User:Elletee33/sandbox

Graduate English student at York University. Born in Toronto, Ontario, this user enjoys alpacas, Pablo Neruda, and lattes.

Summary

The novel weaves together three stories, each addressing issues of caste and social order in India Divided into ten sections, which each contain three chapters, the novel follows three distinct, yet interwoven narratives; that of Chittakiah and his son, the poet Kannadeva, professor P.S. Krishna, and the three students Asha, Ravi, and Satya.

The first narrative follows Chittakiah, a Dalit man who, after the death of his father, is brought to  Anandagrama, a village which does not abide by the caste system. There he meets Mahadevi and they have a son: Kannadeva. The parents choose to send Kannadeva to train at a Hindu temple, where he finds refuge from the eventual break out of war. Anandagrama devolves into the caste system through this conflict. Kannadeva becomes a notable Hindu poet.

The second narrative follows professor P.S. Krishna and his research into the poet Kannadeva. Krisha receives threats from Hindu nationalists for his research which suggests that Kannadeva, a venerated Hindu figure, was born to a lower caste family. After uncovering palm leaf manuscripts, professor Krishna is able to prove his theory correct. His work on Kannadeva ultimately prompts his assassination by a Hindu organization that opposes his work.

The third narrative, which follows students: Asha, Ravi, and Satya, studying nursing, zoology, and medicine, respectively, outlines the character's experiences of caste oppression in college. While all three students experience struggle due to their status as Scheduled Caste, the novel follows the different ways they cope with the discrimination. While Asha and Ravi navigate their place in college as Dalit students, using social media to oppose discriminatory behaviour and support one another, Satya faces torment from his peers and his professor, Dr. Sharma.