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Jayakanthan�??s novellas Beneath the Banyan Tree and The Saint and the Garland explore the themes of desire and renunciation. Does an ascetic he wrestle with the desires of the flesh which conflict with the yearnings of the soul? Can a person be moulded into a swami or does he have to hear the divine call? And what of those left behind? Aren�??t marriage and birth a natural and sacred progression of life?

Jayakanthan does not flinch from addressing and sometimes attacking the mores and traditions of society. In the process, he exposes the sensitive hearts that lie beneath the ritual facades.