Author: S L Bhyrappa
Vamsha means family and Vriksha translates to a tree. S. L Bhyrappa’s Vamshavriksha narrates the tale of two families – the Shrothri and the Rao households being the center stage for the saga that spans over three generations.
Bhyrappa introduces the reader to all the characters in the first few chapters without adding any contrived twists to the story. Its almost a biographical account of the incidents as they occur in the lives of Srinivasa Shrothri, his wife and daughter in law Katyayani, across the banks of River Kapila (which itself plays an important role in the plot) juxtaposed against the literary journey of Sadasiva Rao and his family.
The book, written in 1962, could be considered ahead of it’s times by some, for it explores the premises of love and duty, and the dilemma that the battle of the heart and the head poses. The characterization of Katyayani and Sadasiva Rao bring to fore the debate on morality vs. individual choice, social norms vs. personal happiness, and forces the reader to think about the very hypotheses on which rights and wrongs are judged. Bhyrappa weaves the stories together with a sheer delicate and understated narration, not spending any words on banal description of the props, clothes or ambience.
He focuses on the moral decisions that people make or the social implications of the same for others. The book was a treat to read and is a must, especially for the puritanical few who justify moral policing of all based on ‘accepted social patterns’
Vamsha means family and Vriksha translates to a tree. S. L Bhyrappa’s Vamshavriksha narrates the tale of two families – the Shrothri and the Rao households being the center stage for the saga that spans over three generations.
Bhyrappa introduces the reader to all the characters in the first few chapters without adding any contrived twists to the story. Its almost a biographical account of the incidents as they occur in the lives of Srinivasa Shrothri, his wife and daughter in law Katyayani, across the banks of River Kapila (which itself plays an important role in the plot) juxtaposed against the literary journey of Sadasiva Rao and his family.
The book, written in 1962, could be considered ahead of it’s times by some, for it explores the premises of love and duty, and the dilemma that the battle of the heart and the head poses. The characterization of Katyayani and Sadasiva Rao bring to fore the debate on morality vs. individual choice, social norms vs. personal happiness, and forces the reader to think about the very hypotheses on which rights and wrongs are judged. Bhyrappa weaves the stories together with a sheer delicate and understated narration, not spending any words on banal description of the props, clothes or ambience.
He focuses on the moral decisions that people make or the social implications of the same for others. The book was a treat to read and is a must, especially for the puritanical few who justify moral policing of all based on ‘accepted social patterns’
