The library in our area has been closed for renovation for the past four months. Recently, while browsing the shelves of the nearby library, I stumbled upon Soppanasundari (a Tamil translation of the Telugu novel Vijetha) by Yathanapudi Sulochana Rani in the new arrivals section. Along with it, I also found another novel, Pushpanjali by the same author. The smell of fresh ink and paper suggested that I was the first one to read both novels.

Let me start by discussing Pushpanjali, a simple novel of few pages that helps for a faster reading, like a Pallavan Express train!

The story is narrated by Madhavan, who was believed to be dead after being captured by enemies during a freedom struggle. He comes back alive later. Upon receiving the false news of his passing, his fiancée Sudha, the daughter of his uncle, is married off to another groom. Disheartened by this, Madhavan misbehaves with a young woman travelling alone on a train. Feeling remorseful for his actions, he exits the train with the intention of taking his own life. However, the train suddenly begins to move again, leaving Madhavan with a renewed desire to find the woman he wronged and apologize. Will he be successful in his mission?

It sounds like a captivating ‘typical-70s styled cinematic tale’ with all the right ingredients! No wonder it has been shot as a movie too.

This novel has many twists and turns, creating a dramatic and cinematic atmosphere. He spotted someone on the street, and the same woman later arrived on the train alone. A rich girl suddenly finds herself impoverished and wearing tattered garments. The husband of his ex-fiancée turns out to be the hero’s former classmate. There are so many more surprises like this – it’s quite amazing, huh!

The story begins with Madhavan’s accusations towards Sudha. She had been deeply in love with someone and when she realized that he was dead, was it really so wrong for her to make the decision to marry someone else? When he came back to life, would she still be able to embrace him and cry for him, despite being married to someone else? This is what we can understand from Madhavan’s narrative. He lives within his own thoughts and gets lost in a whirlwind of confusion. His perplexed musings put him in a labyrinth of obstacles.

My sister always said it is wrong to accept anything for free from anyone; shoplifting is a crime and it is a disgrace to compromise our values in order to make money, but when we work hard to survive, we should not have to be subservient to anyone.

-Vasu

Yaddanapudi’s Madhavan and Jeyakanthan’s Prabu (featured in the novel Sila Nerangalil Sila Manidhargal) have a similar outlook on life. However, Madhavan lacks the maturity of Prabu and is not as wise. Prabu is a clear winner in his ability to show us the truth of life – despite being a negative character – while Madhavan is depicted as a foolish, immature, and self-tormenting person.

The novel is crafted with typical masculine expectations of women. It is an easy-to-read book and I was able to finish it quickly between a lunch at Andhra mess and an evening coffee at the food court. Undoubtedly, this was thanks to the translation done by Gowri Kirubanandan.

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Yaddanapudi Sulochana Rani (2 April 1940 – 18 May 2018) was an Indian Telugu language novelist. She had a strong fan following since the 1970s and early 1980s, especially among women. Several of her stories were made into films and television serials. She won two Nandi Awards.

புஷ்பாஞ்சலி – Vijetha – విజేత
Author: Yaddanapudi Sulochana Rani
Telugu to Tamil translation – Gowri Kirupanandan
Publisher: vaanavil puthakalayam – 1e – Sep 2015
Borrow: NLB
Buy: Tamil | Telugu

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I wrote it in 2016 in Tamil initially, and translated now for Blogchatter’s WRITE A PAGE A DAY 2023 campaign.