Fred W. Riggs: The Man, His Ideas and Relevance in the Contemporary World

Fred W. Riggs, whom I called as pitamaha (the great father), as the guru of gurus Bhishma in the Indian epic, Mahabharat was known. Although comparative study is not new (‘ancients’ wrote on that), Riggs made the concept his own, and advocated it very intensely. Here is a brief attempt to run the gamut of his ideas and see how they hold up in today’s world— a world that changed much and comprehensively. This is also an attempt to clear some misconceptions about is contributions as a “comparativist”. Problems may be universal, such as Covid, but the remedies can only be applied contextually and culturally—two concepts Riggs advocated. He was unjustly criticized as an ‘academic imperialist’ when he abhorred dictating to anyone. His was a ‘multicultural’ gift to be used within the ‘glocal’ context. ‘Culture’ and ‘context’ are not to be impediments to development, but essential understanding to reform, adapt and move on. The best lessons I learnt from Riggs are not to be dogmatic but to observe, adapt, protect stable political institutions and, most importantly, learn from past mistakes. In other words, remain a perpetual student.

A DYSTOPIAN VISION IN THE PALACE OF ILLUSION- A CRITICAL STUDY

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an author, poet, activist and professor. She is considered an Indian American writer. Divakaruni often focuses on the experience of South Asian immigrants and her works are largely set in India and the United States. The present paper deals with the reading of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's remarkable historical ction- “The Palace of Illusion”. A number of researches have been done on this work with a Feminist and Psychological approach. This research paper will attempt the analyzing the work with an alternative perspective which is a Dystopian vision. With answering these questions- How Divakaruni's work- 'The palace of Illusion' is re-imaging the protagonist's perspective in a dystopian society instead of retelling the Indian epic? How dystopian vision is an appropriate choice for analyzing the present work? The paper will also argue that Dystopia is not just bounded to science ction although it can also be related to other genres of ction.

Introduction Cannons and Codes: Law, Literature, and America’s Wars

Western literature as we know it begins with a mythic war: the anger of Achilles that “brought thousandfold pain upon the Achaeans.” Many non-Western literary traditions are built on similar origin stories: the Indian epic Mahabharata is, like the Iliad, a war story, and one could find many other examples in other traditions, both oral and written....

A War of Times in the Mahabharata?

Scientific articles often start with the phrase: “The purpose of this article is to examine facts related to…” The content of this paper does not stem from an attempt to render afresh freely available, irrefutable data. Its purpose is to present a new interpretation of specific motifs present in the Indian epic tradition – based mainly on data obtained from reconstructions or facts in potentia. The following paragraphs delineate the unfolding of work undertaken long ago, started but not yet finished.

CONTEMPLAÇÃO NAS SOMBRAS: O GUESA DE SOUSÂNDRADE E A MEIA-NOITE ÀS MARGENS DO SOLIMÕES

This article aims to analyze the episode that narrates the Guesa's midnight dream on the banks of the Solimões River, a passage that is present in the first book of Joaquim de Sousândrade's pan-Indian epic O Guesa. This part, which anticipates the epic topic of the “descent into hell” that occurs during the Dance of Tatuturema in the second book, shows some of the literary influences over the poet's voice in formal and thematic aspects. This study will try to identify, through the poetic text, some of these influences, quite varied and assembling aspects of epic poetry - classical, renaissance and modern - of lyric and of romantic and Indianist literature, culminating in an object of singular value within Brazilian poetry. Guesa, a Muisca Indian, personification of the Sun-god and representative of the pan-Indian project of Sousândrade, undergoes a metamorphosis at midnight: he resembles Lucifer and Prometheus, and sings his melancholy just like Baudelaire on the banks of the mythical Lethe.

EPIC - THE SOURCE OF THE “SOFT POWER” OF INDIAN CULTURE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

The power of each nation is determined by many factors, including the role of its culture. Culture is seen as an effective tool of soft power to affirm the image of our country in the international community. As one of the originating centers of Asian civilization and one of the largest, oldest civilizations in the world, India's soft power exists naturally in its own long historical culture. The Indian epic is considered to be the source of soft power, the link between the world and Indian culture, helping Indian culture expand its influence on other countries and the world. In this article, we focus on presenting the unique features of thinking, soul, thought, and “Indian spirit” reflected in the epic - the source of Indian culture and the epic continuation in countries in Southeast Asia. Thereby, this article helps its readers have a comprehensive view of the Indian epic - the source of “soft power” of Indian culture in Southeast Asian countries to strengthen and develop the relationship between India and other countries in Southeast Asia more and more sustainably and lasting.

GENDERING EMOTIONS: CONSOLIDATING PATRIARCHY

This paper attempts to look at the ways in which emotions are gendered. Emotions of anger and love the two emotions that are discussed in the paper with reference to women in India depicted in the Indian epics. The study aims to analyze the politics of gendered emotions as portrayed in Indian literature. The resurgent interest in characters of Sita and Draupadi in Indian novels is analyzed. The paper tries to understand how self-gratification or pleasure is an emotion that does not find adequate place in the realm of the Indian epic.