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Book Review
TAMIL
Humour and pathos
P. SUNDARESAN
MANJI VIRATTU: Kothamangalam Subbu; Vikatan Prasuram, 757, Anna Salai, Chennai-600002. Rs. 50.
ONCE A household name, Kothamangalam Subbu (1910-74) was a man of many parts. Who would ever forget the celebrated novels Thillana Mohanambal and Rao Bahadur Singaram (Vilayattuppillai) which became blockbuster movies? Ananda Vikatan and Gemini Studios played a crucial role in promoting his talents in writing including poetry, acting and directing. First published in 1946, this anthology of 16 realistic stories with a perfect blend of humour and pathos carries a laudatory foreword by no less a person than Va.Ra who observed that particularly Kamala Mangalyam evoked the extremes of laughter and tears.
Law of the jungle in a village set-up which was more pronounced during Jallikkattu forms the theme of the title story, his maiden venture. Some other story lines: a farmer who pledged his cow to fall yet another victim to daylight robbery; an eligible bachelor with poor academic standards; courage of endurance and an element of mercy in the life of a hardened criminal. The small screen can be enriched making use of some of these stories. Beautiful illustrations and an elliptical blurb lend charm to the superbly produced book with negligible misprints.
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