Sathyameva - Krithika
There are very few Tamil writers who write with something they call “sensibility” in western literature. Every novel and short story in Tamil feels exactly the same to a discerning reader. The writers who are exceptions to this rule are very few.
Sathyameva, an imaginative story, written by a lady writer from Delhi under the pseudonym Krithika, is a novel that introduces New Delhi's political life through ten characters and has a unique sensibility that is rare in Tamil literature. I couldn’t tell if the characters she had created or the cultural sphere where they inhabited was central to the novel. I read several chapters again to confirm that the author Krithika has given equal importance to both these aspects.
Krithika has weaved an intricate tale with a varied cultural backdrop full of hubbub, rumors, intrigues, small and big struggles in the capital, the political background, the minister's pursuit of public welfare, selfishness, clerks, high-ranking officials, ministers, their wives, a millionaire who does good, a know-it-all journalist who is in and out of trouble, a scientist, the scientist's neglected girlfriend, an ambitious young woman, and a freedom fighter who dares to do anything.
Since I am not interested in music, I do not understand the merits of the author's titles. That is not a disadvantage. This novel deserves the praise for being a unique work in Tamil full of artistic sensibility even though it deals with a light subject.
Sathyameva (an imaginative tale) - Krithika
To buy : Mercury book company, Coimbatore -
Price - 5.00 rs
‘Ilakiya vattam’ magazine, edition 4, 3-1-1964
Putham Veedu - Hepsibah Jesudasan
We cannot say in advance what we expect from novels – we appreciate the talent and art of a novelist only when he exceeds our expectations. It can be generally said that every novel should open a window into an oasis, a desert, a landscape made of both, during spring or the summer or the rainy season. In Tamil, about a hundred novels are written and published every year – or even more, but the window, the view through the window, the world we see is often not brilliant – not true – not artistically beautiful. Most novelists, as they are called in Tamil, are merely serialists who have trained themselves to repeatedly present in different words what the readers expect – and that is where they think they have succeeded.
The novel ‘Putham Veedu’ was not serialized nor was it written to be so. It opens a window into the life of the Tamil Christians of Nagercoil (South Travancore). This is the author's first novel, but it is written with a measured confidence, without stumbling, with an ability to portray without saying too much. The heroine, the heroine's sister, the alcoholic father, her brother who is a businessman (but not successful), the brother's wife, Kannapachi who is the head of the family, Thangaraj, the protagonist, his father, his relatives, two preachers, and a doctor, all the characters that appear in the novel are perfectly written, excellent, and memorable. Much of the novel is centered on Kannapachi (as it is the case in real life), and is wonderfully depicted. The author does not dull the emotions with extravagant descriptions. Even the part where a murder is described, and the fight between the sisters, the author shows tremendous command over her language, which is a unique skill.
Hephzibah Jesudasan has given life to the village of Panaivilai, just as R. Shanmugasundaram has given life to the village of Coimbatore district (‘Nagammal’, ‘Aruvadai’).
The use of regional dialect in the novel shows how great the future of Tamil literature will be – no matter how much the Tamil language purists cry out about preserving standardized tamil. Hephzibah Jesudasan has given Tamil an excellent novel.
Putham Veedu - Hepsibah Jesudasan
Tamil Buthagalayam, Chennai 5. Price - 3.00rs - 192 pages
‘Ilakiya Vattam’ magazine, Edition 19, 31-7-1964
Pinju Mugam - R. Chudamani
An intense longing that features in the short stories of Kumari Chudamani gives her stories a uniqueness. It is also admirable that she does not come forward to teach us the wisdom she has uncovered throughout her life. At the same time, the temptation to turn the story into a short story also comes up. However, it seems to me that her short stories do not exceed the journalistic standard - even if it is the highest standard. The reason for this is that she gives more space and importance to emotions. To those who ask whether emotions are not allowed in art, whether it is wrong to be sentimental, I will respond by saying that its balance is what it great literature.
Pinju Mugam - R. Chudamani - kalaignan - price: 3.00rs
‘Ilakiya Vattam’ , 12-2-1965