In the Domain Of White Herons

The stories modelled on the Western tradition are commonly preoccupied with the present. The past (history) in these stories mostly serves to illuminate the "present" and is rarely the central concern. However, in the stories of Raghavendra Patil, the past (history) receives primary attention. The people living in contemporary times struggle hard and grow significantly in history. As a result, the background, which has little significance in the Western tradition of storytelling, gains importance. Concepts of eternity and continuity of time are the fulcrums of Patil's stories. His stories, therefore, span multiple generations. Patil's stories significantly reject the Western idea of modernity. (Modernity and contemporary should not be treated as synonyms.) Patil suspects logic, which is one of the main tenets of Western modernity. The writer escaping from the crutches of logic invokes immense freedom for the writer, and then a number of narrative possibilities lie open before him. Patil has been exploring such avenues of artistic expression since the beginning of his literary career. Patil's stories and novels instal a new tradition of Kannada fiction.