An aptitude assessment test at school had this question: “What do you prefer? Would you like to be one among the trees in an apple orchard or a lone oak tree on top of a mountain?” The image of a giant, magnificent, strong, exotic tree braving elements and looking over the world with a confident air was an obvious choice and the child who took the test was adjudged a non-team player. Avanavan Thuruthu, a collection of short stories by Devadas VM, evokes the image of that giant oak tree.
Apparently, it’s risky and undesirable to stand apart in a world that wants you to fall in line, tread the path, and attain sure-shot salvation. In other words, Devadas is not a team player when it comes to writing short stories. And that makes it worthwhile to read these often dark and brooding stories.
Diverse topics
There are seven stories that explore topics as diverse as history and childhood; death and legend; love and deceit. Chaacha is the most fascinating one. It’s a page from one of the lesser-known nuggets of history, peppered with journalistic curiosity, propped up by imagination. That Babu Rao Lakshman, a rickshaw-wala, attempted to injure former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru is a fact: a fact that throws up probing questions on the meaning of freedom, democracy, and justice for the man on the street. Chaacha merits re-reading and reading between the lines.
Kulavaazha and Nadakaantham belong distinctly to the female, her convictions rather than dilemmas. Though they are placed in totally different landscapes and narrative styles, the women in both the stories are unabashedly and definitely adult — a refreshing detour. The research scholar in Kulavaazha finds herself in the ironic predicament of being both pregnant and alone. But that is no deterrent for her to set a few things right before they get out of hand. Nadakaantham talks about child sexual abuse (though the word is not mentioned even once) and a meticulously planned crime by two women. The story loudly resonates with our times. Avanavan Thuruthu and Agrahastham provide the thrill of twists. While the former is to be enjoyed for its nuanced narration rather than for its end, the latter triggers a fear tinged with amusement. Nakhashikhantham juxtaposes myth and the contemporary in the netherworld of Yaman. Apart from depicting how wars of all eras have torn down women’s bodies, it gives a disturbingly curious version of the Lakshmana-Shoorpanakha story in Ramayana. Maanthrikappizhavu, very much conforming to the norms, disappointingly ends up being one among the apple trees. All the rest, without doubt, are oak trees in their own right.
Avanavan Thuruthu
Devadas VM
DC Books
Rs 100
