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| The Greatest Tamil Stories Ever Told |
One of the things I regretted on our trip this time was not bringing a book with me to read. There is so much time you can use to read when you are travelling. Waiting in the departure lounge; when you are cruising; in your hotel room; or when you are waiting for your cab to arrive -- are some occasions. Reading calms your nerves.
I finally picked up The Greatest Tamil Stories Ever Told at the Higginbotham bookstore at Chennai International Airport. (I have always lamented why Goa International Airport does not have a bookstore.)
As I took my seat I was delighted to see several readers on board. Some read from traditional books like me, others on their iPads. The couple next to me watched Netflix movies they had downloaded.
It took me roughly four days to read the 30 stories in the collection. I was determined to finish it because the last book I bought in Chennai - Stories of the True by Jeyamohan - still languishes on my bookshelf unread.
What rooted me to this collection was the use of Tamil words used in the stories. A glossary would have been helpful. Manimekalai - the Tamil epic of the 6th century - is invoked to understand what 'trousers' are called in Tamil. ('A Disciple's Offering) What distinguishes the offering is that it is culled from almost every strata of society. From the Christian Dalits who have ignominy heaped on them in the name of religion ('Penance'), to the travails of a married couple tolerating each others idiosyncrasies. ('A Village Experience'), to the sterling affirmations of a woman's freedom ('Ponnuthayi') this is a definitive book spanning several phases of life.
One identifies with the characters - never mind their occupation - and hopes the goat stealer escapes scot free. ('The Goat Thief') This is the charm of short fiction. I saw myself, for example, in Goverdhan who is about to retire and who looks to pigeons in Chennai to animate his life. ('Pigeon Fever') There were glimpses of me in Nadaar Sir who teaches his students football at the cost of Mathematics. Like Krishnayyar (52) who pines for a parent who has passed on a month ago, I also reach into the realization that the family helps you tide over everything. ('The Family Chariot') There were answers to be found in the Swamiji who pronounces that everything is related to each other in life viz, birds, trees, the sky, the earth, humans. 'To live is to relate to things.' ('The Door Opens')
A deep understanding of the feminine psyche is seen in the woman who travels to Nagercoil, who has a child by the water man and passes it off as one by her infertile husband. ('Journey 4') Matters are also taken in one's own hand when retribution is cleverly visited on the violator during the performance of the play. ('The Slaying of Hiranya') Vigilante justice inflicted on a young woman from the slum is slammed by Amma exposing the hypocrisy of society. ('Rivulets') Though Sakuntala likes Rajaratnam she is unable to marry him as her elder sister has to be married first. ('Let Me Sleep in Peace Tonight') Muthupechhi leads the women workers in the Melur fields near Madurai, to reject the worm-infested grain offered as wages. ('Change')
A careless chastisement by the teacher leads the class to boycott Chinnayya for an entire year. It rips apart Anookulasamy's act of not speaking a harsh word to a student. ('Crown of Thorns') The claustrophobia, the filth and the scarcity of water are vividly described even up to the author's ablutions in the Gujarati chawl. ('The Solution') The bizarre end is worth reading. There are wry comments to the political situation as well, when the problem is referred to alluding to Sri Lanka.
The symbiotic relationship the grandfather has with the tree, believing her to be his soul mate, pushes the boundaries of married life. ('Paychi Tree') The self-respect of the sightless is emphasized in the story 'My Name is Madhavan.' There is also the story of the crow who wishes to fly to Papanasam, near Tirunelveli, to learn Tamil prosody. The ego of an artist is explored in 'Arrogance' making Kalyanam more humble after intense introspection. The Irula tribe is represented in 'Certificate!' The constant chastisement leads Irulaandi to give the minions at the Tahsildar's office more than they bargained for.
Some of the stories are short and crisp. Others are long. Sometimes too long. The actual year the stories were published would have helped in understanding the context. The translations are impressive. The notes on the authors inspire one to pursue the creative life.
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The Greatest Tamil Stories Ever Told. Selected and edited by Sujatha Vijayaraghavan and Mini Krishnan. New Delhi: Aleph, 2021. Pic taken by Brian Mendonca on Indigo flight to Goa on Monday, 12 December 2022. Updated 15/12/22.
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