DALRYMPLE'S NINE LIVES: A COMPLEX SPIRITUAL LIFE OF THE SUBCONTINENT

Abstract

The paper aims to explore the nine spiritual lives in the subcontinent. Dalrymple wrote this book as a result of the insights that his travel to India gave him. Based on these experiences, he writes about nine Indians and their lives, depicting nine cultures, living conditions of different classes in the society, and lifestyle. Each of these Nine Lives follows different religious styles. These styles are also visible in the book.  The book has been divided into 9 chapters, each chapter encompassing and addressing the different types of lives. The Nine Lives that Dalrymple is trying to depict in this work are a monk from the Buddhist community, a nun from Jain community, a middle-class lady from Calcutta, a jail warden from the state of Kerala, a goat herder from Rajasthan who hasn't got any literacy to possess, and a Devadasi. These nine characters possess nine different depictions of religious factors in these nine chapters. These nine chapters are named as THE NUN'S TALE, THE DANCER OF KANNUR, THE DAUGHTER OF YELLAMMA, THE SINGER OF EPICS, THE RED FAIRY, THE MONK'S TALE, THE MAKER OF IDOLS, THE LADY TWILIGHT, and THE SONG OF THE BLIND MINSTREL. These chapters encompass nine different classes of the society, including the economically disabled classes. It is bringing out the living conditions in India as transparent as clear water.