Everybody enjoys listening to grandmas' tales; tales of mystery, of romance, tales from the Ramayana , the Mahabharata …but most importantly often with a moral in the end. Well, Nandavanam is a grandma's tale, but one that was written by a grandma in her youth. The Malayalam novel, which has a fine blend of mystery, drama and romance, was written by 95-year-old Bharati Amma in her teenage years.
Says Bharati Amma with a smile: “I started writing the novel when I was 15 years old and completed it when I was 16. I wrote the story on scraps of paper. I didn't let anyone see the story when I was writing it as I was afraid their remarks may affect my thought process for the story and also my interest. When the novel was ready, I transferred it into ledgers a relative gave me.”
Story set in the 1930's
Nandavanam , set in the 1930's, revolves around two brothers. The younger brother tries to kill his brother for money and believes he has succeeded. The elder brother who has been mislead into believing that it his wife who is trying to kill him leaves for Kolkata. In the end, all is well and the moral – good triumphs over evil. The story, says Bharati Amma, is based on people and life she saw around her. “I was observant as a kid. There was this woman in Neyyatinkara who pretended to be blessed by a divine presence in order to get her daughter married off to a neighbourhood lad. She said the gods had ordered her daughter to marry him.” The scene is incorporated in the book.
“After I finished the novel I showed it to my father Parshati Parayum . He showered praises and said he would see about getting it published; but he didn't. I guess it was because women who were well educated and accomplished were not considered good wife material in those days,” says Bharati Amma who was a topper in her school at Neyyattinkara in those days.
“I wanted to be a doctor, but like I said, women in those days were not supposed to be more accomplished or educated than men. Very few women went to school in those days. Thankfully, my late husband, Kulappuram N. Parameswaran Pillai, wanted someone who was educated. Even then, I was married at what was then considered way past your prime at 20. Women in those days were married at the age of 15,” says Bharati Amma, who used to write poems in her youth.
In fact three of her poems – Elam Poovu , Ammayum Maganum and Charitharadhyaya Sarmisitha , were published by her eight children in a book titled Ammayum Maganum to mark her 90th birthday. Says Indira Devi, her daughter: “My mother was a prolific writer in her younger days. Writing took a backseat after her marriage. I guess family ate up most of her time. While going through her novel and poems when we were adults, we felt they were good. That is why we brought them out ourselves. We did approach various publishers but they cited various excuses. We brought out Nandavanam in February this year.”
While the books are distributed amongst family and friends, many who heard about the book through word of mouth have approached the family for a copy. “For a 15-year-old to write a well- crafted story and tying all the ends neatly is a remarkable thing. We haven't put a price for the book; it is given free to all those who would like to read a good book. It is a labour of love from us to our mother,” says Professor Indira Devi.
