Overview

A Journey through Story to Poṉṉivaḷa Nāḍu: An Ancient Tamil Kingdom This remarkable epic-length legend presents a rich and well-rounded view of local South Asian folk history, masterfully interwoven with many social themes and multiple layers of religious tradition. The text provides a lively read and can be enjoyed by students of all backgrounds and levels. This richly decorated oral telling combines numerous poetic songs with direct conversations and detailed narrative passages. The descriptive segments help to advance a broader story trajectory, leading the reader towards a long-foretold, yet still surprising, conclusion. In 1965 a highly respected troubadour duo, C. Rāmacāmi of Erucaṇampāḷayam, and his nephew Paḷaṇicāmi, sang this magnificent legend in front of a live South Indian village audience. It took them eighteen nights to complete this tale! Weeks later the senior performer, Rāmacāmi, patiently dictated this same story to a local assistant who was working for the translator at the time. The text was meticulously written down by hand, phrase-by-phrase, over many days. Both bards wanted to preserve a story they knew in their hearts was truly unique and sacred. Each gave the present collector permission to share the words of this tale. They wanted the whole world to learn about a great legend they had themselves spent years learning. This story is about the potential for social renewal and those two singers believed it could better the lives of all who listened to it. Fifty-five years later, following in in the footsteps of these two men, their enthusiasm has now born fruit in a book they had both hoped for but could never have written themselves.

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9781927453599

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While studying for a doctoral degree in Anthropology, Brenda Beck lived for nearly two years in a local Indian village belonging to the Kongu region of Tamil Nadu. She spent her time there learning spoken Tamil and expanding her understanding of the people of this specific locale. She was especially interested in learning about this area's rich cultural traditions. Dr. Beck has returned to the same area to visit friends many times since then. Following the completion of her D.Phil. degree at Oxford University, she has dedicated the ensuing fifty-two years to further studying the rich folk heritage of the diverse peoples of South India. Reading and re-reading The Land of the Golden River has helped her discover many additional insights into the folk traditions and beliefs so well described in this unique folk text. As a popular teacher, author and storyteller, Dr. Beck has taught at a number of Universities in North America and has thrice been a formal guest of the Government of India. Many groups and organizations have recognized and honored her for her work. Brenda is the author of eight books and over fifty journal articles, and she still continues to lecture and write for a wide variety of audiences. Currently Dr. Beck is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Toronto, Scarborough campus.

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