WATER PROBLEM :
Chudumanal : Subrabharathimanian’s Novel
Chudumanal portrays the vicissitudes of a lower
middle class family, perhaps lower than lowest middle class family , and its values when
politicians let loose terror. The
emotional fissures are never healed.It is not as if the terror. The emotional fissures are never healed. It is not as if
the terror is restricted to one region: it
has its own back lashes and ecohoes in the neighbouring regions iften to
unheard of diemensions. The common man
already with his burdensome inherited false values , suffers most.
Subrabharathimanian, the novelist discreetly
mentions the conflagration as “ water crisis “ or “ water problem “ . When
politicians refuse to accept, much less obey the judgements of the courts of
law, that we ourselves established, and resort to violence , what ensues is
chaos. Chudumanal is the chaos of many families.
Is exodus
possible when the minorites are threatened? When they pour in from neighbouring
countries , we give them the status of refugees. What about the internal refugees who are pushed from one state to
another ? A son ( of the soil ?) of language ? ) becomes a refuge to his
parents. Strange ? Sadly true.
The novelist examines this issue in terms of four
characters –Mahendran, his parents ( inadequately employed ) father and
chronically ill mother , Kandaswami and amodaran.
The novelists
technique in handing issues and characters is stunningly original and unbelievably simple. He keeps off emotion and indulges mainly in
visual writing. He creates beautiful visuals from flies, falling leaves , bus
stands , bus seat to mention only a few. Th e contents of the visuals are
double edged.; touch the finest chords in your heart even as the sense are
bombarded.
He twenty
four chapters in a little over a hundred pages are the best visuals texts that
this reviewer has read in recent times. One
chapter doesnot seem to lead on to the
other but when you put down the novel, you realise how cunningly they are
liked. A spectacular craftsmanship, indeed . All the time, the author imposes
upon himself severe restraint burying verbosity, like seeing faded colour slides of gruesome murder , even when you
are a prime witness.
The novelist doesnot imitate anyone. Only Asokamithrans Karainda Nizhlgal can stand in any relation
to this work. It comes as an irony that the politicians in several states,
which they are incabable of solving issues, show themselves adepts in creating
more and more new problems as if they feed them.
The Last
chapter leaves you breathless. Must
language and water unite or divide? Will some one in the Sahitya Akademy care to
read this meaningful, relevant and
important work of our time ? The cover design is very telling of the contents.
Very rarely does this happen.
( The Hindu., 7/12/1993 – S.Gopalie )
