Regional: Sakhaavu By T.Padmanabhan

 Prakaasham Parathunna Penkutty was one of the first short stories in Malayalam I read in my lifetime. If my memory is correct, the story was there in the Malayalam curriculum of Kerala State Syllabus in sixth or seventh grade.

T Padmanaabhan’s Sakhaavu, published by Mathrubhumi Books, is the compilation of his ten latest short stories. The book also features an interview with the author by Pradeep Perashanoor. Though most of the stories in this anthology were published in the leading weeklies of Malayalam in the past year or so, I hadn’t read any of them. So I didn’t hesitate much before buying this latest compilation.

Critics often lament in Public Forums and Social Media Platforms that stalwarts like T Padmanabhan and M.T. have lost their mojo and have, in turn, lost connection with the present-day realities. But after reading this latest work by T. Padmanabhan, I can confidently say that none of these so-called critics hasn’t probably read any of the recent works by T.P.

In most of the stories in this anthology, the author is the narrator/principal character. The black humour and wit in some of them are spot on. Be it the episode around the wannabe NRI writer in ‘ Aadyathe Novel’ or the hullabaloo ensuing in the event of a famous officer’s superannuation in ‘Manoharam’; the sarcasm is unmissable. The title story, ‘Sakhaavu,’ tries to be a commentary on present-day politics and partially succeeds in its attempt. Peerumettilekkulla Vazhi is a memory lane trip that deals with themes like immigration and self-discovery. Snehathinte Vila is about kindness and humanity, whereas Ennittu delves with second chances. Though some stories have ambiguous endings, it doesn’t make them monotonous reads.

The book is edited well and has a good production design. The cover design and the beautiful illustrations (Devaprakash) interspersed between stories also deserve special mention. The interview with the author is also genuinely exciting and manages to illuminate the writer’s perspective on the current socio-political scenario.

On the whole, ‘Sakhaavu’ is an enjoyable anthology.

Ps- In the author’s bio, it is mentioned that he had refused Odakkuzhal Award, Kerala Sahithya Academy Award and Kendra Sahithya Academy Award. I found it rather amusing. I am unaware of the circumstances for him declining  the award, but if he found himself accepting those awards not worthy of his stature, why is he proclaiming the same in his bio as if refusing it is a great badge of honour?! Pathetic, to say the least!

-nikhimenon

The Moving Shadow -electrifying bengali pulp fiction

                   

                  A few years back, Westland released a book titled : The Blaft Anthology of Tamil Pulp Fiction. If my memory is right, the book came out in two volumes and it apparently featured the English translations of  some of the most celebrated works of 70 s-80 s Tamil Pulp Fiction.I badly wanted to read those books then, but for some reason I have never been able to read them yet.

                The Moving Shadow, is a similar attempt on Bengali Pulp Fiction by the award winning translator ,Arunava Sinha (incidentally the jacket cover of both books are also strikingly similar).

                 The book is basically divided into two parts. While the first half is a collection of four crime stories written by some of the biggest names of Bengali Pulp(Premendra Mitra,Swapan Kumar,Vikramaditya,Muhammed Zafar Iqbal) , the second half (Satyajit Ray,Adirsh Bardhan,Gobindolal Bandhyopadhyay,Bhabhani Mukhopadhyay) comprises of an equal number of carefully hand picked horror stories. Though some of the stories were first written almost 60-70 years back (evident from the descriptions and the dates mentioned in them), they never fail to engage and intrigue the average reader.

                 Of the four crime stories featured in the first part, I liked the first one the most (Parashar Sharma makes a bid).It tells the story of a multi-millionaire and his spoilt son. The suspense was good and the climax twist was also un-predictable. The second story, ‘Moving Shadow’ about the escapades of a mad scientist, though too far fetched was also entertaining (provided you don’t take it too seriously).The third one, ‘The Secret Agent’, incidentally the longest one in this collection is some sort of a spy-crime-thriller which badly needed some better editing. It’s not only over-long but also gets monotonous after a point. There are too many characters also in the story which confuse the reader after a point.However the loose ends get tied neatly towards the end and the twist is also neatly done. Copotronic Love is about a robot which is madly in love with a woman. An illogical,yet interesting short story, this one is.

                 Among the four horror stories ('Bhuto','The Moon is Back','Saradindu and this body','Foreshadowed' featured in this book, my pick is 'Saradindu and this body',about a doctor with mental illness penned by Gobindolal Bandyopadhyay.The story has got a killer twist which manages to send a chill down your spine.

               Arunava Sinha deserves accolades for his wise selection of stories as well as for the translation which is quite neatly done. The language is pretty easy-to-read and the editing is also crisp.

On the whole, I’m giving a 3 out of 5 for this anthology. It’s a fun read!

-nikhimenon

 

The Wedding Trousseau and Other Short Stories by Ankita Sharma

Title:The Wedding Trousseau and Other Short Stories
Author:Ankita Sharma
Pages:135
Price:180 INR/-
Publisher:Humming Words 
Source:review copy(author)
amazon,flipkart
              

         (Ankita Sharma is a blogger and independent publisher,'The Wedding Trousseau.....' is her debut work as an author.You can read her blog posts at hummingwords)

          Short Fiction is the 'in' thing in the desi publishing arena.'The Wedding Trousseau and Other Short Stories' is a collection of eleven short tales of fiction which is inspired by the various shades of life(a welcome change from the assembly line 'anthologies of love' which hit the book stores every other week!).Though the stories don't have a common theme or character which link them,it's pretty evident that they are based on real people and incidents whom the author has met with/experienced in her day to day life.

         The best thing about Ankita's writing is the believability of her characters.From the timid lover in 'The Pink Card' to the hypocritical mother in 'One More Bite',Ankita's characters are all flesh and bones and having their own share of vices and virtues.The writer's attempts at making a satirical dig at the society and it's pretentious approach towards the underprivileged section of people do hit the bull's eye.From maternal bond to puppy love,Sharma explores varied themes through her short,yet poignant tales.The writing is so powerful that some of the stories do manage to disturb and shake you up totally('The Fresh Stock' and 'Courtesy').The writer deserves a pat on her back for giving us a genuine book like this and not succumbing to the 'market pressures'. 

         The book design and lay out are quite appealing with the spacing and font size being quite easy on the eyes.The Cover design is also quite competently done and suits the overall mood of the book.At just about 140 pages,the book is undoubtedly a quick read and can be easily finished in one sitting.

       The book is not entirely devoid of flaws either.As in the case of any collection of short-stories,this work too has got some tales which are quite mediocre.Some stories do miss the mark completely(though they are very few in number) and fail to leave any emotion in the reader's mind.Likewise,some of the stories have an 'incomplete' feel to them and leave you wanting for more!

Verdict-On the whole,this debut work by Ankita Sharma is a decent read and is totally worth your time and money.I'm giving it a 3.75 out of 5.

-nikhimenon