நண்பர் சங்கர் பிரதாப் சியாட்டிலில் வசிக்கிறார். சென்ற ஆண்டு அறம் கதைகளின் ஆங்கில மொழியாக்கமான அமெரிக்க மொழிபெயர்ப்பாளர் அமைப்பின் (ALTA) விருது இறுதிப்பட்டியலில் இடம்பெற்றதை ஒட்டி ஒரு போட்டியை நடத்தினார். அமெரிக்காவில் பிறந்து வளர்ந்த தமிழ் வாசகர்கள் அதை வாசிக்கவேண்டும் என்பதே நோக்கம்.மிகச்சிறிய அளவிலேயே இந்தப்போட்டி நிகழ்ந்தது, ஏனென்றால் இந்நூலை அமெரிக்காவில் விற்க சட்டபூர்வ அனுமதி இல்லை. இந்தியாவில் வாங்கப்பட்டு அங்கே கொண்டுசெல்லப்பட்ட நூல்கள் போட்டிகளில் கலந்துகொள்ள விரும்பிய மாணவர்களுக்கு இலவசமாக அனுப்பப்பட்டன.
இக்கட்டுரைப்போட்டியின் வழியாக அறிய நேர்ந்தவை இவைதான். இன்றைய இளையதலைமுறை வாசகர்களுக்கு இலக்கியம், குறிப்பாகத் தமிழிலக்கியம் அறிமுகம் ஆவதற்கு மிகச்சிறந்த நூல்
Farrar, Straus and Giroux வெளியிடவுள்ளது. எஃப் எஸ் ஜி பதிப்பகம் புகழ்பெற்ற மாக்மில்லன் பதிப்பகத்துடன் இணைந்தது. அங்கே இணைப்பு இப்போதே முன்பதிவுசெய்துகொள்ளலாம். ஆகஸ்டில் நூல் வெளிவருமென அறிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.
என் நூல்கள் அமெரிக்கவெளியீடாக…
நவீனத் தமிழிலக்கியத்தை உலகுக்குக் கொண்டுசெல்லுதல்
போட்டி முடிவுகள்
அன்புள்ள ஜெ
அறம் ஆங்கில பதிப்பையொட்டி Seattle நகர மாணவர்களுக்காக நடத்தப்பட்ட கட்டுரைப்போட்டி முடிவுக்கு வந்தது.
வெற்றி தோல்விகளுக்கு பெரிய முக்கியத்துவம் இல்லையென்றாலும், பாஸ்டன் பாலா, ரெமிதா, ஸ்வர்ணா, விஜய் ரெங்கராஜன், சிவா(houston), அப்புறம் Seattle நகரிலிருந்து ஸ்ரீனி சங்கரன், மதன் ஆகிய நண்பர்களை கொண்ட ஒரு நடுவர்குழு கட்டுரைகளை வாசித்து தரவரிசைப்படுத்தியது.
முதல் மூன்று இடங்களை பெற்றவர்களின் கட்டுரையை சுய விவரக்குறிப்பு புகைப்படம் போன்றவற்றுடன் தனித்தனி மின்னஞ்சல்களாக அனுப்பியுள்ளேன். தளத்தில் பிரசுரிக்கப்பட்ட வாய்ப்புண்டு என அவர்களிடம் சொல்லியிருக்கிறேன்.
இப்படிப்பட்ட போட்டிகள் அமெரிக்க தேசியஅளவில் அடுத்த ஐந்து ஆண்டுகளுக்காவது நடைபெறவேண்டும், நண்பர்களிடம் பேசிக்கொண்டிருக்கிறோம். மின்வடிவில் அமெரிக்காவில் வெளிவரப்போகும் ‘ஏழாம் உலகம்’, ‘அறம்’ பதிப்புகள் போட்டி நடத்துவதில் உள்ள நடைமுறை சிக்கல்கனை வெகுவாக குறைக்கும். இதை செயல்படுத்த என்னைவிட மேலான நிர்வாகத்திறன் கொண்ட நண்பர்களின் தேவை உள்ளது.
இது தொடர்பாக பலருடன் உரையாடும்பொழுது அறிந்துகொண்ட சிலவற்றை சுருக்கமாக பகிர்ந்துகொள்ள விழைகிறேன்
முதலாவதாக தமிழ் இலக்கிய வாசிப்பை தங்கள் பிள்ளைகளுக்கு கடத்துவதில் பெரும்பாலான தமிழ் அமெரிக்க பெற்றோர்கள் தோல்வி அடைந்ததாக கருதுகிறார்கள், இதில் வெற்றி பெற்றவர் மிகச்சிலரே. ஆனால் எதிர்பாராதவிதமாக தோல்வி அடைந்ததாக கருதுபவர்கள் கூட அவர்களுடைய தீவிர இலக்கிய வாசிப்பு பழக்கம் குழந்தைகளுக்கும் மிக எளிதாக கடத்தப்பட்டதையும் வாசிக்கும் வழக்கமற்ற பெற்றோரைப்போல வாசிப்பின் அவசியத்தை போலியாக வலியுறுத்தும் அவசியம் ஒருமுறைகூட ஏற்படவில்லை என்றும் ஒத்துக்கொண்டார்கள்.
பெண்குழந்தைகளே அதிகம் வாசிக்கிறார்கள். போட்டியில் பதிவு செய்த முப்பது பெயர்களில் மூன்று மட்டுமே ஆண்பால் பெயர்கள். இது இங்கே பரவலாக காணக்கிடைக்கும் சித்திரத்துடன் ஒத்துப்போகிறது. இங்கே இயங்கும் “புக் கிளப்”களில் ஆண்களை காண்பது அரிது. இறுதியாக, தமிழ் இலக்கியத்தை இங்கு வளரும் குழந்தைகள் ஆங்கிலத்தில் படித்தாலும் பரவாயில்லை என்கிற மனநிலை பெற்றோரிடம் பரவலாக உள்ளது,
இறுதியிலும் இறுதியாக, இலக்கிய ஆர்வம் கொண்ட பலரும் “நம் குழந்தைகள் தமிழ் இலக்கியம் படிக்காவிட்டாலும் பரவாயில்லை, படிக்கிற குழந்தைகளை நம் குழந்தைகளாக மனதளவில் soft adoption செய்துகொள்ளலாம்” என்ற கருத்தை உடனடியாக ஒப்புக்கொண்டார்கள். நடைமுறையில் சொத்துக்களை சொந்த குழந்தைகளுக்கு தான் எழுதிவைப்போம் என்றாலும், இந்த மனவிரிவு குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.
பூன் முகாமில் சந்தித்த பொழுது, அமெரிக்காவில் வளரும் இந்திய குழந்தைகளுக்கான இந்திய(அல்லது தமிழ்) இலக்கிய நூல் வரிசையின் அவசியத்தை உங்கள் முன் வைத்தேன், “கண்ணீரை பின் தொடர்தல்” வழியாக ஒரு தமிழ் வாசகனுக்கு இந்திய இலக்கியத்தை பற்றி கிடைக்கும் புரிதல் மகத்தானது, கொஞ்சம் துணிந்து இப்படியும் சொல்வேன் ஆரோக்கிய நிகேதம் என்கிற மகத்தான நாவல் என்னளவில் கிட்டத்தட்ட அரை நூற்றாண்டு கழிந்து இந்தநூலில் உள்ள கட்டுரையால் தான் முழுமையடைகிறது.
அப்படிப்பட்ட கட்டுரைகளுடன் அல்லது குறைந்தபட்சம் சுருக்கமான குறிப்புகளுடன் ஒரு Essential reading list for Indian literature இந்திய அல்லது தமிழ் இலக்கியத்தை ஆங்கிலத்தில் படிக்கவிருக்கும் புலம்பெயர்ந்த குழந்தைகளுக்கு மிக மிக அவசியமாக உள்ளது என்பதை மீண்டும் ஒருமுறை பணிவுடன் வலியுறுத்துகிறேன்.
அன்பும் வணக்கங்களும்
ஷங்கர் பிரதாப்
ஆசிரியர் அறிமுகம் ஜோஷிதா மகேந்திரராஜன்
Jyoshitaa Mahendrarajan Lavanya is currently a Grade 10 student in British Columbia, Canada. She enjoys reading a wide variety of novels ranging from genres such as science fiction, historical fiction, mystery, and stories set in dystopian societies. These books allow her to be exposed to social issues, provide new perspectives in her daily life, and foster thoughtfulness. In the future, Jyoshitaa looks forward to being more involved in the literary world through translations and original works while connecting to her cultural roots at the same time.
முதல்பரிசுபெற்ற கட்டுரை
“Stories of the True” by B. Jeyamohan is an enthralling book made up of 12 short stories. Each one reverberates with authenticity and draws from the lives of real people; the personal nature of the stories invites the reader closer. Each narrative is a tribute to the myriad ways individuals grapple with their truths, representing the intricate web of emotions that define humans. The reader ponders upon the story’s philosophical message long after the last page is flipped through the evocative language that brings every character’s struggle to life. After reading about the lives of different characters, one is encouraged to contemplate the complexities of their truth and the societal constructs that affect them. Throughout the collection, even when characters battle with their problems, they find comfort in the people around them and the seemingly minuscule things; the juxtaposition of light and dark in the narratives reflects the duality of life itself, where happiness and sadness go hand in hand and truth can be liberating or burdening. “Stories of the True” weaves together topics of identity, morality, and love throughout the book. It is a vital read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of themselves and parts of the world that may be unfamiliar to them.
In this anthology, identity is a main theme and shines light upon the difficulties of social dilemmas faced by people in a disparate society. Jeyamohan’s short story “A Hundred Armchairs” examines identity intensely. The narrative follows Dharmapalan, an IAS officer who comes from a Nayadi community – a nomadic group that is heavily marginalized in Kerala. From scavenging garbage for scraps of food with his mother as a child to being a government officer with a family, he has changed his life with the help of a monastery. His mother, on the other hand, holds tight to the known life of begging and scavenging in the garbage dumps and goes as far as to abuse her daughter-in-law and grandchild as a result of her motherly instinct to protect her son and her fear of his new status. Even as Dharmapalan pursues personal growth, he is tied down by his background, ridiculed behind his back, and “never permitted to enter [the] union of authority”. Dharmapalan is patronized heavily for the sole reason of his background. While others were “born to issue orders”, he is seen as someone who got his position because of people’s “kindness and [their] sense of justice” and is expected to be “grateful” as a result. His mother embodies everything he tries to forget; he is reminded of his old life and feels a great sense of inferiority when the people who used to fall at his feet in reverence, see his mother, and no longer treat him as of much importance. Struggling with the prejudice that rains upon him every day and the weight of keeping up his social position but also fulfilling his role as a son and the promise that he will “do all he can for [his mother]”, he is “imprisoned by guilt”. In the story, an armchair is a powerful metaphor to represent the unfair treatment that identity has the power to bring. On the very first day at his office, he is “made aware of who [he] was” and “rendered an outsider”. The “tall throne-like chair” used by the officer vacating his post is replaced by “a simple wooden chair”. This simple but profound analogy perfectly shows how much caste and upbringing can have such a huge impact on someone. “A Hundred Armchairs” masterfully captures the mental turmoil the main character experiences and how the different relationships throughout his life have shaped him. After reading this narrative, readers will acknowledge that one’s identity is not just restricted to one’s childhood or social class, but is rather ever-changing and formed by one’s interactions with the world.
Morality is another central theme in the book and showcases the struggles faced by individuals who are often degraded. Along with morality, justice is closely intertwined in the story “Aram – The Song of Righteousness”, the first in the collection. The story focuses on a passionate writer retelling his experiences of oppression. A publisher refuses to pay the writer his rightful earnings while gaining great profits from his work; this causes the writer to be unable to pay for his daughter’s wedding with the measly amounts of money he earns even after toiling from dusk to dawn to finish writing 100 books in one year. The acquisitive publisher abuses him in public when he asks for his fair pay, berating him for “[cursing] the hand that fed [him]”. The desolation he felt was so terrible that he felt “incredible peace” at the thought of death and as “weightless [as] air”. Desperate for the money, he vents his troubles to the publisher’s wife, Aachi, and is “struck by a strange momentum”. In a flash of frustration, while remembering the betrayal and the internal turmoil it caused, he expresses himself with a verse called “Aram” – “a song of righteousness, cursing [his] adversary to ruin”. The main character’s resilience is inspiring while dealing with pressing problems such as providing for his family. Aachi “stood in front of her husband” and demanded that “the poet’s money [be given] back…not one rupee less”. Refusing to get up until the writer had been vindicated, Aachi “[sits] in the middle of the road like a goddess scorned, seething” in penance. The writer receives his rightful money and is “reborn” due to the actions of Aachi. Although the publisher was morally unjust against the writer by withholding his pay and exploiting him for money, Aachi recognized his mistake and protested against her own husband’s actions to aid the cheated writer. The character of Aachi offers hope and redemption encapsulated by a capitalist society, offsetting the societal injustice towards the writer with her strong morals. Above all, the protagonist’s journey is fundamental in revealing the contemporary pressures that most artists and writers undergo at the hands of those who exploit, marginalize, and undervalue them for the creative work they produce in society. This story illustrates the importance of personal integrity when dealing with challenging circumstances and highlights the significance of standing up for your beliefs and principles. “Aram – The Song of Righteousness” artfully captures what it means to strive for equity and moral virtue. This narrative is overwhelmingly thought-provoking and readers are pushed to immerse themselves in the acute emotions radiating from each character; making it easier to understand their situations, ranging from righteousness to obtaining moral justice.
Love is another major theme, displayed not in a romantic way, but manifesting in multiple ways such as generosity, selflessness, sacrifice, and social responsibility, greatly impacting characters’ lives. One story that embodies this theme is “The Meal Tally”, a narrative centered around a young man facing extreme hunger and poverty, whose life changes for the better when he learns of an eatery run by a man named Kethel Sahib. The main character, dependent upon his uncle and aunt for the paltry scraps of leftovers and the small living space they provide, has never understood or experienced the concept of living without being in debt to somebody. His mother is unable to “ration” all the food among them without “swearing, cursing, and bristling with irritation” due to their poverty, which contributes to an environment of guilt when eating. His own family keeps track of every meal he has eaten in their house and records a “meticulous tally from the very first day”. Although the main character earns extremely little, barely enough to pay for his college fees and books, his aunt demands payment stating that it will be “honorable” and it will “protect [their dignity]”. With the burden of many payments and the hardships of school along with “only one meal a day”, “hunger was a constant” for him. With “sunken” eyes, he discovers the eatery, which becomes a haven for him. There is no need to pay for the food eaten there, no matter how many visits or the amount of food consumed, which lifts a heavy weight off many people’s shoulders. If they choose to pay, there is a box where they can deposit as much or as little as they desire. Kethel Sahib served mounds upon mounds of food for the many visitors that crowded his eatery, among them the malnourished young man, “[without paying] any attention” if they donated, not treating anyone differently because of their status. The main character is overwhelmed and can’t “hold back his tears” as he realizes he finally found someone who can fill up his plate with “[so much] affection” without expecting any payment; Kethel Sahib’s hand is the first that “served [him] without keeping tab”, “the true hand of a mother”. Every day for 5 years, he eats at Kethel Sahib’s eatery without paying him a single rupee, thinking of the food as “[his] mother’s food”. With his new strength, he gets a well-paying job after completing his schooling and the situation at home improves. However, his mother’s “hand or her heart had shrunk” after being “conditioned by countless years of poverty”. Her eyes still measured every grain of rice and every drop of curry left, causing him to lose his appetite. When he first holds a large sum of cash in his hands, he deposits all the cash into the donation box, not as a way to pay back Kethel Sahib, but to help every person eat without any financial worries. At the end of the story, there are two boys with “lifeless” skin and “washed-out eyes” being reprimanded by Kethel Sahib to eat more. It can be inferred that just like the main character, many others regard the eatery as a beacon of hope. The selflessness of Kethel Sahib and his generosity radiate through his actions, using his love for the community to emphasize people over profits. The author writes in a way that shows an emotion as complex as love can be expressed in a simple but meaningful way as extending a hand across one’s plate and serving them until a full stomach. In the end, the main character realizes that not everything in life has to be transactional, and seeing the desolate situation his aunt is in, he decides to marry her daughter with the goodness of his heart, knowing he can give her a better life. Meeting Kethel Sahib and seeing someone give without expecting anything back, he does the same. The actions of the characters and the nature of the characters persuade one to recognize that love can transcend conventional definitions and can even be found in a man “towering over seven feet tall” with “pillar-like arms” and “a face ridden with pockmarks”.
“The Stories of the True”, in which the lives and experiences of the people are described gut-wrenchingly, truly will leave a deep imprint on readers. Indeed, the lyrical skill of the author ensures an incredible read. Jeyamohan manages to capture the subtle details of life in poignant narratives such as “One Hundred Armchairs”, “Aram: The Song of Righteousness”, and “The Meal Tally”. The concepts of identity, morality, and love take the readers on a journey of how each of these ideas is steeped in the lives of innumerable people. Each character is well-developed, personifying struggles and victories that make it simple for readers to lose themselves in. Introspection is fostered in this anthology, with its thought-evoking ideas and philosophical underlying. This anthology is more than merely 12 tales; it is not only a voice for the untold stories of specific individuals but also a reflection of numerous societal issues. The characters’ journeys of discovering complex truths offer readers important insights and new perspectives of society. The displays of resilience in the face of hardship and prejudice are inspiring. Ultimately, “The Stories of the True” is an excellent addition to contemporary literature.
ஆசிரியர் அறிமுகம்
ஷ்ரேயா சிங்கால்
How well does one’s youthful idealism endure the struggles that reality has thrust upon us? That is the question to which Tamil author Jeyamohan desired to find the answer while writing the book Stories of the True, which was published in 2011, and the translated version followed in 2022. I believed in the misconception that idealism is simply the act of dreaming of a better world, but Jeyamohan pulled back the curtain to reveal its many aspects such as its independence in the mind, its power over death, and the overall extent of its impact. Throughout the stories of men from the overlooked classes of Southern India rising above their suffering, there persists a strong theme of finding one’s place in the world with a sense of righteousness.
Jeyamohan expertly navigates 19th-century South India’s political and social structure, a battleground for ideologies of freedom and oppression, to consistently reach conclusions that readers can apply to their mindset to refine their view of the world and understand why it is important to fight for our place in it.
The assorted stories each have their own meaning, but I will trace over three that I think excel at highlighting the book’s purpose. The first chapter, titled “Aram – The Song of Righteousness”, stands as the anthem for other stories to follow by introducing the readers to righteousness in a legendary form. The story of an abused and exploited poet who is on the verge of losing everything may not be relatable to the modem reader at first glance, but the situation symbolizes a hopeless and humiliated state. That, however, is something everyone is eager to find an escape from. By setting up such a situation, Jeyamohan grabs the attention of the reader by offering a meaningful solution. The answer has to be pieced together with lessons from several chapters, but this chapter frames the concept of righteousness as a savior to the desperate.
The following chapters depict righteousness as something that is generated within the protagonist; but I found that having a side character use it to pull someone out of a difficult time in this one effectively marks it as a distant-but-achievable strength that everyone should strive to channel, be it for themselves or others. One may think that this chapter creates discord in the righteous-protagonist pattern of other chapters, but I believe that it properly conveys that when one is in a hopeless state with almost nothing to lose, they are freed from the idea that their misfortune is their place in the world, and so they latch onto righteousness. The author begins to meaningfully answer the question that he posed for the book in the preface, showing that righteousness was not created by any one person, but stands on its own, ready to inspire justice.
In chapter two, titled “He Who Will Not Bow”, we see the power of justice manifest in a wronged man. As if to console those in pain that it is not in vain, this chapter shows that suffering is a path to righteousness. I always thought that hope is the only thing that can pull one out of suffering, but this chapter revealed that righteousness and purpose can do so, as well. The story follows a man from a lower social class who has seen his people be humiliated and tortured to the point that he wishes they were dead instead. When he conquered the fear of death, he became free to devote himself to justice. I enjoyed following the epic journey of how pain can forge brave instincts and rebellion while Jeyamohan showed how an escaped servant went on to gain power in politics with sheer boldness and mastery over the threat of death. In the story, the masters had the servants tied to the bottom of an elephant to humiliate them, but the escaped servant who ascended the power ladder sat on the elephant’s back and led it to tear down the gates of an unjust government office. It was smart to depict the elephant as a tool of shame when used by those who are corrupted by power but a powerful blade when used as a means to fight oppression. It perfectly shows that those who do not understand suffering and humiliation can only use something as majestic as the elephant (a symbol for power) for abusing others, but only the weak will fully understand the rightful way to use power, and therefore climb up the elephant while recognizing its strength. Although it was not explicitly stated, the chapter made me realize that power is a cycle and people are constantly climbing on and getting off the elephant. The oppressors seal their own fate when being corrupted by the power on top, forcing the oppressed to adapt and find a way to the top, as well. And if those newly placed in power tum corrupt too, there will always be a person on the bottom who has conquered death in his mind and is preparing to dismantle the corrupt and mount the elephant.
Chapter four, titled “The Elephant Doctor”, further explores the symbol of the elephant and how it represents Aram. Branching off from the injustice-ridden streets and government offices, Jeyamohan vividly illustrates the life of a forest ranger and his relationship with Dr. K, revered globally for his expertise in treating ill animals, especially elephants. Introducing a wild and natural setting immediately signaled to me to prepare for a more raw, hard-hitting story, and the author delivered exactly that. After corning to the conclusion that the elephant exists in the story as a symbol of justice and power in chapter two, I was able to better understand their purpose in this chapter. For example, Dr. K insists that elephants are a keystone to Sangam literature, and considering that elephants are symbols of justice, it seemed that what was being suggested was that the fight for justice is essential to what defines the Tamil culture. But what intrigued me even more was Dr. K’s role, a supposed caretaker of justice. First, I found it contradicting that the mighty vessels of power needed all this aid, but I soon realized that I had confused “needing aid” with “needing to be nurtured”. Throughout the previous chapters I reviewed, justice was portrayed as an unstoppable force and that everything could be fixed once it came into play. But obviously, justice cannot be infinite and all-powerful, and the state of the contemporary world is a testament to that. Instead, righteousness has weaknesses and the forces of evil and oppression can be equally powerful, if not overpowering, so it was refreshing to see that this chapter acknowledged that. After realizing this, I was able to better understand Dr, K’s role in the story, which was to convey that the elephants, despite their power, are still vulnerable to being weakened by as little as a piece of glass from a broken bottle lodged in their feet.
Therefore, someone must be present to nurture these wonders of the forest so that they can persist in existing as majestic creatures and icons of power. This chapter added a new dimension to Aram: it is a give-and-take relationship between justice and those who channel it; righteousness must be nurtured and kept alive by those who use it, so that it can lend its power to them when necessary.
Readers who want a comprehendible understanding to the complex nature of morality and wonder whether visionary thinking is a game for the young should certainly pick up this book. Its stories and specifically the chapters I spoke of will offer meaningful insights into the rebellious spirit inside everyone. Each chapter provides insights from a unique angle, and I recommend that people read all of them, be it to better gain a complete understanding of Aram or simply to enjoy a cathartic story with intriguing characters and struggles that are relatable in spirit.