Iravu 10 Manikku Mael, 21 Sirukadhaigal – Thyaru – New Century Bookhouse Ltd., 41B, SIDCO Industrial Estate, Ambattur, Chennai 600098, Phone 26251968, 26359906.
Chaturbujan Sirukadhaigal – G.P. Chaturbujan – Trisakthi Publications, Giriguja Enclave, 56/21, First Avenue, Sastri Nagar, Adyar, Chennai-600020 – 044-42970800, 24462220, 24464440.
Human mindscape is the canvas of the short story collections discussed here. Chaturbujan and Thyaru have captured the thought process of the mind in a given situation.
That veteran Ervadi Radhakrishnan has written the foreword gives Thyaru’s book special identity. It is bliss to settle down with ‘Iravu 10 Manikku Mael’ before retiring to bed. The quiet of the night accentuates the effect as the characters come alive, each so familiar, rather their actions, reactions and emotions.
A colleague, who makes passes at Amritha, single woman, devious girl friend of young Bhoopati, whose father is trying to groom him in his business, the angst of poor Arukkani, who is determined to give her child the delicacy he craves for, the insecurity of teacher Manivachagam on the verge of retirement and the ripples his frustration causes… human mind is indeed a kaleidoscope, a thousand feelings flitting across. The 21 stories offer reality, enhanced by the touch of fiction.
Chaturbujan’s collection opens with a prize-winner. KK, an intellectual, abhors matrimony but wants a baby. After begetting a child, the woman should vanish. A young woman, successful professional, has no ides of getting married, but wants motherhood. The man should not linger around. A common friend links both and visits them later. The unusual theme sets the tone for the stories that throw the spotlight on people we come across. What is more it is easy to empathise with them because their dilemmas and perceptions are not very different from ours.
For instance, the housewife who wants to shift residence because the present ambience is not good, a workaholic father who learns a lesson from his young son, the autorickshaw driver, who wants to please his wife and so on. An outstanding cameo is that of an autorickshaw man, who hits back at an arrogant woman passenger with telling effect.
Thisaikaatti – S. Vaithiswaran – Nivedita, Puthagapoonga, 14/260, Second Floor, Peter’s Road, Royapettah, Chennai-600014. Phone 9884714603 – Rs. 75.
The author’s literary expressions take various dimensions – as essays, poems and stories. In a fluent style, he puts down his impressions on matters that made an impact on him – personal incidents, historical happenings, scientific evolutions and social developments.