Naayi Neralu translates to Dog and Shadow - representative of the 2 constant companions of the soul in its journey as a human being. They don’t leave the side of the man and always follow him wherever he goes. This novel from the maverick writer S. L. Bhyrappa covers some very interesting topics including rebirth / reincarnation, societal norms of what is acceptable, long lasting impact of actions, deceit, while also touching upon some minor topics like conversion in the name of rational religion. Beyond all these, this novel is an excellent reminder of what is impact of one’s karma across generations.
Spanning three generations, this novel captures the story of Kshetrapala (Vishwesvara) and his previous cum adopting family comprising of Acchannayyanavru, Nanjakka, Venkamma, Achyutha. There are characters like Thirumala Jois who is the father in the latest birth of Kshetrapala who act as a beacon of dharma in the complex web woven by the master story teller. The events are centred around the birth of Kshetrapala which can be calculated to be around 1906 AD and events that occur a quarter of century on either sides of this timeline. There is also a dog that is adopted and cared for by Kshetrapala that follows him everywhere he goes upto a specific point, wherein it dies. The revelations that unravel in the latter half of the book is shock inducing and enables the reader to put all these disconnected events into perspective. Karma is one constant theme throughout the book and perhaps, the main character of the book.
The names of the characters are not random, but have been chosen with lot of care. Kshetrapala, which is another name for Bhairava, is fond of dogs which is natural considering that Bhairava is Shvanavahana (Dog as a mount). In this book, the dog is representative of our previous Prarabhda and current karma and indicates that the karmaphala i.e. fruits of our actions, follow us everywhere we go, even across births.
Characters like Nanjakka represent the strong woman of the household who is traditional yet practical in her thinking. Venkamma is another character who comes across as quite independent considering the huge surge of emotions that she undergoes in the 42 years of her life documented in the book. Apart from the fact that she is in constant tears, the natural human tendencies come up to the fore. Her reactions to her husband in her reincarnated form is quite well brought out by the author. This is in fact one of the highlights of the book.
Achyutha represents the modern young man who believes science should answer everything and everything else is blind belief. A rebel at heart, he is drawn towards conversion by his Professor in the name of rational religion. He is also representative of the brown sahib syndrome that plagues the modern society even today, wherein one considers the westerners to have superior knowledge compared to our ancestors. His character is quite complex and very well written. Personally, I felt a few threads were left open like the conversion episode, but these are very minor points considering the main theme of the book.
Acchannaya’s character is perhaps one of the best written ones by S. L. Bhyrappa. His character arc spanning 2 generations and their impact on the overall family is quite shock inducing when certain revelations are made. One should perhaps study his character in detail while considering the impact of our choices and actions (karma).
This leaves the main character of the book, Karma. Towards the end, when a sanyasi visits Venkamma and blesses her and her child, there is one paragraph which resonates very strongly with me. It explains the impact of Karma i.e. not just one’s own karma, but also those who are related as well as Prarabhda karma carried over from previous lives. Beyond everything he says, we just don’t know.. maybe God wants to test us and hence, we undergo certain unexpected life altering events. Very profound, very philosophical.
S. L. Bhyrappa’s books always have a message that is core to the narrative and this book is no different. He is forcing us to evaluate the impact of our actions that can transcend generations. One of the best books by the master storyteller. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READ.
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