Goodbye Malabar , the latest novel written by award-winning writer and proponent of alternative living K.J. Baby, will be released at an event at Lumen Jyothis Hall on Kaloor-Poneth Road on Sunday.
Writer M.K. Sanoo will hand over the first copy to film director Rajeev Ravi.
Mr. Baby, who founded Kanavu alternative commune that also offers an alternative mode of education, is known for his Nadugadhika , a piece of theatre revolving around the lives of the Adiya tribal people, and award-winning novel Maveli Mantrum, also set in the tribal milieu.
Goodbye Malabar , set in the Malabar between 1884 and 1888, from the arrival of (Malabar Manual author) William Logan’s second arrival as Malabar collector up to his transfer to Kadappa district in Andhra Pradesh, is primarily narrated through the eyes of Annie, Logan’s wife. She’s the protagonist of the work, which also touches upon the commissions that probed the peasant riots and features figures like Kunji Mayan, a key personality from Thalassery who was exiled for speaking up against the British during the sepoy mutiny.
The novel is replete with references to the organic life of Malabar of those times, particularly its farming practices, dialects and geography. Historical figures like Karl Marx and Annie Besant find mention in Annie’s recollections. The book, brought out by DC Books, is priced at ₹240.
