It's a collection of Tulu modern poems, translated by Dr AM Sreedharan, Director of the Centre of Excellence in Indian Knowledge Systems, Alliance University, Bangalore and Dr Sruthy Chandrasekhar, Founder and Head of the School of Performing, Visual and Creative Arts. Both are highly qualified and accomplished in their fields - Dr Sreedharan has translated novels, folk songs, short stories, poetry from Tulu, Kannada and has received several awards including the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for translation and Dr Sruthy is a performing artist, playback singer, researcher with a Doctorate in Carnatic Music, and is an exponent of Mohinyattam, Kathakali, Sopana Sangeetham, Abhinaya Sangeetham.
The Land that Still Speaks is about how certain landscapes continue to articulate histories, identities in an age of tech change. It recounts Paddanas, the oral epics that narrate the origins of spirits, communities and moral worlds. Bhoota Kola and other such traditional forms of the old and the tension that exists between the old and the new. The book is dedicated to Sri Venkata Raja Puncchittaya (1936-2012), noted poet, playwright, actor and researcher. The first three poems are by him while the other 100 poems are written by 42 poets.
The themes explored in the book are about the land, life in Tulu Nadu, of the rural and urban life, school children, changes in attitudes, the beauty of the language, festivals, rituals such as making new rice, the family and tradition, devotional songs, fragrances of the land, even political subjects such as gender, bias and so on.
I met Dr Sreedharan when I visited the School of Performing, Visual and Creative Arts and he told me he had over 40 published books. He gifted me this book for which I am very grateful.
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