Spotlight
Narratives that linger
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A profile of the Tamil writer R. Chudamani by PADMA NARAYANAN and PREMA SEETHARAM.
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`WRITERS like us have grown up reading the stories of Anuthama, R. Chudamani and Rajam Krishnan, along with well-known male writers of those years. Almost all of R. Chudamani's stories explore the subtle areas of relationships and the corrosion of sensitivity in people. Some of the situations in the stories may seem stretched a little too far to make a point, but she balances this with a language that is known for its brevity and poignancy and a deep concern for the human condition'. Ambai, a writer well appreciated by today's readers, registers her admiration for Chudamani's oeuvre.
Representative collection
According to the blurb in R. Chudamani Kathaigal, published by Rajarajan Pathippagam in 2001, the book is a collection of short stories selected by Chudamani herself. As this book presents a cross-section of her work, a peep into some of the stories will help new readers of Tamil fiction appreciate the richness and depth of her writing.
Whether it is the behaviour of children in general or their exploitation, it is amazing how Chudamani strikes the right note. Though not explicitly a feminist, it cannot be gainsaid that her empathy is almost always for her women characters. There is a lot of strength in her women. In one of her stories, the women of a village find fellow citizens either unwilling or helpless to bring a rapist to book; they kill him and take shelter in the inherent superstitions of their community to explain the death.
"Tambura" is about a boy's total identification with music and with the tambura in his house. While his sister goes through her music lessons disinterestedly, the boy nurtures his relationship with the tambura, very often sharing secrets and jokes with it. The tambura is sold and, "for the first time he forgot he was a boy and wept". He grows up with this passion for music, while inextricably involved in his career and material pursuits. Though his wife is conscientious, music is not part of success in life to her. This deters him from sharing his interest with her. The story, while lamenting the loss of finer sensibilities, lingers in the mind like a gentle strain of fine-tuned music.
The young itinerant ice cream seller in "Summer's Children" welcomes the scorching heat that would boost his sales. "How nice it would be if it was always summer. I like summer," he says. These words make Mohan, the privileged boy, recall his own one-time experience of hunger and realise what a boon the "accursed" summer months are to the ice cream boy. Sensitive as he is, Mohan can no longer relish his ice cream.
An unusual story, "The Raised Finger" depicts the trauma of a child-servant, Vasanthi, who is denied access to the toilet when her employers are away from home. Severe punishment for wetting herself once leaves an indelible scar. She moves on to another employment where she enjoys the freedom of being able to go to the toilet whenever she wishes to.
Universal values like friendship form an integral part of Chudamani's writing. Remembering the preferences of a friend, since gone blind, a man takes great pains to set up a welcome ambience when the friend comes on a visit. He goes to the extent of choosing curtains in the same shade of blue that had been the friend's favourite colour.
The tradition-bound Paati with her native wisdom seems to be the only one able to reach out and offer emotional support to a young woman, unable to get over the loss of her baby. The older woman's unconditional acceptance of her grand daughter's grief opens the floodgates of suppressed.
Chudamani's short stories are perfect definitions of what a good short story should be. Very often readers enjoy strands of ideas that converge to an unexpected but acceptable point; an epigrammatic line reveals the essence of the story. The various skeins are so tightly twisted together that reading her story becomes an uninterrupted experience. Chudamani is admired by her fellow writers as well as by her readers. Her works preserve a refinement that gives her work a gossamer delicacy of touch. Her language is precise. Her approach and insight are so modern that they appeal to her younger readers too.
A long career
Chudamani, who has been writing short stories for almost 50 years now, writes in English as well and they have appeared in popular English magazines. Her stories have been included in most Tamil anthologies and in collections of Tamil short stories translated into English. Her only novella, Yamini, translated into English by Vasantha Surya, was included in the programme of translations initiated by Macmillan India Limited.
Even though she is a low-profile writer, Chudamani undoubtedly occupies an important place in contemporary Tamil literature. Chudamani feels that her stories should speak for themselves. Her numerous readers affirm that they do just that.
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