Buffalo Century - Vanchesvara Diksitas Mahisasatakam: A Political Satire for All

The Buffalo Century is a keen exploration of satire and its role in society and politics. Written in praise of a buffalo, V¿ñche¿vara D¿k¿ita's Mahi¿äatakam is timeless in its treatment of power, and its subversion. In resurrecting eighteenth-century Tanjore for the modern reader, Kesavan Veluthat lifts the poem beyond its immediate literary context and situates it in a contemporary global political setting.

Presenting a modern English translation along with the Sanskrit text, this work provides a fare that is as rich in double entendre as it is in its onomatopoeic metaphors. A literary triumph and the voice of an age, this book will be a key text for students and scholars of history, political science, sociology, literature, especially Sanskrit and comparative, and cultural studies.

List of contents

Preface
Introduction: laughter in the time of misery
Mahiṣaśatakam: text and translation
Appendix 1
Appendix 2 Śleṣārthacandrikā, a commentary

About the author

Kesavan Veluthat is Director of the Institute for the Study of the Heritage of Coastal Kerala. He was educated in Calicut and New Delhi. He taught history in different Indian universities including Calicut, Mangalore and Delhi, and he has been a visiting professor in many Indian and foreign universities. His publications include Brahman Settlements in Kerala, The Political Structure of Early Medieval South India, The Early Medieval in South India and Notes of Dissent: Essays on Indian History.

Summary

This book presents a critical analysis and English translation of the Sanskrit epic, the Mahi?asataka, “A Hundred Verses in Praise of a Buffalo”. It was one of the first text on political satire, which heavily criticises the king, the bureaucracy, the nobility and society.

Product details

• Authors: Kesavan Veluthat, Kesavan (Institute for the Study of the Veluthat, Kesavan (Institute for the Study of the Heritage of Coastal Kerala Veluthat
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.09.2019
• EAN: 9780367375249
• ISBN: 978-0-367-37524-9
• No. of pages: 130
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature; Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies; Social sciences, law, business > Social sciences (general); SOCIAL SCIENCE / Human Geography, Linguistics, Asia, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology / General, LITERARY CRITICISM / Semiotics & Theory, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Regional Studies, Society & culture: general, LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / Linguistics / General, LITERARY CRITICISM / Asian / General, LITERARY CRITICISM / Asian / Indic, India, Literature: history & criticism, Literary theory, Society and culture: general, Regional Geography, Literature: history and criticism