On The Banks of the Pampa – Purnima Tammireddy

Description

The story of the elderly ascetic Sabaris encounter with Rama, an event foretold by Sage Matanga, is well known. But how did this forest-dweller become his ardent devotee? How did she know of him? Who, in fact, is Sabari?

On the Banks of the Pampa, by award-winning writer Volga, tells the story of Sabari, a child of aranyavasis, once enslaved by a colonizing state; of her escape from captivity and reunion with her guru Matanga Muni; of the journey of her spiritual awakening and birth into a voice of dissent for the oppressed. Hers is a narrative entwined with the forest along the Pampa river-one she comes to dwell in, where human and nonhuman worlds exist in harmony.

Powerfully translated into English by Purnima Tammireddy, this last in Volgas trilogy of feminist epics presents a story of gentle wisdom and resistance. Poignant and piercing, it challenges conventional notions of dharma and power, rejects the human-centric view that justifies subjugation and conquest, and drives each of us to envision a world where speech and a deep connection with the earth are paramount.