 Swapna Saraswata | |
| Author | Gopalakrishna Pai |
|---|---|
| Language | Kannada |
| Genre | Non-fiction, historical |
| Published | 2011 Bhagyalakshmi Prakashana, Bengaluru. |
| Publication place | India |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| ISBN | 9788190817929 |
Swapna Saraswata is a collection of short histories by Indian writer Gopalakrishna Pai.
It was first published in the year 2009 under Bhagyalakshmi Publications, Bangalore. It consists of 474 pages. The cover page was designed by Chandranatha Acharya.
The book narrates the Gaud Saraswat Brahmin (GSB) community's diaspora along the west coast of India between the early 16th Century and late 18th Century. The author put in years of research, delving into written histories and oral narrations, covering a huge time span and the social dynamics within the community in the perspective of historical events.
"Swapna Saraswata" is the story of the fall of GSB community who lived in Goa four hundred years ago. It is a tragic story of the Gowda Saraswat Brahmin community leaving their land in Goa and migrating to an unknown land due to the oppression by the Portuguese. The arrival of the Portuguese to India, the conquest of Goa by the colonists and the conversion of temples, the destruction of temples, etc., have profoundly affected the beliefs and emotions of the local Gowda Saraswat Brahmin families. In such a situation, Vittu Pai, the grandson of Narasappayya, a resident of the Verane village in Goa, vacates the village with 5-6 families in the night in order to preserve culture, faith, religion, and life. They were emotionally attached to that land and culture and it was painful for them to vacate the village. To escape from the hands of Portuguese many families travelled till Kochi, and few families settling in the places of Coastal Karnataka. Likewise, the family of Vittu Pai settles in the southern village called Bellambeedu in Kumbale. They start their new business there and settled. The novel is meant to convey a kind of message to anyone facing a storm of change by quoting the example of the life of the Gowda Saraswat Brahmin community who have seen many difficulties of survival in history.
Author mentioned that he has worked for nearly 20 years and sourced 4,000 books, manuscripts and documents for this work. He has traveled from Goa to Kochi to meet people and studied their lifestyle. He has worked for nearly five years on the draft and revised it six times. [1]
This book won the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award in the year 2009 and the H. Shantaram Literary Award [1] This book won 2011's Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award for the author under the category Kannada. [2]
The book has been translated into English, Marathi, Malayalam, Hindi, Bengali and Tamil. The English translation, Swapna Saraswatha, was published by Manipal Universal Press in the year 2017 under its series - Indian Literature in Translation. Translated into English by Smt. Sumathi Shenoy, Shri. M R Rakshith, Smt. Savita Sastri, It has taken the saga of this community to larger English audience. [3]
Saraswat Brahmins are spread over widely separated regions spanning from Kashmir and Punjab in North India to Konkan in West India to Kanara and Kerala in South India. In places such as western and southern India, the claim of Brahminhood of some communities who claim to be Saraswat Brahmins is disputed. The word Saraswat is derived from the Rigvedic Sarasvati River.
Kamat or Kamath is a surname from Goa, Maharashtra and coastal Karnataka in India. It is found among Hindus of the Goud Saraswat Brahmin, Saraswat and Rajapur Saraswat Brahmin communities following Madhva Sampradaya of either Gokarna Matha or Kashi Matha.
Kallianpur is a hamlet of Tonse East village about six km from Udupi. It is a developed with all modern amenities like schools, college, hospital, good transport and communication facilities. The people of Kallianpur have survived many ages and still retain great positions with attachment to their culture. Some still date associate their surnames to their village Kallianpur.
Gaud Saraswat Brahmins (GSB), also known as Shenvis are a Hindu community of contested caste status and identity. They primarily speak Konkani and its various dialects as their mother tongue.
The Maha Ganapathi Mahammaya Temple is a Hindu temple in Shirali in the Uttar Kannada district of Karnataka state. The temple is dedicated to the god Ganesha as Mahaganapati and the goddess Mahamaya (Shantadurga). The temple is the Kuladevata Temple of the Goud Saraswat Brahmin community. The temple god is a Kuladevata of the Kamaths, Bhats, Puraniks, Prabhus, Joishys, Mallyas, Kudvas and Nayak families from the Goud Saraswat Brahmin community. The Temple was built about 400 years ago. It was renovated in 1904.
Shenoy is a surname from coastal Karnataka and Goa in India. It is found among Hindus of the Goud Saraswat Brahmin community following Smartha Sampradaya of Kavale Matha or Madhva Sampradaya of either Gokarna Matha or Kashi Matha.
Chellanam is a village and a suburb of Kochi city in the Indian state of Kerala.
Pai is a surname from coastal Karnataka, Kerala and Goa in India. It is found among Hindus of the Goud Saraswat Brahmin community, especially of Madhwa Section following either Kashi Math or Gokarna Matha.
Mangaloreans are a collection of diverse ethnic groups that hail from the historical locales of South Canara (Tulunaad) on the south western coast of Karnataka, India, particularly the residents native to Mangaluru.
The population of Kerala, India is a heterogenous group that comprises many ethnic groups that originated in other parts of India as well as the world, with distinctive cultural and religious traditions. While the majority of Keralites speak the Malayalam language, various ethnic groups may speak other languages as well.
Sri Venkataramana Temple, Karkala, also known as Padutirupathi, is a temple in Karnataka, India. It was built by Goud Saraswat Brahmins of Karkala and was installed on 25 April 1537.
Sree Venu Gopala Swamy Temple, Purakkad is one of the oldest Gowda Saraswath temples in the world. The main deity is Sree Venu Gopala Swamy. Located in the ancient port city of Purakkad, in Alappuzha the temple was built around 400 years back. Gowda Saraswath Brahmin devotees from all over the world bring their children to perform "Devak Deevop" and "Sodovop".
World Konkani Centre was founded by Konkani Bhas Ani Sanskriti Prathistan at Konkani Gaon, Shakti Nagar, Mangalore, to serve as a nodal agency for the preservation and overall development of Konkani language, art and culture involving all the Konkani people the world over.
Canarese Konkani are a set of dialects spoken by minority Konkani people of the Canara sub-region of Karnataka, and also in Kassergode of Kerala that was part of South Canara.
Ujwaadu is a 2011 Konkani film directed by Kasargod Chinna and produced by KJ Dhananjaya and Anuradha Padiyar as the third film ever produced in the GSB Konkani language and attempts to showcase Konkani Saraswatha tradition and culture.
Damodar Mauzo is an Indian short story writer, novelist, critic, and screenwriter in Konkani. He was awarded the 57th Jnanpith Award, India's highest literary honour, in 2022, Sahitya Akademi Award in 1983 for his novel Karmelin and the Vimala V. Pai Vishwa Konkani Sahitya Puraskar award for his novel Tsunami Simon in 2011. His collection of short stories Teresa's Man and Other Stories from Goa was nominated for the Frank O'Connor International award in 2015. He has served as a member of the executive board, general council, as well as the finance committee of the Sahitya Akademi.
Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Temple is a Hindu temple associated with Gowda Saraswatha Brahmins (GSB) in and around Thalassery.
Cochin Tirumala Devaswom, also called Gosripuram is the biggest and most important socio-religious institution of Gowda Saraswat Brahmins of Kerala, India. The temple is situated at Cherlai in the heart of Mattancherry town in Cochin area which is one of the earliest settlements of GSBs in Kerala. The temple was established in the later half of the 16th century. The history of GSBs in Kerala is inter-woven with that of this temple and its Venkateswara idol.
Gopalakrishna Pai is an Indian writer of fiction and non-fiction books in the Kannada language.