MALAYALAM
Social novel
NEELA PADMANABHAN
CHITTAMRUTHU: V. S. Khandekar in Marathi; Translated by Kaliath Damodaran in Malayalam; DC Books, DC Kizhakemuri Edam, Good Shepherd Street, Kottayam-686001. Rs. 85.
V. S. KHANDEKAR IS a familiar name in Malayalam, Tamil and other Indian languages. This book is a Malayalam translation of Khandekar’s Marathi novel Amruthavel (1968).
Differing from his earlier Gnanpith Award-winning philosophical novel Yayathi (1974), which has the background of the Mahabharatha, this is a social novel dealing with some of the bitter truths about modern men and women. In the course of the skilled weaving of the silk yarn of the inner and outer world of the individuals, Khandekar’s deep knowledge of not only India’s puranic-mythological characters like Savitri, Aswathama and his father Drona but also Shakespeare’s Hamlet, his mother and Hemingway’s Old man and sea has come out aesthetically. Though this novel is mainly centred round Nanda, her friend Vasunthara and Vasunthara’s husband Devadatta, one cannot overlook the other minor characters.
The novelist analyses how society brands people as good and bad without bothering about their other sides. Unknown circumstances and reasons prompted Devadatta as well as his parents to their “so called” misdeeds are uncovered gradually as in a film or stage play. Devadatta’s highly intellectual and philosophical dairy jottings, letters and Nanda’s responses and reactions towards them lead the storyline interestingly up to the end.
Kaliath Damodaran’s Malayalam translation keeps well the joy and spirit of the original Marathi.
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