Astride the Wheel is a subdued account of a temple priest’s final years in rural Orissa and his acceptance of his fate of monotonous poverty, which is shared by the majority of Indian villagers. Sanatan Dase has a vague impression that there is a huge liberation beyond his wife’s constant griping, the small-minded taunts he receives from others, and the constant lack in his life. The setting for the first part of the book is an Orissan village. The second half of the book takes the reader on a journey with Sanatan Dase to Dakhineswar, Varanasi, Vrindavan, and eventually Puri, leaving behind the cramped Brahmin settlements, caste systems, frivolous preoccupations, and repetitious rituals.The story suggests a hidden and perfect bliss that is accessible via straightforward piety and devotion by having the protagonist’s outward pilgrimage coincide with a trip into an inner world of intense mystical experience. The general public as well as students and academics interested in Oriya literature, Indian literature in translation, and cultural studies will find this translation to their liking.
Books Info
| Books name | Astride the Wheel |
| Editor | Chandrasekhar Rath |
| No Of pages | 209 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Publication | 2003 |
| Printed At | Roopak Printer , New Delhi |
| Distributor | NA |