New whodunnit set in B’luru

On June 13, writer and philosopher Sundar Sarukkai released his second fiction, ‘Water Days: A Novel’, at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Sadashivanagar. 

The event featured a panel discussion with the author, journalist C K Meena, writer and editor Karthik Venkatesh and researcher Divya Ravindranath. The event was organised as part of City Scripts, an annual three-day literature festival by IIHS. 

Meena introduced the book and read an excerpt. 

Set in Bengaluru’s Mathikere Extension in the late 1990s, the characters in the book are based on experiences Sarukkai had when he lived in the area. ‘Water Days: A Novel’ begins with the death of a young girl in the neighbourhood. Residents try to figure out the truth behind the death. “The book’s title, ‘Water Days’, is reminiscent of the time women spent at the water taps every morning, where they exchanged stories and speculation,” Sarukkai said at the event. 

Sarukkai’s work primarily focuses on the philosophy of natural and social sciences. He has worked as a philosophy professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, and was the founder-director of the Manipal Centre for Philosophy and Humanities. He wrote the books ‘Translating the World: Science and Language’, ‘Philosophy of Symmetry’, ‘Indian Philosophy and Philosophy of Science’, ‘What is Science?’, and ‘JRD Tata and the Ethics of Philanthropy’.

‘Water Days’ is available online at Rs 350.