The Covenant of Water

The Book on my table : The Covenant of Water By Abraham Verghese This 736 page novel came to me from my son Kiran few months back. I'm yet to read. Have glanced through and may, one day, start reading. Perhaps today. My reading is not relevant. I envy people who are able to focus on lot of research before writing. Nowadays, there are many who have taken up writing seriously, and as a passion, like Manu S Pillai (author of Ivory Throne with focus on Travancore) Priced at less than 500 The Covenant of Water spread in 736 pages in small print is a collector's item. The Covenant Of Water : An Oprah's Book Club Selection https://amzn.in/d/1lRomHe Amazon Book Description OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER SUBJECT OF A SIX-PART SUPER SOUL PODCAST SERIES HOSTED BY OPRAH WINFREY ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S BEST BOOKS OF 2023 WINNER OF THE VIKING AWARD FOR FICTION WITH A SENSE OF PLACE 'One of the best books I've read in my entire life. It's epic. It's transportive . . . It was unputdownable!' Oprah Winfrey, OprahDaily.com Spanning the years 1900 to 1977, The Covenant of Water follows a family in southern India that suffers a peculiar affliction: in every generation, at least one person dies by drowning - and in Kerala, water is everywhere. At the turn of the century a twelve-year-old girl, grieving the death of her father, is sent by boat to her wedding, where she will meet her forty-year-old husband for the first time. From this poignant beginning, the young girl and future matriarch - known as Big Ammachi - will witness unthinkable changes at home and at large over the span of her extraordinary life, full of the joys and trials of love and the struggles of hardship. A shimmering evocation of a lost India and of the passage of time itself, The Covenant of Water is a hymn to progress in medicine and to human understanding, and a humbling testament to the hardships undergone by past generations for the sake of those alive today. Imbued with humour, deep emotion and the essence of life, it is one of the most masterful literary novels published in recent years. Order the book today. Can become unavailable or expensive tomorrow. To understand the background of my statement, I will tell you a story : I was in SSLC class during 1958-59. One of our Sanskrit texts was priced Rs4/- The text had 40 pages. Monthly school fees was 75 Paise(12 Annas) which was being paid by well-wishers. I purchased a note book for 2 Annas and borrowed the Sanskrit text from a friend during a weekend. Copied the text in 2 days in the notebook and used it. Subsequent several years I purchased hundreds of books. Recently disposed of while vacating our Thiruvananthapuram house for renting out. Now I am using the rent for buying new books. M G Warrier

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NAVAGRAHA STOTRAM

NAVAGRAHA STOTRAM* According to astrology, the positions of the nine planets in the twelve constellations of the zodiac and their movements are considered to be quite significant. The nine planets ‘Navagraha’ affect every aspect of human life. They play an important role in the activities, physical and mental health and life of any individual. The unfavorable positioning of any of these planets can be the cause of problems, bad health, and stagnation for many people. However, there is a solution to avoid the ill effects of the position and movement of the ‘Navagraha’ in our lives. Navagraha mantras (or stotram) are simple mantras which work as powerful healing tools to reduce the negative effects of any of the nine planets. These mantras are Hindu holy hymn addressing the nine planets. Benefits Of Navagraha Stotram And The Way to Practice The Navagraha Stotram is written b y Rishi Vyasa and is considered to be the peace mantra for the nine planets. They are powerful m...
Read more

The King of Ragas: Sankarabharanam

                       The King of Ragas                      --------------------------     Long ago  serpents were put to lot of hardships.They  were afraid of other animals. They had to seek refuge in the hermitage of sage Saraba.The sage was a true devotee of Lord Shiva.He used to pray Shiva with melodious songs. As he sang a particular raga the snakes were much inspired and they began to dance,. Slowly the serpents became friendly with the sage. They brought water in their mouths for the pooja.They secreted  a special fluid in which the flowers got stuck to their bodies.The sage was much astonished by the service of the snakes.As the sarpas became very close to the sage ,they requested him to help having Darsan of Lord Siva. As requested by the sage Shiva appeared in the form of  a  Kapalika and stayed in the ashram.The...
Read more

Govt accepts one rank, one pension; ex-servicemen continue agitation | Business Standard News

Govt accepts one rank, one pension; ex-servicemen continue agitation | Business Standard News My VIEW: As former Defence Minister Antony has already alleged that NDA has ‘diluted’ UPA’s OROP and NPS has been introduced without taking into confidence those who were to be the beneficiaries or victims (and these are the people who will administer OROP and the existing ‘Defined Benefit Pension Scheme in the coming years!), both schemes will get ‘reformed’ sooner than later. With a view to make transition smoother and reduce friction which will affect the morale of the work force, GOI should review NPS keeping the following factors in mind: (i)                 Those who joined defence and civil services and organisations in the public sector did not have option to bargain and decide their service conditions including remuneration package. What attracted them to the service was the job security and social ...
Read more