MALAYALAM
Short stories
K. KUNHIKRISHNAN
UDANHA BUDDHAN — Stories: P. Surendran; DC Books, DC Kizhekemuri Edam, Good Shepherd Street, Kottayam-686001. Rs. 60.
THE MAJORITY of the stories relate to journeys and the lingering Buddhist philosophy, in search of peace, tranquility, and salvation. The ransacking of the Bamiyan Buddha images by the Taliban in Afghanistan is seen with outrage and the protagonist assumes that the images would have been sold not to keep the wolf away from the door but to buy arms. Buddha was the apostle of non-violence and tolerance, and would never resort to violence even against destruction. Buddhist spiritualism lingers through several other stories. The story `Naalam Kolam' in the background of the Plachimada struggle against Coca Cola exposes the hypocrisy and callousness of some involved in it. The train journey from Chidambaram where an arrogant railway official threw out the vegetable basket of an old lady is an eye-opener on lack of humanism. The nostalgic piece on the return to the old house `Murivukalude Puravritham' is a detour to the many- splendoured old village life and its loss. The same nostalgia is evoked in `Anandotsavam'.
The narratives are not straight and hence the reader has to ponder over the labyrinthine images and allegories.
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