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Etched in Gold – Book Talk by Author – Dr Uma Srinivasan
October 12, 2025 @ 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
Etched in Gold
Two Journeys. Four Centuries – One Song of Freedom
Book Talk by Author: Dr Uma Srinivasan
Sunday, 12 October, 2025, from 12.30 pm
Just after Bhakti Yoga Pt.2 Talk
Join us in person at Vedanta Hall or via Zoom:
Etched in Gold, is Uma’s debut historical novel.
The book brings alive a forgotten chapter of South Indian history through the intertwining lives of two courageous women—one from 1610, the other from 2010—each seeking liberation through music, memory, and voice.
Set in Tanjore, 1610, the novel follows Amba, a gifted composer and temple musician, yearning to break free from the constraints of her role. Her life takes a dramatic turn when a Danish ship docks in Tanjore and she catches the eye of King Raghu Nayaka. Drawn into a world of politics, power, and peril, Amba documents the king’s reign—an extraordinary act for a woman of her time—on palm leaves, leaving behind a rare Sanskrit biography of a South Indian ruler.
Four centuries later, Maya, a contemporary musician from Chennai, finds herself creatively stifled in Sydney. On a soul-searching trip through Tanjore, Maya discovers Amba’s forgotten manuscript. The resilience and artistry of this historical figure emboldens Maya to reclaim her own voice and present a bold fusion of South Indian ragas and Western classical music at a Sydney festival.
With echoes of lost trade alliances between Tanjore and Denmark, a Danish fort standing sentinel on India’s Coromandel Coast, and the rediscovery of female authorship buried in history, Etched in Gold is a novel about cultural memory, artistic defiance, and the enduring legacy of women’s voices.
The book was shortlisted for the 2023 Write It Fellowship by Penguin Random House, Australia.
Hear more about the book in this special session with Uma Srinivasan at Vedanta Hall on Sunday, 12 October, after the talk on Bhakti Yoga.