Announcements

HarperCollins in delighted to present The Dance of Faith, A Novel by R. Seshasayee

‘Profoundly thoughtful’ –MANI RATNAM

***

‘Seshasayee’s deft telling of [Zaheer’s] life leaves us stirred, yet disturbed. And the uncomfortable and unanswered questions it throws up stay with us long after the last page has been turned.’—T.M. Krishna

‘Seshasayee’s gift of language, of turns of original phrasing, minting figures of speech, is captivating. But that gift yields place to his masterful understanding of life. He takes us through the furnaces of conflict, division and anguish to there, where seeker meets the sought.’—Gopalkrishna Gandhi

‘The story is sketched in a very visual style, capturing the vibrant hues of Tamil Nadu, its society, art and religion. A great human story.’—Rajiv Menon

***

Mesmerized by the vibrance of classical dance, young Zaheer yearns to be a Bharatanatyam dancer. Yet, in his small but multi-cultural village community, he finds encouragement only in his aunt, Anandhi, and faces ridicule from his immediate family and extended social circle. In the course of his struggle, as he transitions from being a member of a conservative Muslim family that is outraged by his unusual interest, into becoming a part of the charming world of a classical dance form that imposes its own religious typecasting, he encounters different facets of faith. The novel explores the legitimacy of the space that Zaheer wishes to carve out for himself beyond stereotypes of black and white, amidst gaping social disparities, and in between Hinduism and Islam. Interwoven with his narrative is one of Andal, the Vaishnavite savant poetess who rebels against the orthodoxy of her faith and creates her own idiom of devotion.

The Dance of Faith is a vibrant and brilliantly crafted tapestry of art, dance, cinema and religion of the Tamil region in which the sordid and spectacular shine through equally.

***

Author, Seshasayee, says:The Dance of Faith is a novel that explores the legitimacy of the fluid middle space between religious polarities and of the neutrality of art as a medium. It is, in a way, an expression of my conviction that each person’s faith is unique in its detail, is that person’s reality and that no one’s faith is superior to another’s.’

About the Author:

Seshasayee is a very well-respected senior business leader. He has held several leadership positions, including as executive vice chairman and managing director of Ashok Leyland Ltd, chairman, Infosys Ltd, chairman, IndusInd Bank Ltd, etc. He is presently vice chairman, Hinduja Group and independent director, Asian Paints Ltd.

He was president of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), president of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and has served on several committees of the Government of India, including the Board of Trade. He was also the co-chair of World Economic Forum, Middle East.

Seshasayee is deeply committed to social causes, and is the chairman of Cancer Institute, Chennai, chairman of the executive committee of Hinduja National Hospital, Mumbai, and chairman of Schizophrenia Research Foundation of India. He was formerly chairman of National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli (NITT) and other educational institutions.He served as chairman, Board of Trustees of Srirangam Temple. He has also received formal training in classical music and was the vice president of the Music Academy, Chennai.

The Dance of Faith is his debut novel.

About the Author:

Seshasayee is a very well-respected senior business leader. He has held several leadership positions, including as executive vice chairman and managing director of Ashok Leyland Ltd, chairman, Infosys Ltd, chairman, IndusInd Bank Ltd, etc. He is presently vice chairman, Hinduja Group and independent director, Asian Paints Ltd.

He was president of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), president of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) and has served on several committees of the Government of India, including the Board of Trade. He was also the co-chair of World Economic Forum, Middle East.

About HarperCollins Publishers India:

HarperCollins India publishes some of the finest writers from the Indian Subcontinent and around the world, publishing approximately 200 new books every year, with a print and digital catalogue of more than 2,000 titles across 10 imprints. Its authors have won almost every major literary award including the Man Booker Prize, JCB Prize, DSC Prize, New India Foundation Award, Atta Galatta Prize, Shakti Bhatt Prize, Gourmand Cookbook Award, Publishing Next Award, Tata Literature Live! Award, Gaja Capital Business Book Prize, BICW Award, Sushila Devi Award, Sahitya Akademi Award and Crossword Book Award. HarperCollins India also represents some of the finest publishers in the world including Harvard University Press, Gallup Press, Oneworld, Bonnier Zaffre, Usborne, Dover and Lonely Planet. HarperCollins India is now the recipient of five Publisher of the Year Awards—in 2021 and 2015 at the Publishing Next Industry Awards, and in 2021, 2018 and 2016 at Tata Literature Live. HarperCollins India is a subsidiary of HarperCollins Publishers.

 

 

harperbroadcast

Recent Posts

Read an Excerpt from ‘The Keeper of Desolation’

Surreal yet gritty, violent yet poetic – such is the world of Chandan Pandey’s fiction.…

8 months ago

Mitali Mukherjee’s Favourite Books

From books on financial frauds to a graphic novel based in Gaza, Mitali Mukherjee reading…

8 months ago

Between the Lines with Mitali Mukherjee

Mitali Mukherjee's chilling and unputdownable new book Crypto Crimes traces the murky underbelly of the…

8 months ago

Mastering Money: Essential Reads in Finance and Business Books

Hey there readers! For today’s blog we have brought you a collection of finance and…

8 months ago

Explore The World of YA Novels Perfect for Teens

Hi readers! In this week’s blog we have some Young Adult recommendations perfect for teens.…

8 months ago

India’s #1 crime writer S. Hussain Zaidi is back with a riveting thriller – The Black Orphan

is proud to announce the release of THE BLACK ORPHAN   Inspired by true events,…

8 months ago