Vamshavriksha (Kannada)

In Kannada, Vamsha means ‘family’ and Vriksha means ‘tree’. The book, Vamshavriksha (Kannada), is a narration spanning across three generations of the Rao and Shrotri households. The happenings in these two households form the centre of the narrative. In the first chapter, the readers are introduced to a bevy of characters who are part of both the households. The book gives a biographical account of the incidents in the lives of Sadasiva Rao and Srinivasa Shrotri. A vivid description is given of the journey of Sadasiva Rao’s family and the happenings in the Shrotri household, which include Srinivasa Shrotri, his wife and their daughter-in-law, Katyayani.

The book, which was originally written in 1962, was considered to be way ahead of its times and delves on the premises of love and duty. It is a battle between the heart and the brain. Katyayani and Sadasiva Rao display extreme characters and they bring to the fore the debate on social norms vs personal happiness and morality vs individual choice. The author urges the readers to ponder over the basis on which their decisions of right and wrong are based.

Vamshavriksha (Kannada) was published by Sahitya Bandar in 2013. The 17th edition of this book is available in paperback.

Key Features:

• This book won its author the Kannada Sahitya Akademi Award in 1996.
• It has also been made into a film.