Within and without

The release of Mukunda Rao's novel In Search of Siva came with an interesting discussion on the purpose of poetry

The Bhakti Movement and Sufism are probably among the most significant movements of the Indian sub-continent; both these movements saw a huge creative upsurge. While the Bhakti Movement spanned across the country and was a powerful voice against all forms of authority, Sufism, an offshoot of Islam, was more pointed in critiquing religious authority. And hence, both these modes of protest, finding their flow in poetry, upheld the secular values of love and devotion.

Move to the 21st century and it translates to prose: Mukunda Rao's latest work, In Search of Shiva published by Dronequill, uses fiction to bring alive the socio-cultural movement that took place in Karnataka, way back in the 12th century, when poetry came armed with the power of reform. Fittingly, Mukunda Rao's book was released with a discussion on “Poetry as reform”. The discussants were former principal secretary Chiranjeevi Singh and professor Narendra Pani, National Institute of Advanced Studies.

Full report here Hindu