Book chronicling life of ‘Sourashtras’ released in Madurai

A book chronicling the four-century-long journey of the Sourashtra community from a distant land to their settlement in Tamil Nadu, titled ‘From Home to Heartland: The Story of the Sourashtras’, was released here in Madurai on Sunday.

Co-author Biswajit Balasubramanian, a cartoonist who previously documented the community’s history and culture in his own way, explained how the idea to transform the information into a book emerged after his cousin and co-author, Anitha Rajarajan, suggested the project.

“The book work, which started in 2023, took us through numerous archives in the form of books, lived experiences, and videos. The countless documentation of speaking to people and sifting through the archives in libraries over a two-and-a-half-year journey made this book possible,” Mr. Biswajit stated at the event.

He noted that the book’s title rightly captures the essence of their life journey from a different part of the country to Tamil Nadu, where they have spent close to four centuries. “Our enriching life in Tamil Nadu has transformed our lives entirely,” he added.

Ms. Rajarajan mentioned that the book is dedicated to the entire community in Madurai and elsewhere. “The book is written in English to make it easy for the younger generation to pick up, read, and pass on to the following generations,” she said.

Speaking at the event, BJP State general secretary Raama Sreenivasan said that irrespective of the language, all languages speak about our divine relationship with our parents and teachers. He added, “The Sourashtra community, who faced several odds throughout history, overcame all the struggle to reach great heights.”

The book was officially released and presented to Shrimant Babaji Rajah Bhonsle Chattrapathi, Head of the Maratha Royal Family of Thanjavur, and Dr. T.S. Chandrasekar.

Uma Kannan, Vice President of Thiagarajar College, and others were present at the function.