book

Kaveri’s Children is a collection of short stories based in early 20th century rural Tamil Nadu, written by Shankar Ram (real name T L Natesan or Natesiah), who wrote in both Tamil and English. They reflect the author’s love of his people and his region, the Tanjavur district, watered and nourished by the river Kaveri. These stories have been edited by Prof. William Jackson, Department of Religious Studies at Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, USA, famous for his books on the great composer of Carnatic music, Tyagaraja, e.g., Tyagaraja: Life and Lyrics, (1991) and Tyagaraja and the Renewal of Tradition: Translations and Reflections (1994)), and other saint composers of south India like Purandaradasa, Annamacharya and Kanakadasa.

The short stories in this collection are unique tales of everyday life, ‘intriguing, psychologically believable and well-crafted, with shrewd knowledge of people and the ways of the world.’ In the words of Prof. Jackson, ‘The soul’s journey itself is also the soul’s homeland, and in the soulful stories of Shankar Ram we learn about our humanity and the earth, our journey-filled home.’