Ajita: A Novel – A Literary Experiment in Form and Philosophy by K. Sridhar, published by Westland Books

Westland Books proudly announces the launch of Ajita: A Novel, written by acclaimed author K. Sridhar. The book weaves together the life of Ajita, a pioneer philosopher of the Carvaka school of Indian materialism, and Moksh Malhar, a modern-day academic exploring Ajita’s philosophy while grappling with his personal struggles.

The novel not only tells a compelling story but also pushes the boundaries of storytelling by employing a unique lipogramatic structure, where each chapter intentionally excludes a specific letter of the alphabet.

The novel experiments with ideas, form, and style and presents a unique form of story narration.

The book will be released on 30th January 2025 and will be available in all major bookstores and online platforms across India.

About the Book

As a child living in 5th-century India, Ajita is endlessly fascinated with ants. How do they know where to seek food and how do they move in such an orderly fashion to collect it? Do they communicate amongst each other? Do they have laws that govern them? Ajita’s curiosity is endless. This spirit of enquiry accompanies him as he goes to the gurukula to study, and then later in life when he becomes a philosopher of the Carvaka school. But what is Ajita’s story and will it ever be known what led him to the diehard materialism that he embraced?

Moksh Malhar is a brilliant academic, loved by his students and friends, but grappling with inner demons. After a series of blows in his personal life, Moksh turns to a world he finds more familiar and comforting-one of books, ideas and philosophy. As he studies Carvaka philosophy and pieces together the life of its foremost thinker, Ajita, Moksh finds the boundaries of space and time getting blurred.

As Ajita and Moksh’s worlds interact, readers are invited inside a vortex of form, philosophy, ideas and language.