A river Sutra
By: Gita Mehta.
Edition: 1st ed.
Publisher: N.A. Talese
Published: 1993
Place of publication: New York, N.Y
Language: eng
Number of pages: 291
Subjects: Pilgrims and pilgrimages -- India -- Narmada River Region -- Fiction; Tales -- India -- Narmada River Region; Narmada River Region (India) -- Fiction
Description: Set on the banks of India's holiest river amid the constant traffic of pilgrims, archaeologists, policemen, priests, and traders, A River Sutra weaves the richness of India into the dangerous lives of its characters. A bureaucrat retires to the sacred river in search of tranquility only to encounter a girl fleeing her kidnappers, a naked ascetic and the child he has saved from prostitution, a teacher who confesses to murder, a millionaire monk, and a musician silenced by desire. Instead of finding serenity, the bureaucrat is forced to confront the powers of mythology, religion, music, and philosophy, and to acknowledge that the holy river has a sanctity more threatening than he can imagine. In this exquisitely written novel, Gita Mehta uses the traditional forms of Indian story-telling to explore the savagery of human love and to illuminate the paradoxes of India.