism, rituals, customs.

From Inner Peace to World Peace: Jagannath Consciousness in the Literature of Odisha

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Guruprasad Mohapatra1 & Swati Samantaray2

1Research Scholar, School of Humanities, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar. orcid.org/0000-0003-1736-3564. Email: gprasadkhurda@gmail.com

2Associate Professor, School of Humanities, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar2. orcid.org/0000-0002-4823-9278. Email: swati.sray@gmail.com

  Volume 9, Number 4, 2017 I Full Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v9n4.16

Received October 30, 2017; Revised December 15, 2017; Accepted November 30, 2017; Published December 25, 2017.

Abstract

Lord Jagannath of Puri is considered to be the focal point of the cultural synthesis of Odisha. This is manifested in innumerable sacred scriptures and in ritualistic practices of the revered divinity – Lord Jagannath. This paper shows how the literature of Odisha presents Jagannath consciousness as a way to achieving world peace from inner peace of mind. Jagannath consciousness follows humanism and it preaches the philosophy of love and peaceful co-existence among the entire human community. Moreover, it proclaims the victory of human endeavour over all narrowness and establishes universal brotherhood. The prime objective of Jagannath culture is to inspire the worshipper as well as the devotees to transcend the barriers of individual identity to achieve cosmic consciousness. It is believed that this state of cosmic consciousness is attained through the realization of soul, and it brings glory to life and enhances epistemological vision of humankind. The paper studies the vast literary and artistic traditions of Odisha in order to show how the principles of synthesis, assimilation and progression are inherent in the Jagannath culture.

Keywords:  Jagannath Consciousness, Jagannath Cult, Vaishnavism, Jainism, Buddhism, world peace.

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What is Performance Studies?

Richard Schechner Tisch School of the Arts, New York University  Download PDF Version Because performance studies is so broad-ranging and

Napoleon’s Image in Lolstoy’s War and Peace: Linguistic and Historical Aspects

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Oksana Vyacheslavovna Zakirova & Zemfira Vilenovna Gallyamova

Kazan Federal University, Tatarstan, 423600, Elabuga, Kazanskaya St., 89. Email: zemfiera_9@mail.ru

 Volume 9, Number 4, 2017 I Full Text PDF

DOI: 10.21659/rupkatha.v9n4.15

Received September 14, 2017; Revised November 18, 2017; Accepted November 30, 2017; Published December 25, 2017.

 Abstract

The article presents a critical analysis of an image of a historical personality, Napoleon Bonaparte depicted in Tolstoy’s War and Peace. The authors study the linguistic and historical description of Napoleon as a minor but rather important character in the novel War and Peace. The authors focus on the role of qualitative adjectives in the creation of Napoleon’s image as a literary character. A historical commentary on the public activity of the French emperor is also presented. The image of Napoleon gathered through linguistic analysis is compared with the information from historical sources. It comes to the conclusion that the image of Napoleon Bonaparte in the novel is as close to reality as possible, despite the fact that in the work Tolstoy has a pronounced negative attitude towards Napoleon as a historical personality.

Keywords: literary character’s image, historical personality, linguistic means of image explication.

We got a right to pick a little fight, Bonanza

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Mavik Banner: physician; scientist. Searching for a way to tap into the hidden strengths that all humans have… then an accidental overdose of gamma radiation alters his body chemistry. And now when David Banner grows angry or outraged, a startling metamorphosis occurs. The creature is driven by rage and pursued by an investigative reporter. The creature is wanted for a murder he didn’t commit. David Banner is believed to be dead, and he must let the world think that he is dead, until he can find a way to control the raging spirit that dwells within him.

What would we do baby, without us?

I bet we been together for a million years, And I bet we’ll be together for a million more. Oh, It’s like I started breathing on the night we kissed, and I can’t remember what I ever did before. What would we do baby, without us? What would we do baby, without us? And there ain’t no nothing we can’t love each other through. What would we do baby, without us? Sha la la la.

Here’s the story of a lovely lady

Here’s the story of a lovely lady, who was bringing up three very lovely girls. All of them had hair of gold, like their mother, the youngest one in curls. Here’s the store, of a man named Brady, who was busy with three boys of his own. They were four men, living all together, yet they were all alone. ‘Til the one day when the lady met this fellow. And they knew it was much more than a hunch, that this group would somehow form a family. That’s the way we all became the Brady Bunch, the Brady Bunch. That’s the way we all became the Brady Bunch. The Brady Bunch!

Who can turn the world on with her smile? Who can take a nothing day, and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile? Well it’s you girl, and you should know it. With each glance and every little movement you show it. Love is all around, no need to waste it. You can have a town, why don’t you take it. You’re gonna make it after all. You’re gonna make it after all.

In time of ancient gods, warlords and kings, a land in turmoil cried out for a hero. She was Xena, a mighty princess forged in the heat of battle. The power. The passion. The danger. Her courage will change the world.

Being evil has a price. I hear a lot of little secrets. Tell me yours, and I’ll keep it. You oughta know my name by now, better think twice. Being evil has a price. I’ve got a nasty reputation. Not a bit of hesitation, you better think twice. ‘Cause being evil has a price.

Chosen from among all others by the Immortal Elders – Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles

The time to play the music, it’s time to light the lights. It’s time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight! It’s time to put on makeup, it’s time to dress up right. It’s time to raise the curtain on the Muppet Show tonight. Why do we always come here? I guess we’ll never know. It’s like a kind of torture to have to watch the show! And now let’s get things started – why don’t you get things started? It’s time to get things started on the most sensational inspirational celebrational Muppetational… This is what we call the Muppet Show!

Chosen from among all others by the Immortal Elders – Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, Mercury – Billy Batson and his mentor travel the highways and byways of the land on a never-ending mission: to right wrongs, to develop understanding, and to seek justice for all! In time of dire need, young Billy has been granted the power by the Immortals to summon awesome forces at the utterance of a single word – SHAZAM – a word which transforms him in a flash into the mightiest of mortal beings, Captain Marvel!

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