As both cultural and philosophical entity, Food vindicates a transformation that reflects broader ideological and societal shifts. This study analyses the literary representation of the transition of food from cultural practice to philosophical construct in the characters of The Magic of the Lost Temple (2015) by Sudha Murthy. Leveraging the philosophical construct of the three Gunas, as articulated in the Bhagavad Gita'Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas, signifying goodness, passion, and ignorance, this research investigates the ethical, spiritual, and moral dimensions encoded within food choices and culinary traditions, moving beyond their sustenance role. Additionally,the notion of culinary triangle adumbrated by Claude L vi-Strauss, manifesting in raw, cooked, and rotten serves as a structural framework to analyse the representation of food as a metaphor for transformation and moral development. The paper will underscore the protagonist, Nooni, who undergoes a transformative culinary journey, shifting from a modern, convenience-oriented consumption to one characterised by traditional, value-laden engagement, reflecting a movement from Rajasic and Tamasic inclinations toward a Sattvic ideal. Employing the structuralist approachof L vi-Strauss, this paper demonstrates how the preparation and consumption of food in the narrative of Sudha Murthy marks a transition from unrefined cultural practices to an enlightened, philosophical perspective. This transition, as depicted in the novel, reinforces how food shapes individual consciousness and communal identity, a concept further supported by the assertion of Bhagavad Gita that 'the food that is dear to each is also following their nature' (Bhagavad Gita 17.7). Through an intertextual reading, synthesizing these frameworks, this study underscores the role of food in cultivating philosophical consciousness and ethical self-transformation within this narrative of Murthy.
Ph. D. Scholar, Department of English, Amity School of Languages, Amity University, Chhattisgarh
