Saturday 14 December 2019

The cultural milieu of the karisal region is brought out with such ‘reality of representment!’

And Then | Dr. Marx [Poomanis Piragu]

Dr. T. Marx has established himself as an impactful translator, by bringing out the aura and the cultural baggage of the original Tamil novel, with such a nuanced ‘reality of representment’ in his translation of Poomani’s Piragu into English. On this count, The Hindu ‘Bookworm’ review of 06 December 2019, has a raving caption for this translation which says, ‘True to the Land and its tongue: In And Then, Prof. Marx succeeds in capturing the Karisal flavor, which Poomani did in Piragu’.



Personally, me had the blessed opportunity of going through the manuscript to the book’s English version, way back in July 2018. One cursory glance through the manuscript, and one cannot but be quite astounded at Dr. Marx’s way with words, and the finesse with which he has captured the nuances of the original in all its grandeur! Something that comes to him so naturally, as a fish takes to water!


 My little take on the novel for y’all –

The novelist Poomani has woven a brilliant tale that depicts the pathetic and impoverished lives of the Chakkilyar community, under the influence of an oppressive caste structure and social stratification that has been widely prevalent in society.

The abrupt and conversational opening sets the tone and the tenor to the novel. The hierarchical power structures that are rampant in the village are subtly foregrounded in the conversation between Pothi Naicker and Karuppan! Karuppan, the cattle tender, addresses Naicker as ‘sami’ or ‘Lord’, which is a revered form of addressing a person of a upper caste! Naicker’s insolent spirit and Karuppan’s subdued temperament present a profound study in contrast!

As a representative of the powerful bourgeoisie class that controls wealth and power, Pothi Naicker is shown sleeping or taking rest, and his eyes turn red in anger when one of his sleeping bouts gets disturbed. On the other hand, Karuppan, who tends to his landlord’s buffaloes, has to always be on the alert!

From the hierarchical world of his landlord, Karuppan is shown entering an integrative world of equality, when he meets up with his uncle, Alagiri, a cobbler by profession. When Karuppan narrates the ignomious spat between him and his landlord, Alagiri asks him to take all that abuse and throw it away, as there was no use, whatsoever in getting upset!

Alagiri then ruminates on how he migrated to Manaloothu, after bidding farewell to his people in Duraisamipuram. Although his sickly wife protested his move to migrate to this haughty and bigger place, Alagiri was forced to come to Manaloothu, as the big men of the village had asked him to come there, and he could not refuse them, as they were his landlords.

The writer also highlights some social practices that were in vogue like the kaani system, whereby each man in chakkili cheri was assigned to a landlord on whose land the chakkili worked for a share in the produce. This provided assured supply of labour for the landlords in the village as well as means of sustenance for each chakkili household.

Soon, he gets accustomed to the new place, and he is also allotted a kaani quite soon. He also takes care not to antagonize the landlords, and goes about doing his kaani service in a very obliging and obsequious way.

But unfortunately, however much he earns, it does not prove enough for him. It was like feeding an elephant, since the expenditure on his wife’s treatment had almost wiped out his entire income. Although they tried every treatment and remedy possible, like oils, herbs, salves, etc., there seemed to be no remedy in sight! And soon Kali, his wife breathes her last.

Alagiri is so inconsolable and too stunned for words at the death of his wife. Now, he also has the burden of looking after his baby, and hence he decides against travelling out of the village. He confines himself to his child and the neem tree.

Soon, because of Kandiah’s suggestion, Alagiri marries Aavadai, and his second wife takes very good care of his daughter too.

Sakkanan and Chithiran are some of the other characters who make such an impact on the reader’s sensibilities. On the romantic plane, Karuppan is shown to have a great love for Muthumaari, although he does not propose to her, because of societal taboos.

Poomani beautifully brings out the transformation of the village in the course of the novel. Moreover, the novelist has also brought out the pain and the angst of the people because of social oppression, and the prevalent hegemonic structures both at the social and at the economic levels.

Without being overtly crude or excessively satiric, Poomani has beautifully woven a tale that brings out the way of life of the Chakkiliar people in all its myriad intensity.

And this tale has become quite a sensation in its English avatar, thanks to Professor T. Marx, [my beloved brother and friend], for beautifully bringing out the cultural milieu of the karisal region with such ‘reality of representment’ in this, [novel] ‘And Then!’

And therein lies the astounding success of the novel’s appeal in English!

Well, on behalf of this amazing team that made Poomani’s Piragu possible in its English version, it is my pleasure to invite you, dear friends, academics, and students, to be part of the grand book release that happens on Monday, 23 December 2019 at the F-50 Hall, Centenary Building, First Floor, University of Madras, Chepauk Campus, Chennai.

Be there!

Best Regards,
Dr. Rufus

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