Like beading a necklace, the writer has the two ends fixed taut and strings beads of story, containing nuggets about the lives of these two main characters in between.
What catches my attention is
1. Rural india captured in brush strokes in a very natural way, non fussy not in your face. Most writers from India i read write in English and are city bred. So their india is one i recognise in my trips to chennai and so on. Here we have rural india like in a bharitaraja gramathu mann vasanai film and it is both beautiful and eye opening. From the clothing ( saree with no blouse, loin cloth), arrack, toddy, and the cockrel sacrifices... really immersive. Some parts make me unvomfortable because of how I've been conditioned to see these things. Like toddy, in movies, is bane of all ladies, cause of ruin in all families. Here its described like wine and how wine is described on wine tasting tours. Makes one wonder about class. Also the recent tamil chef who won a michellen star for his snail dish which he ate as a poor boy and realised is French delicacy. Who decides what is culture?
Also the character of nallayan reminds me of uncle axel in the chrysalids. One who has travelled and dismisses the ways of society to some extent but is tolerated. Cuts off top knot refuses to get married doesnt bemoan not having kids, he is a character foil for kali
2. The farmer's eye. Its a pleasure to read of Kali's care and love of his farm and how he tends to it. Read passage here.
3. Women empowerment. Ah this is tricky. Women have less power in this patriarchal society but the women loom larger than life and take control as far they can within their realms, stretching boundaries where nec. Kali's mum as a widow bringing up her son and managing the farm is a force in nature. The rules circumbscribing what widows and women with no children can do are so limiting.
Ponna is amazing. So deftly sketched and given such depth. If she didnt love kali and physical relations with his ss much, he could be seen as sexually abusing her! Turning up at all times of the night to be with her. But she seems to adore him and marital relations.
What makes me uncomfortable
1. All that animal sacrifice. Haha. I kind of turn away from such festivals. There are all kinds of festivals. So i pick and choose and the ones i attend genrally dont invovle animal sacrifice. But it is usually food and whats the diff between kfc chicken and chicken that is sacrficed to god first then eaten.
2. The portrayal of the caste rules. Untouchables. Very sad.
3. Portrayal of alcohol
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