Tuesday 3 March 2020

Review - Moustache by S. Hareesh, Translated by Jayasree Kalathil


Titile - Moustache

Author - S. Hareesh

Trasnlator - Jayasree Kalathil

Publisher - Harpercollins India

Pages - 360

Blurb - 'A novel of epic dimensions ... easily among the most accomplished fictional works in Malayalam.' K. SATCHIDANANDAN Vavachan is a Pulayan who gets the opportunity to play a policeman with an immense moustache in a musical drama. The character appears in only two scenes and has no dialogue. However, Vavachan's performance, and his moustache, terrify the mostly upper-caste audience, reviving in them memories of characters of Dalit power, such as Ravanan. Afterwards, Vavachan, whose people were traditionally banned from growing facial hair, refuses to shave off his moustache. Endless tales invent and reinvent the legend of his magic moustache in which birds roost, which allows its owner to appear simultaneously in different places and disappear in an instant, which grows as high as the sky and as thick as rainclouds - and turn Vavachan into Moustache, a figure of mythic proportions. Set in Kuttanad, a below-sea-level farming region on the south-west coast of Kerala, the novel is as much a story of this land as it is of Vavachan and its other inhabitants. As they navigate the intricate waterscape, stories unfold in which ecology, power dynamics and politics become key themes. Originally published in Malayalam as Meesha, S. Hareesh's Moustache is a contemporary classic mixing magic, myth and metaphor into a tale of far-reaching resonance.

Review - Moustache by S. Hareesh translated by Jayasree Kalathil.
I would say this novel has something unique. To be honest, In the beginning, I wasn't able to connect with the story, But when I started reading with more attention, I felt a connection to the story.
The story is set in Kuttanad, a below-sea-level farming region on the south-west coast of Kerala, the novel is as much a story of this land as it is of Vavachan and its other inhabitants. 
Vavachan, the protagonist plays a beautiful role in this novel which is a blend of Magic, Myth and Metaphor. Vavachan is a Pulayan who gets the opportunity to play a policeman with an immense moustache in a musical drama. He got a chance to appear in only two scenes with no dialogue. However, Vavachan's performance, and his moustache, terrify the mostly upper-caste audience, reviving in them thoughts of characters of Dalit power. Afterwards, Vavachan, whose people were traditionally banned from growing facial hair, just because they belong to the lower social caste order, refuses to shave off his moustache and decides to grow his moustache further. 
To know what is waiting for Vavachan after his decision you have read this beautiful book.
The author has approached the delicate subject in a well-polished way. The characters lived through every page. Though the outline may look simple - "Dalits Vs Upper-Caste", the struggle and pains which they have gone through during the British rule couldn't have been described better than this. The book also talks about so many issues like caste discrimination, misuse of powers, poverty, etc. 
I must say that the author has done a great job by presenting this kind of story to read also a big thanks to the translator for delivering this story across the readers who can't read and understand Malayalam.

Thank you, HarperCollins India for the copy.


 Ratings

Cover: 4/5
Blurb: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

Available on Amazon




About the Author - S. Hareesh is the author of three short-story collections: Adam, which received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award, Rasavidyayude Charithram, and Appan. He is also a recipient of the Geetha Hiranyan Endowment, the Thomas Mundassery Prize, and the V.P. Sivakumar Memorial Prize. Moustache (Meesha in the original Malayalam) is his first novel. Hareesh is also the author of two screenplays - for the film Aedan, which received the Kerala State Award for best screenplay in 2017, and for the 2019 film Jallikattu, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and won a silver peacock at the International Film Festival of India. Hareesh works in the revenue department, and hails from Neendoor in Kottayam district, Kerala.

About the Translator Jayasree Kalathil's translations have been published in the Malayalam Literary Review; No Alphabet in Sight, an anthology of Dalit writing; and as part of Different Tales, a book series for children. Her translation of Kerala writer, N. Prabhakaran's novellas, Diary of a Malayali Madman, was shortlisted for the 2019 Crossword Book Award for Indian Language Translation. She is the author of The Sackclothman, a children's book that has been translated into Malayalam, Telugu and Hindi.





Sunday 9 February 2020

Review - Future Tense by Nitasha Kaul


Titile - Future Tense

Author - NItasha Kaul

Publisher - Harpercollins India

Pages - 308

BlurbThe son of a former militant, Fayaz is an aimless bureaucrat whose marriage to his wife Zeenat has broken down. His nephew Imran is a young student, a misfit in Srinagar, hoping to join a new kind of spectacular resistance. Shireen, the granddaughter of a spy, discovers how her painful and divisive family story is deeply intertwined with the history of Kashmir. The paths of these characters intersect and diverge in Nitasha Kaul's tour de force novel Future Tense, which traces the competing trajectories of modernity and tradition, freedom and suffocation, and the possibility of bridging the stories of different kinds of Kashmiris.

ReviewFuture Tense by Nitasha Kaul is a novel which revolves around Kashmir and the people of Kashmir.
The author has divided the story into three parts. 
Part One -  What Happened After
Part Two -  What Happened Before
Part Three - What Comes Next
In the first part, you will read about Zeenat and Fayaz. An unhappy married couple, after a few years how Fayaz started to ignore Zeenat. The son of a former militant, Fayaz is an aimless bureaucrat whose marriage to his wife Zeenat has broken down. The bonding between Fayaz and his nephew Imran is damn good just because of the little age difference. How Zeenat came to his father's house when she has broken from inside, and how Zeenat's family member surprised by Zeenat's unexpected arrival, to know what happens with Zeenat's and Fayaz you have to read the book.
In the second part, You will read about Shireen, the granddaughter of a spy discovers how her painful and divisive family story is deeply intertwined with the history of Kashmir. Shireen's parents died when she was a little kid and from that point of time, her grandparents raised her. Later on, she got to know that there is some connection between her and Kashmir just because she is a granddaughter of a spy, to know what happens with Shireen next you have to read the book.
In the third part, you will read about Imraan and his friends Bichor and Rafiq and their life plans. There are something very important things present in this story which I can't disclose here so better you read the book to know more.
The paths of these characters intersect with each other
.
The locations mentioned in this book are Kashmir, Leh and Kargil I always wanted to visit these places I am damn sure, everyone's dream is to visit this place like me, The author has done a great job while penning down this book and presenting to readers. 
The author has mentioned various incidents took places in Kashmir in the last few years which we have heard in the news whether it is about JNU, Mujahideen and stone-pelting and slogans of Azadi. How  People living in Kashmir Survive from that. There is a strong connection between title and content of the book.
We can easily connect with the author and can feel what the author tries to tell through her story. Characterization is something which really matters in every story and the author has done a great job in this section. Lastly, I would say that overall author has presented what she wanted to present.

Thank you, HarperCollins India for the copy.


 Ratings

Cover: 4/5
Blurb: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Overall: 4/5

Available on Amazon




About the Author - Nitasha Kaul is a multidisciplinary academic and novelist. She has worked on themes relating to identity, democracy, political economy, feminist and postcolonial critiques, Kashmir, and Bhutan. Her first novel Residue was shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize. She lives in London.  




Review - Moustache by S. Hareesh, Translated by Jayasree Kalathil

Titile -   Moustache Author -  S. Hareesh Trasnlator -  Jayasree Kalathil Publisher -  Harpercollins India Pages -  36...