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Blending literary history, journalistic reportage and social history, ‘Rama Bhima Soma’ reanimates some pivotal moments in the making of modern Karnataka. These include the life and times of legends like Kuvempu and Shivaram Karanth; the fall of socialism and the rise of the Right; the ruminations of UR Ananthamurthy, DR Nagaraj and MM Kalburgi; the wildly popular TV serials of TN Seetharam; a brief history of Naxalism in Karnataka and glimpses of other complicated legacies of the 1970s’ Left.

Cochin is in chaos as student revolutionaries form a human barricade on the streets, bringing the home minister’s convoy to a standstill outside a hospital. Inside, their beloved leader lies at death’s door, the victim of a brazen assassination attempt. At the heart of this uprising is a mysterious girl in a scarlet hijab, whose fierce courage and tactical genius make her indispensable to the revolution. As tensions rise, secrets begin to surface, threatening to upend the lives of those involved.

What is it like to be a millennial in a volatile world? Feeling trapped in a society that’s quick to undermine her — constantly making assumptions about her religion, sexuality, ambition, worth — Sophia plunges headlong into a journey of questionable decisions. The novel follows her through cities and towns as she tries to make sense of the old while confronting the new. She struggles to cope with the disintegration of her parents’ marriage. Also crucial to her story is her complex friendship with Medha, a queer artist.