Sumitra dies suddenly. Those who come to attend her funeral, shares their memory in this novel.

Sumitra (Novel)
Author: Kalpatta Narayanan
Translation: K.V. Shylaja (Malayalam – ഇത്രമാത്രം)
Edition: Vamsi, Thiruvannamalai. (Second Edition August 2015)

Library Reservation:
NLB – Cumitrā / Malaiyāḷa mūlam, Kalpaṭṭā Nārāyaṇan̲; Tamil̲il, Kē. Vi. Ṣailajā .
Anna Centenary Library: Not available
Connemara Library: Catalog site is down.

Although there are different chapters in this novel, each is similar to a short story in its own style. This is written from authors perspective. Life is moving on without informing anyone. Those who travel with us are different, kind people like Sumitra, some of us are so passionate like you who read this post patiently, some of are so rude fools who behave as if they were got after getting an employment at Delhi. We will remember each of these differently. It is a novel that evokes the memory of each and every one of them.

The wet land of Wayanad, Kerala is shown page by page.

Sumitra bathes again and again. As if the world was smearing dirt on her again and again. She does not even like the flies that come and sit on Vasudevan and his friends, who were lying on ‘palankalam’ (storage house of harvest). She does not allow the dust and spider webs of the ‘palankalam’. She cleans it often. She swallows the world with her ‘wide view’ from where she is. But when the world around her does not have a broad vision, she needs to bath again and again.

Violations of social norm happen in seconds like the lightning strikes in heavy rain. If the reader is not cautious, he/she may misunderstood the novel and Sumitra. As the story goes along, I get couple of thoughts – One – her grace told in that story. Another one – I’m afraid it may be fabricated by others with their partial visibility.

Sumitra’s experience with ‘Pothuval’, friendship with Madavi and Dasan, benefaction with the old man ‘Gowdar’ are interesting to read. The pickle that Sumitra gives to Gowder and the small loans that Gowder gives to Sumitra reminded me of Vannadasan’s kindness . Human is a social animal – Sumitra too.

The translation gives the scene of the Wayanad land. Feel free to read on. Kudos to Tamil translator.

See you in another post, dear readers! 🍯🍯🍯 Happy Pongal/Sankranti 🍯🍯🍯