This paper is an attempt at examining Basavaraj Naikar's Light in the House (2006), a fictional narrative on Sharif Saheb of Shishunala, the 19th century Kannada mystic poet. First, the article gives an overview of the literature available on Sharif Saheb. Then, it argues that while constructing in plain English the image of Sharif as a popular philosopher, spiritual songster and a man in possession of occult power, Basavaraj Naikar is at his best in recording the 19th century milieu. However, he exploits the genre of novel to the extent that Light in the House remains a novel as a biographical history. Further, it states that the novel has a few insights to offer into the life of the saint and that it is very successful in meeting the requirements of the non-Kannada readers. While pointing out the challenges that one usually encounters when dealing with a historical personage like Sharif, the paper concludes that Naikar's attempt by all means deserves appreciation for various reasons.

Mohamud Sharif (1819-1889), variously known as Sharif Saheb, Sharif Shivayogi, and Sharifajja, is a household name in North Karnataka even today. He was born in 1819 in a village called Shishunala of Shiggoan taluk in the Haveri district (formerly in Dharwad district), North Karnataka, India. This mendicant philosopher-poet occupies an important place in the cultural and spiritual history of Karnataka. His songs, written in the typical North Kannada dialect, are meditations on the life beyond flesh and blood. They are folklore in form and metaphysical in content, and hence very much on the tip of people's tongues. Known as the Kabir of Karnataka, Sharif Saheb is easily one of the classic poets of the Indian folk tradition.

It is to be mentioned here that Sharif never wrote his songs; one of his companions named Kumbar Mudukappa wrote them down, as he sang them impromptu. Exciting accounts of Sharif Saheb's life, which have come down to us through popular cultural memory, mostly in the form of oral narratives, have hardly been the subject for creative exploitation. It seems that sufficient scholarly research has not been undertaken to explore the life and times of this popular figure. Sadashiv Shastri's Shishunala Sharifara Purana (The Legend of Shishunala Sharif Saheb) (1956) seems to be the first attempt to document Sharif Saheb's life history. Then, D S Karki and Tallur Rayangouda edited Sharifara Janapriya Padagalu (Popular Songs of Sharif) in 1947. K S Devanur's Shishunala Sharif Sahebara Charitre (History of Shishunala Sharif Saheb), which is undated, gives an account of the saint's life. Much later in the 1970s, Mallikarjuna Sindagi, a teacher of Kannada literature, studied Sharif Saheb's life and works from an academic perspective. His research work, submitted to Karnatak University, Dharwad, for a PhD degree, still remains unpublished. However, based on his study, Sindagi has produced a biographical narrative called Sharif Sahebara Jeevana Leelamruta (The Miraculous Life of Sharif Saheb) in 1971 and a play called Shri Shishunala Sharif Sahebara Jivana Mahatme (The Great Life of Shri Shishunala Sharif Saheb) (1979), which was not successful on the stage. Much later, Shivananda Gubbannavar, a Professor of Political Science, collected Sharif's songs systematically in his Shishunala Sharifara Geetegalu: Barko Pada Barko (Songs of Shishunala Sharif: Take Down Songs Take Down), which was published by Kannada and Culture Directorate in 1985. Gubbannavar's collection, with a more insightful introduction to Sharif Saheb's life and philosophy, has 419 songs, which are classified in terms of themes. It also includes, as an appendix, some ballads on Sharif Saheb. In his selection of Sharif's songs in Shishunala Sharifara Geetegalu (Songs of Shishunal Sharif) (1985), N S Laxminarayan Bhat, a well-known Kannada poet and scholar, offers an excellent critical commentary. Apart from these, Sharif's biographical narratives and songs are available in popular books and CDs.

English Studies Journal, Popular Philosopher, Spiritual Songster, Historical Imagination, Philosophical Discourse, Cosmic Power, Indian English Fiction, Rural Indian Lifestyle, Historical Research, Global Community, Tiger-house Play, Urban Lifestyle or Political History, Rural Culture