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9789354355318

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This important monograph has a sweep almost as broad as the epic it investigates. Tracing the evolution of the Silappatikaram from its possible folk origins and the amalgamation of the cults of various goddesses with the local cult of Kannagi, it goes on to investigate how its multiple iterations over time reflect the preoccupations of the age. Different strata of society in every age have different preoccupations, and despite the story being repurposed to serve diverse ends, folk versions refuse to fall in line with elite constructions. A compelling work indeed. -- Dr Bharati Jagannathan, Associate Professor, Department of History, Miranda House, University of Delhi, New Delhi, and author of Approaching the Divine: The Integration of Alvar Bhakti in Srivaisnavism The retellings of the Silappatikaram and the reclaiming of Kannagi not only inform the Tamil nationalist discourse but also reveal how female icons are deftly appropriated to legitimise the gendered ordering of society. Through meticulous research and lucid writing, Prabha Rani engages us in the dialectic of the evolving Kannagi motif, integral to the manifold expressions of Tamil nationalist imagination ... as being both embedded in and also interrogating and breaking free of patriarchal values. This is an authoritative, refreshingly innovative and non-jargonistic must-read book for all, especially for those interested in Indian history, contemporary Tamil identity articulation, religion in postcolonial India and female icons in Indian epics and myths and their continuing use in political mobilisation. -- Dr Meenakshi Gopinath, Chair, Centre for Policy Research; Founder- Director, Women in Security Conflict Management and Peace (WISCOMP) and Principal Emerita, Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi The story of Kannagi has captured the imagination of the Tamils over the centuries and has, especially in recent years, come to symbolise womanly fortitude and power. Dr Prabha Rani's richly textured analysis of this figure through an analysis of the epic Silappatikaram, folk narratives and contemporary plays and literary works provides us with a fascinating history of the transmission and transformation of legends, ideas and symbols. This book will be of immense value to scholars and lovers of Tamil literature. -- Dr R. Mahalakshmi, Professor, Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and Secretary, Indian History Congress

This important monograph has a sweep almost as broad as the epic it investigates. Tracing the evolution of the Silappatikaram from its possible folk origins and the amalgamation of the cults of various goddesses with the local cult of Kannagi, it goes on to investigate how its multiple iterations over time reflect the preoccupations of the age. Different strata of society in every age have different preoccupations, and despite the story being repurposed to serve diverse ends, folk versions refuse to fall in line with elite constructions. A compelling work indeed. -- Dr Bharati Jagannathan, Associate Professor, Department of History, Miranda House, University of Delhi, New Delhi, and author of Approaching the Divine: The Integration of Alvar Bhakti in Srivaisnavism The retellings of the Silappatikaram and the reclaiming of Kannagi not only inform the Tamil nationalist discourse but also reveal how female icons are deftly appropriated to legitimise the gendered ordering of society. Through meticulous research and lucid writing, Prabha Rani engages us in the dialectic of the evolving Kannagi motif, integral to the manifold expressions of Tamil nationalist imagination … as being both embedded in and also interrogating and breaking free of patriarchal values. This is an authoritative, refreshingly innovative and non-jargonistic must-read book for all, especially for those interested in Indian history, contemporary Tamil identity articulation, religion in postcolonial India and female icons in Indian epics and myths and their continuing use in political mobilisation. -- Dr Meenakshi Gopinath, Chair, Centre for Policy Research; Founder- Director, Women in Security Conflict Management and Peace (WISCOMP) and Principal Emerita, Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi The story of Kannagi has captured the imagination of the Tamils over the centuries and has, especially in recent years, come to symbolise womanly fortitude and power. Dr Prabha Rani’s richly textured analysis of this figure through an analysis of the epic Silappatikaram, folk narratives and contemporary plays and literary works provides us with a fascinating history of the transmission and transformation of legends, ideas and symbols. This book will be of immense value to scholars and lovers of Tamil literature. -- Dr R. Mahalakshmi, Professor, Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and Secretary, Indian History Congress

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Prabha Rani is Associate Professor, Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi, India.

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