Man from the Sun: The story of the Kosambis

The canvas of Man from the Sun stretches over history, portraying the life and times in Dharmanand Kosambi. This biographical novel written by Indrayani Sawkar, Kosambi’s grand-daughter brings to life an age that was steeped in concepts and notions that belong to a culture of another time. This is the story of Bapu or Dharmanand Kosambi, the scholar and philosopher who had the courage to transcend middle class notions regarding family and occupation and contained the irrepressible desire to move towards an existence that would reach philosophical heights. It depicts his leap from mediocrity to intellectual and spiritual achievement, that took shape in the form of a study of Buddhism and Jainism, monkhood in Sri Lanka and professorship at Harvard and Leningrad. It is the story of Bala, Bapu’s wife, a strong-willed personality, bristling with sharp edges, who looked at her life as a challenge and fought the battle with courage. Though looked upon as an angry woman, she did brim with love for people, especially her husband, who almost never shared his life with her. Man from the Sun is also the story of the Kosambi family – where every individual has a distinct personality that impresses upon your mind. The flow is simple, starting from a birth to a unique death – Sallekhan – a practice where the individual fasts unto death; and also represents the final phase of man’s spirituality. The landscape shifts continuously, introducing you to places that change the world around them. Here’s novel that offers you a glimpse a history and of individuals who’ve crossed several barriers to reach a point of transcendence.