Amita Kanekar, author of A Spoke in the Wheel

Amita Kanekar is a Mumbai-based writer, whose well-received debut novel A Spoke in the Wheel was published by Harper Collins Publishers, India. Kanekar teaches comparitive mythology at the University of Mumbai. She was born in Goa in 1965. She is currently (2006) working on her second novel. She has lived in the U.S. as a child, and also teaches Architectural History. MumbaÄ« (Marathi: मुंबई, IPA: ), formerly known as Bombay, is the capital of the state of Maharashtra, and the most populous city of India and the world, with an estimated population of about 13 million (as of 2006)[1]. Mumbai is located on the west coast of Maharashtra. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... For other uses, see Goa (disambiguation). ...

Publishing history and plans

Kanekar is currently researching material and travelling for her second novel, on the rebellion of a little known peasant community in the time of the Mughal ruler of India, Aurangzeb. Kanekar's first novel about the Buddha, A Spoke in the Wheel, has earned favourable reviews. Published in 2005 by Harper Collins India, the book went into its second impression that year itself. The Mughal Empire (alternative spelling Mogul, which is the origin of the word Mogul) of India was founded by Babur in 1526, when he defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans at the First Battle of Panipat. ... Aurangzeb (borrowed from early Persian, اورنگ‌زیب Awrang throne and Zayb beauty, ornament),(November 3, 1618 – March 3, 1707, also known as Alamgir I, was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1658 until 1707. ... A large Buddha image in Yangon, Myanmar In Buddhism, a buddha (Sanskrit बुद्ध) is any being who has become fully awakened (enlightened), has permanently overcome greed, hate, and ignorance, and has achieved complete liberation from suffering. ... ... Collins was a Scottish printing company founded by a schoolmaster, William Collins, in Glasgow in 1819. ...

A Spoke in the Wheel

A Spoke in the Wheel is an epic story alternating between two narratives -- the story of the Buddha himself, and his times, told not as frozen legend, but brought to life with historical detail and craftsmanship. ... A large Buddha image in Yangon, Myanmar In Buddhism, a buddha (Sanskrit बुद्ध) is any being who has become fully awakened (enlightened), has permanently overcome greed, hate, and ignorance, and has achieved complete liberation from suffering. ...

The parallel narrative is that of the chronicler, Upali, a Buddhist monk living in the time of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, three hundred years after the Buddha's death. Categories: Buddhism-related stubs | Buddhist terms ... The Mauryan empire (321 to 185 BCE), at its largest extent around 230 BCE. The Mauryan empire was Indias first great unified empire. ... Allegiance: Magadhan Empire Rank: Emperor Succeeded by: Dasaratha Maurya Reign: 273 BC-232 BC Place of birth: Pataliputra, India Battles/Wars Kalinga War Emperor Ashoka the Great (Devanagari: अशोक(:); IAST transliteration: , pronunciation: ) (304 BC–232 BC) (Imperial Title:Devanampiya Piyadassi ie He who is the beloved of the Gods who, in... A large Buddha image in Yangon, Myanmar In Buddhism, a buddha (Sanskrit बुद्ध) is any being who has become fully awakened (enlightened), has permanently overcome greed, hate, and ignorance, and has achieved complete liberation from suffering. ...

Upali, an embittered survivor of Ashoka's infamous conquest of Kalinga, attempts to recover from the horror of war and destruction by writing the "deglorified and factual" story of the Buddha's life and teachings. Allegiance: Magadhan Empire Rank: Emperor Succeeded by: Dasaratha Maurya Reign: 273 BC-232 BC Place of birth: Pataliputra, India Battles/Wars Kalinga War Emperor Ashoka the Great (Devanagari: अशोक(:); IAST transliteration: , pronunciation: ) (304 BC–232 BC) (Imperial Title:Devanampiya Piyadassi ie He who is the beloved of the Gods who, in... Kalinga is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. ... A large Buddha image in Yangon, Myanmar In Buddhism, a buddha (Sanskrit बुद्ध) is any being who has become fully awakened (enlightened), has permanently overcome greed, hate, and ignorance, and has achieved complete liberation from suffering. ...

This turns out to be a difficult, even dangerous exercise, for Upali is swimming against the tide, at a time when the Buddha's Sangha is poised to rise to immense imperial patronage and splendour under Emperor Ashoka. A large Buddha image in Yangon, Myanmar In Buddhism, a buddha (Sanskrit बुद्ध) is any being who has become fully awakened (enlightened), has permanently overcome greed, hate, and ignorance, and has achieved complete liberation from suffering. ... It has been suggested that bhikkhu be merged into this article or section. ... Allegiance: Magadhan Empire Rank: Emperor Succeeded by: Dasaratha Maurya Reign: 273 BC-232 BC Place of birth: Pataliputra, India Battles/Wars Kalinga War Emperor Ashoka the Great (Devanagari: अशोक(:); IAST transliteration: , pronunciation: ) (304 BC–232 BC) (Imperial Title:Devanampiya Piyadassi ie He who is the beloved of the Gods who, in...

This is a patronage that will sustain Buddhism for over a millennium and help it reach out to half the world's populace. A replica of an ancient statue of Gautama Buddha, found in Sarnath, near Varanasi. ...

A Spoke in the Wheel is a story of the Buddha and his disciples -- among them an ordinary monk plagued by many questions, and an extraordinary king who seemed to have all the answers and was bent on unifying Buddhism's many schools of thought and making Buddhism his state religion. ... A large Buddha image in Yangon, Myanmar In Buddhism, a buddha (Sanskrit बुद्ध) is any being who has become fully awakened (enlightened), has permanently overcome greed, hate, and ignorance, and has achieved complete liberation from suffering. ... A replica of an ancient statue of Gautama Buddha, found in Sarnath, near Varanasi. ... A replica of an ancient statue of Gautama Buddha, found in Sarnath, near Varanasi. ...

Kanekar, who teaches comparitive mythology at the University of Mumbai, has said that she began writing her novel on the Buddha in 1998, as the first step in a personal quest to understand India's forgotten social and political revolutions, the historical conditions in which these movements were born, what they achieved, and how these achievements tended to get lost over time in myth and legend. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A large Buddha image in Yangon, Myanmar In Buddhism, a buddha (Sanskrit बुद्ध) is any being who has become fully awakened (enlightened), has permanently overcome greed, hate, and ignorance, and has achieved complete liberation from suffering. ... In the academic fields of mythology, mythography, and folkloristics a myth is a sacred story concerning the origins of the world or how the world and the creatures in it came to have their present form. ... A legend (Latin, legenda, things to be read) is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude. ...

In a statement released about the book Kanekar says she has seen the Buddha as a "historical figure who lived in the foundational epoch of Indian civilisation, whose life and struggle are now almost completely lost in myth, and whose ideas evolved to mean very different things to different people, yet continue to resonate with a all-inclusive and rational message of peace even today, 2500 years after they were first propagated." A large Buddha image in Yangon, Myanmar In Buddhism, a buddha (Sanskrit बुद्ध) is any being who has become fully awakened (enlightened), has permanently overcome greed, hate, and ignorance, and has achieved complete liberation from suffering. ...

Intensive reading, unsure beginnings

Research for her novel began at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi over one extended Diwali vacation, under the initial guidance of Prof. Kunal Chakraborty, of the Centre for Historical Studies at the JNU. Jawaharlal Nehru University is located in New Delhi, the capital of India. ... The Humayuns Tomb, situated in New Delhi, has an architectural design similar to the Taj Mahal. ... Diwali, also called Deepavali (Sanskrit: ) is a major Hindu festival that is very significant in Hinduism, Sikhism and Jainism. ...

She has said the work involved "intensive reading continued for over a year" before Kanekar began to write, "diffidently, not sure at all about how it was going to turn out". Her goal was "to produce something readable, especially about a period so long ago, especially for a modern television watching generation."

Kanekar has said: "The initial idea was to write a book about the Buddha; the choice of the novel-form came later." She describes herself as an "avid novel-reader". This was also because she wanted the book to "be read by as many people as possible, not only academics and Buddhists." A large Buddha image in Yangon, Myanmar In Buddhism, a buddha (Sanskrit बुद्ध) is any being who has become fully awakened (enlightened), has permanently overcome greed, hate, and ignorance, and has achieved complete liberation from suffering. ... Statues of Buddha such as this, the Tian Tan Buddha statue in Hong Kong, remind followers to practice right living. ...

But the writing became more difficult, and Kanekar took four years to complete the work.

Born in Goa, family ties

Kanekar was born in Madgaon (Margao) in Goa in 1965 and lived in Navelim, a nearby village, till the age of two, before leaving for the US and subsequently for Mumbai where she lives today, teaching Architectural History at the Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture at Juhu, and Comparative Mythologies at the University of Mumbai. Margao (मडगांव), is also called Madgaon, Margaon and Margão. ... Margao is Goas biggest city is the commercial capital of the state. ... For other uses, see Goa (disambiguation). ... The small town of Navelim is located outside the city of Margao, the second largest city after the capital city of Goa, Panaji. ... MumbaÄ« (Marathi: मुंबई, IPA: ), formerly known as Bombay, is the capital of the state of Maharashtra, and the most populous city of India and the world, with an estimated population of about 13 million (as of 2006)[1]. Mumbai is located on the west coast of Maharashtra. ... Juhu is a suburb of Mumbai. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Her father Suresh Kanekar was jailed twice by the then Portuguese government for his participation in the movement against colonial rule. Her maternal aunt was Mitra Bir, freedom fighter and educationist, who was sentenced to twelve years in jail at the age of 22, and later went on to open schools for girls at Madgaon (Margao), Verem, Kakora and other locations in independent Goa, as also centres for adult and vocational education for women, before her death in 1978. Mitra was married to the late Madhav Bir, member of the Goa legislative assembly and Gandhian. Kanekar's maternal uncle, the late M. V. Kakodkar was also active in the campaign to open temples to all in Goa the 1960s. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Colony. ... Margao (मडगांव), is also called Madgaon, Margaon and Margão. ... Margao is Goas biggest city is the commercial capital of the state. ... Gandhian is a person who lives his life practicing the teaching of Mahatma Gandhi, that is, one who follows Gandhism or the Gandhian philosophy. ...

Second novel, Satnami revolt

Presently Kanekar is working on her second book, another novel, this one on the Satnami revolt in the time of Aurangzeb. The Satnamis were 17th century followers of Kabir's radical social ideas, a small and short-lived peasant community that eschewed caste, religious and gender divides. Aurangzeb (borrowed from early Persian, اورنگ‌زیب Awrang throne and Zayb beauty, ornament),(November 3, 1618 – March 3, 1707, also known as Alamgir I, was the ruler of the Mughal Empire from 1658 until 1707. ... Kabir (also Kabira, Hindi: , Punjabi: , Urdu: , 1440 - 1518) was an Indian mystic who preached an ideal of seeing all of humanity as one. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

They rose in revolt in 1672 against the economic exploitation of the time, and managed to set up their own administration in a few towns and villages south of Delhi before being crushed by the Mughal armies. This article is about the metropolis of Delhi. ... The Mughal Empire (alternative spelling Mogul, which is the origin of the word Mogul) of India was founded by Babur in 1526, when he defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans at the First Battle of Panipat. ...

This forthcoming book tries to recapture this convergence of Bhakti ideology and class revolt, which arose against the backdrop of the rich mercantilist era of the 17th century, a time when Mughal India seemed at its peak of wealth and power. Bhakti - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Mercantilism is the economic theory that a nations prosperity depended upon its supply of gold and silver, that the total volume of trade is unchangeable. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... The Mughal Empire at its greatest extent. ...

Kanekar has said that "the experience of writing it has been very different from the first, mainly because there are far more historical records and sureties for the background of the Mughal period than the Buddha's time, but hardly any materials on the protagonists; the Satnamis are almost as unknown and unheard-of as the Buddha is a legend." The Mughal Empire (alternative spelling Mogul, which is the origin of the word Mogul) of India was founded by Babur in 1526, when he defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans at the First Battle of Panipat. ... A large Buddha image in Yangon, Myanmar In Buddhism, a buddha (Sanskrit बुद्ध) is any being who has become fully awakened (enlightened), has permanently overcome greed, hate, and ignorance, and has achieved complete liberation from suffering. ...

Novel's setting

Kanekar's first novel is set in 256 BCE (before current era), some three centuries after the death of Buddha and four years since the "terrible battle of Kalinga". Upali, a monk and embittered survivor of the war that made Emperor Ashoka the overlord of virtually the whole of India, hates the emperor intensely. Yet, to him Emperor Ashoka, the "self-proclaimed Beloved of the Gods", entrusts the task of putting the Buddha's life and teachings down for posterity. Kanekar's story tells of an Emperor set on a new conquest -- that of Dhamma. A large Buddha image in Yangon, Myanmar In Buddhism, a buddha (Sanskrit बुद्ध) is any being who has become fully awakened (enlightened), has permanently overcome greed, hate, and ignorance, and has achieved complete liberation from suffering. ... Kalinga is a landlocked province of the Philippines in the Cordillera Administrative Region in Luzon. ... Allegiance: Magadhan Empire Rank: Emperor Succeeded by: Dasaratha Maurya Reign: 273 BC-232 BC Place of birth: Pataliputra, India Battles/Wars Kalinga War Emperor Ashoka the Great (Devanagari: अशोक(:); IAST transliteration: , pronunciation: ) (304 BC–232 BC) (Imperial Title:Devanampiya Piyadassi ie He who is the beloved of the Gods who, in... Allegiance: Magadhan Empire Rank: Emperor Succeeded by: Dasaratha Maurya Reign: 273 BC-232 BC Place of birth: Pataliputra, India Battles/Wars Kalinga War Emperor Ashoka the Great (Devanagari: अशोक(:); IAST transliteration: , pronunciation: ) (304 BC–232 BC) (Imperial Title:Devanampiya Piyadassi ie He who is the beloved of the Gods who, in... A large Buddha image in Yangon, Myanmar In Buddhism, a buddha (Sanskrit बुद्ध) is any being who has become fully awakened (enlightened), has permanently overcome greed, hate, and ignorance, and has achieved complete liberation from suffering. ... The word dharma (Sanskrit; धर्म in the Devanagari script) or dhamma (Pali) is used in most or all philosophies and religions of Indian origin, Dharmic faiths, namely Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma), Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. ...

Author's comment

This leads to a "seach for the Buddha and a struggle over the past". In Kanekar's words: "What really was the Buddha's message? Ascetic renunciation? Universal salvation? Passive disengagement? Tolerance --- even of intolerance? If his message was a critique of violence, how did it come to be championed by the most successfully violent autocrats of ancient India? These are questions that begin to surface among the Buddha's followers, fearfully and then angrily, to be viciously debated even as Dhamma rises to glorious imperial patronage, a patronage that will sustain it for over a millennium and reach it to half the world's populace." A large Buddha image in Yangon, Myanmar In Buddhism, a buddha (Sanskrit बुद्ध) is any being who has become fully awakened (enlightened), has permanently overcome greed, hate, and ignorance, and has achieved complete liberation from suffering. ... A large Buddha image in Yangon, Myanmar In Buddhism, a buddha (Sanskrit बुद्ध) is any being who has become fully awakened (enlightened), has permanently overcome greed, hate, and ignorance, and has achieved complete liberation from suffering. ... A large Buddha image in Yangon, Myanmar In Buddhism, a buddha (Sanskrit बुद्ध) is any being who has become fully awakened (enlightened), has permanently overcome greed, hate, and ignorance, and has achieved complete liberation from suffering. ... The word dharma (Sanskrit; धर्म in the Devanagari script) or dhamma (Pali) is used in most or all philosophies and religions of Indian origin, Dharmic faiths, namely Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma), Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. ...

Kanekar calls her's "a story about the Buddha and his disciples, among them an ordinary monk, one of the questioners, and an extraordinary king, who seemed to have all the answers". She says it is also about how the movement called Dhamma was born, spread, changed lives and got changed itself. The word dharma (Sanskrit; धर्म in the Devanagari script) or dhamma (Pali) is used in most or all philosophies and religions of Indian origin, Dharmic faiths, namely Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma), Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. ...

In her book, Upali's chronicle -- a deglorified, fictional account of the life of Buddha -- alternates with that of Upali's own life during the reign of Emperor Ashoka and incluiding both these parallel narratives with a wealth of historical detail and philosophical debate. Allegiance: Magadhan Empire Rank: Emperor Succeeded by: Dasaratha Maurya Reign: 273 BC-232 BC Place of birth: Pataliputra, India Battles/Wars Kalinga War Emperor Ashoka the Great (Devanagari: अशोक(:); IAST transliteration: , pronunciation: ) (304 BC–232 BC) (Imperial Title:Devanampiya Piyadassi ie He who is the beloved of the Gods who, in...

Media comment

Indian national newspaper The Hindu said: "... the book draws from Indian history to such good effect that one can't help wondering if things actually did happen this way... Another interesting aspect of the book is the dismantling of each legend associated with the Buddha... Life in the Magadhan Empire is also portrayed with an eye to historical accuracy. Quotes from Ashokan edicts... which we know of as history but couldn't really relate to... now come alive with a new imagery..." This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers, and should be edited to rectify this. ... A large Buddha image in Yangon, Myanmar In Buddhism, a buddha (Sanskrit बुद्ध) is any being who has become fully awakened (enlightened), has permanently overcome greed, hate, and ignorance, and has achieved complete liberation from suffering. ... Magadha was one of the four main kingdoms of India at the time of Buddha, having risen to power during the reigns of Bimbisara (c. ...

Outlook magazine from New Delhi wrote: "Amita Kanekar's novel about Emperor Ashoka and the Buddhist monk Upali... successfully captures the stress and strains of monastic life, and brings alive the centuries following the death of the Buddha. when his teachings were taking the form of a canonical corpus... While many historical fictions make only tenous references to real history, the present one doesn't... An interesting mix of erudition and historical imagination..." Screenshot of Outlook 2003 Microsoft Outlook is a personal information manager from Microsoft, and is part of the Microsoft Office. ... Allegiance: Magadhan Empire Rank: Emperor Succeeded by: Dasaratha Maurya Reign: 273 BC-232 BC Place of birth: Pataliputra, India Battles/Wars Kalinga War Emperor Ashoka the Great (Devanagari: अशोक(:); IAST transliteration: , pronunciation: ) (304 BC–232 BC) (Imperial Title:Devanampiya Piyadassi ie He who is the beloved of the Gods who, in...

Deccan Herald of Bangalore commented: "Amita Kanekar's debut novel, A Spoke in the Wheel, is an attempt to strip away layer by layer such fanciful stories surrounding the Buddha and reveal him as an ordinary man who had an extraordinary approach to his problems. The novel has an interesting structure... Throughout the book Amita presents issues of ethics and socio economic relationships that are relevant even today. The narrative is rich in detail and every aspect of life in those ancient times stands out vividly before the reader." The Deccan Herald is the largest English-language daily newspaper in the state of Karnataka in India. ... Bangalore (Kannada: ; pronunciation: in Kannada and in English) is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. ... ...

Publication data

A Spoke in the Wheel by Amita Kanekar is published Harper Collins India in 2005, and priced at Rs 395 (in India). Printed Pages: 447. First Edition Paperback New 13 Cms x 20 Cms. ISBN/ISSN 8172235747 LCCN 2005323538 OCLC # 60862064 ... Collins was a Scottish printing company founded by a schoolmaster, William Collins, in Glasgow in 1819. ...

External links

• The Hindu, review of A Spoke in the Wheel
• Deccan Herald review
• Tribune, Chandigarh review
• Outlook, India review (needs registration)
• Indiaclub.com review
• The Buddhist Channel review
• TomFolio.com link
• Dealtime.com link
• Post on soc.culture.indian.goa
• Blog link to A Spoke in the Wheel
• Blog reference to A Spoke in the Wheel
• Reference on Goanet