Land of Lime

After dealing with (Rajkumar’s) death, as we return to the quiet normalcy of everyday life, it is time to deal with the other certainty: taxes. It still is a chore, even if preparing my uncomplicated returns hardly takes fifteen minutes.

Then there are these other deadlines, which are looming large as ominous certainties that can no longer be wished away. Papers, book reviews and introductions to write and send off to the various eagerly awaiting people.

Speaking of reviews, have you read any good social histories lately? Sometime ago, I randomly picked two books (which aspire to do social history) to review for the South Asia Newsletter. Saurabh Dube’s ‘Stitches on Time’ is a tough read, especially the initial ‘theory’ chapters but Richard Eaton’s ‘A Social History of the Deccan, 1300-1761′ is a delightful and fun book to read. Both these books have made me think again about the challenges of writing Social History. Eaton’s work is a fabulous new addition to the New Cambridge History of India series. My response to Eaton’s scholarship in the past has been mixed but this is a book I would recommend heartily. To write a narrative on the Deccan, he has chosen eight lives - a king (Prataparudra of Kakatiya Warangal, 1289-1323), a sufi shaikh (Muhammad Gisu Daraz, 1321-1422), a merchant turned minister (Mahmud Gawan of Persia and Bidar, 1411-1481), a general (Ramaraya of Vijayanagara, 1484-1565), an African slave turned general (Malik Ambar of Ahmadnagar, 1548-1626), a radical devotional poet (Tukaram, 1608-1649), a bandit (Papudu of Telangana, c. 1695-1710) and a woman commander-regent (Tarabai, 1675-1761). As is evident from the above list, Eaton’s carefully chosen agents are from different social classes, provide a continuity to the narrative and represent different historical processes, all of which enables Eaton to produce an interesting and compelling narrative on the history of medieval Deccan. Well, let me I will share my notes early next week, possibly at the risk of incurring the wrath of a certain Ms. Editor.

My other writing assignment for this weekend (extending into early next week and beyond, until the moment I actually present), is a paper on the bhedabheda (transcendence and immanence) theological solution that virakta ascetics produce in 15th century Vijayanagara and its genealogical antecedents. Social history will remain on my mind as I plough through Sripati Pandita’s Brahmasutra Bhasya, Renukacharya’s Siddhantasikhamani and some Virasaivagamas. I will anchor my paper in medieval Kannada narratives on the life of Allama Prabhu that Virakta authors such as Camarasa wrote and then recreate their dialogue with the authors of the Sanskrit texts that I list above. But how do I turn this into some version of social history, something Ronald Inden would appreciate? In my early years in Chicago, Prof. Inden talked to me often and at length about both Dashnamis in Vijayanagar and bhedabheda philosophy; I have returned to these themes now.

Actually, it will be fun to write on an extremely elegant solution that Camarasa designs to offer a self-narrative for the Virasaiva community. While contemplating the purpose of human life, Camarasa and his friends in Vijayanagar are confronted two significant questions: how does one know Siva and what does one do after attaining that Knowledge? They choose Allama, a mystical poet who had lived 250 years before them as their test case. If you want to know the reasons for making that choice, you may have to read chapters of my dissertation. Briefly, for now, Allama is an accomplished yogi, who has attained unity with Siva. So why would he come back into the social world? Well, whether Allama wants to be back or not, Camarasa, on behalf of all Virasaivas, surely wants to bring him back; thus he re-presents Allama’s life in his kavya Prabhulingalile and bhedabheda is his elegant solution. I am fascinated by the social implications of bhedabheda, at the level of praxis especially.

One could also write a wonderful novel on Allama’s return to the social and one day soon I hope to do that. In the meanwhile, though, the challenge is to produce a social history version of that novel for an audience that is searching for sacred cows in South Asian historical experience.

Hence, the concern with social history.

Well, a more immediate deadline is a date with Mandya style chicken curry for twenty hungry souls who will show up soon. Purdue chicken, clarified butter and mexican coconuts are poor substitutes to natikoli (non-farm, organic chicken?), emme benne (butter of buffalo milk) and land of lime coconut but hey we got to advance the cause of civilization with whatever we have at our disposal.