Tantu: The Loom of Life

In this epic novel, Bhyrappa examines the social, political, moral and psychological fibre of contemporary Indian life, spanning the decades between post-Independence and the declaration of the Emergency under Indira Gandhi. The range of characters is astonishingly comprehensive – the true Gandhian idealist who, despite all odds, holds on to his values; an honest, uncompromising journalist who remains steadfast to his professional ethics; the “liberated” career woman who gains favour in the business world due to her promiscuity; and the academic-politician with a carefully cultivated charm used to seduce impressionable young women. Tantu is panoramic in scope, moving from Bangalore to Mysore, from Banaras to Delhi. Police brutality, goondaism at the village level, the superficial five-star hotel culture and the smuggling of art objects out of the country are all subjects the novel relentlessly examines. Corruption and nepotism in high and low places is portrayed with absolute candour, as is the steady erosion of traditional Indian values. Tantu: The Loom of Life is a fascinating survey of modern India, examined from many different angles.

S.L. Bhyrappa

Dr. S.L. Bhyrappa is widely regarded as the greatest living novelist in Kannada. In a literary career spanning over fifty years he has authored twenty-two novels, which have been translated into most of the major Indian languages, including Urdu. His works have run into numerous reprints and have been the subject of numerous scholarly studies, as well as heated public debates. Of his books, Daatuwon the Sahitya Academy award while Mandrawon him the prestigious Saraswati Samman. He lives in Mysore.