Notes of Dissent

Brought together here are ten essays, characterized by their dissent to the commonly accepted notions in the field, a first requirement for the growth of knowledge. Issues such as the dialectical process in the religious history of India; the much talked about Mauryan presence in south India; the contradictions in the construction of Kaliyuga in Purāṇic literature; political criticism in Sanskrit kāvya poetry; regional identity and its varied perceptions; evolution of landlordism; emergence of castes and the use of 'Hindu' idioms in Christian worship and propaganda form the theme of these essays. A seminal essay by M.G.S. Narayanan and Kesavan Veluthat on the Bhakti Movement in south India, included in this collection, breaks new ground. The pieces on Indian religious history, the notion of Kaliyuga and the Mauryan presence in south India, challenge received wisdom somewhat violently. Those on landlordism and castes in Kerala offer bold alternatives to the existing formulations. The Sanskrit poem, Mahiṣaśatakaṃ, uses poetry as protest; and Maṇipravāḷam poetry shows how literature can represent a new sensibility through old genres. The analysis of the work of a Jesuit priest shows the use of anti-Christiansymbols in Christian propaganda. Taken together, these e ssays are likely to unsettle the cozy comfort of the reader.