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March 14, 2024The Author Sundara Ramaswamy’s first-ever novel. He’s from Nagercoil, and you will learn quite a few words used in Nagercoil and Kanyakumari.
The book was released in 1966 and translated into English, Malayalam, Hindi, and Hebrew. He originally started the Story for a literature magazine, but that was abruptly stopped, and he brought this tale back to life in 1966.
Now, the Story’s all about a tamarind tree. The author takes us through his journey, hearing tales from an elder in the village named Damodara Aasan. This person loves spinning stories for village kids. Through him, Ramaswamy learns about this tree, which was once a small island surrounded by water. A young woman’s tragic end is seen, and Aasan saves the tree in his youth for the next generation to witness.
The plot thickens with a king visiting the place, and he does not like the smells coming out of the water. To please the king, the villagers convert that entire water area into a land that transcends into a buzzing town, with Puliyamaram junction becoming the hotspot. Businesses sprout around the tree, but so do competition and enmity. How two young adults shape their business from nowhere and become a big shot. There are quite a few references to how men used to perceive women, and the author’s references to prostitution and how society normalizes this behaviour represent that we as a society have evolved from the 1960s to 2023.
However, one segment where we haven’t evolved at all is in our pride in caste and religion and how politicians make use of this for their own gain.
The Story moves from business to politics, and two businessmen go head-to-head in municipal elections, turning the tree into a focal point of the election campaign. Slowly, the business conflicts take shape as Hindu-Muslim politics and how politicians use a common person to split the votes to win. When the author narrates the politics portion, there are a lot of references to caste, religion, and voters sticking to their affiliations. And guess what? Even after 60 years, not much has changed.
Does the tree survive in the rest of the Story?
Starting with Aasan’s flashback, we dive deep into the transition of the village island into a busy town. Then, it gets spicy with business and politics.
The storytelling is beautifully written, showcasing the love for the village and culture back in the day. The area’s transition near the tree is given a ton of space, and I started wondering what the book is about.
The tree’s historical beauty, the transition to business and politics with greed and vengeance—it’s a ride.
It’s a classic Tamil novel – you’ll learn new words, catch a dose of history, and get sucked into a fantastic tale. Just 217 pages, perfect for drama-loving bookworms.
I admired how the author picked up a tree and created a plot around that, and I wonder whether Pa Ranjith’s Madras is inspired by this book.
My rating? A solid 4 out of 5 – it’s a winner! 🌟