MALAYALAM
Social criticism
K. KUNHIKRISHNAN
NAYA SUPATHA: Kalam Kochera; Kochera Books, Kalloor, Thiruvananthapuram-695313. Rs. 70.
THE THIN line dividing fact and fiction is not often distinct in this collection of 10 short stories. The central theme of each piece is what is experienced in day-to-day life and the writer brings out sharply the stark reality of social and economic injustice and inequalities.
The sensitivities of the reader are evoked to discover the power of the narrative, its craft and technique.
The narratives are eminently readable and able to make one acutely aware of the collapse of ethical values.
One such remarkable story is “Punarjanmam,” which speaks about birth, death, rebirth and so on in the form of a father-son dialogue.
The sad plight of women is also powerfully portrayed in two stories, ‘Pularkalasandhya’ and ‘Zainbatha.’ ‘Nyanasupatha’ traces the 300-year old history of the protagonist’s family and highlights the crumbling state of the family house.
The experiences of supernatural events relating to the dead, figuring in a few stories, are hardly convincing.
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