It is not often that nearly a dozen new books get released simultaneously, that too in a language other than Malayalam.
The State capital was witness to such a rare moment when nine works in Tamil were released here on Friday.
The books, brought out by the Thamizh Ezhuthaalar Sanghom, were released by poet Sugathakumari.
The event marked the culmination of the persistent efforts by the writers’ forum to identify Tamil writers living in different parts of Kerala, especially in the capital city, and promote their works.
Among the books that were released were eight works by debut authors and a collection of short stories by M.K. Nathan, president of the writers’ forum.
Impact of globalisation
In different ways, the books speak about departures from established norms and about the impact of globalisation on the lives of the common people.
Humaneness is a unifying and most empowering common social denominator and its decline in the present world leaves human beings little better than tamed animals.
Short stories by Bama Krishnan and Vijaya Krishnan question the patriarchal values and speak of women’s constant struggles for an equal role.
Rajasekhar, author of Nijathin Nizhalgal , draws the attention of his readers to the danger of water scarcity that awaits humanity and water wars that wait to happen.
Releasing the books, Ms. Sugathakumari bemoaned the failure of Malayalis to recognise the value of their mother tongue and contrasted it with the pride the Tamil-speaking people had for their mother tongue.
Respect mother tongue
“Malayalis need to respect their mother tongue as the Tamil-speaking people do. We do not know how to speak English or Malayalam properly.
In our inability to preserve the regional languages, we are leaving them to degrade. Our duty is to protect the purity and sanctity of our own languages,” Ms. Sugathakumari said.
Munnu Tomy Kallany
Poet Sugathakumari releases books brought out by Thamizh Ezhuthaalar Sanghom.
