Samskara: A Rite for a Dead Man (Oxford India Paperbacks)

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Mr. Murthy's book is delicately told, with exquisite attention to detail. I did one of the inside jacket illustrations for a book of his when I was six, and have liked the man and his work ever since. Look for the new Penguin Paperback of his, _Bhava_ (co-translated by my mom... OK, so I am unfairly partial to his work). Read it and decide.

Rating:
Summary: The Samskara evolves by itself..
Review: The Samskara gives out the exact character of a normal brahmin. He practices the rituals blindly, but he can't think it scientifically. The humanity is the best ritual, irrespective of time and space i.e. the message of this novel. His one more novel Bharathipura is having the clear idea about the samskara.It may be the extended work of Samskara.

Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: There are two outstanding features of this book. The first being brilliant storytelling. The tale is a critical look at the life style of the "upper classes" of Hindu society during the early part of the twenthieth century. The plot is deftly interwoven with Hindu philosophy and the result is quite remarkable. The second feature is the tralsation. Having read the original Kannada version, I found the traslation to be very lucid . This is a must read for everyone familiar to the the Indian social setup and also for those who are interested in getting introduced to it.