From Possession to Freedom: The Journey of Nili-Nilakeci

By R. Umamaheshwari

The Tamil text Nīlakeci, dated around the 5th century CE (debated), is an unusual literary creation. It retrieves a violent, vengeful pēy (female possessing spirit) of Palayanur, transforming her into a Jaina philosopher. It was a profoundly subversive idea of its time, using the female persona and voice (for a hitherto disembodied being) to debate with preceptors of different schools of thought/religions of the time, all male, barring the Buddhist nun, Kuṇṭalakeci. Nīlakeci's debates focus on questions of non-violence, existence of the soul, authorship and caste, among others.

However, in order to truly appreciate this alter-texting, one has to unravel layers of other texts and traditions: the lesser known villuppāttu (bow-song) and nātakam (theatrical) versions of the pēy Nīli stories, as well as the story of Kuṇṭalakeci's own transformative journey. Umamaheshwari situates these in a comparative context, while maintaining the centrality of the debates within Nīlakeci, using translation of selected excerpts.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 9385932284
• ISBN13: 9789385932281
• Release Date: April 2019
• Publisher: Zubaan Books
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.7" x 8.6"