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“There is no friend as loyal as a book,” said Ernest Hemingway.
To cuddle in with a hot, steaming cup of coffee while cradling the slightly browned yet crispy pages of a tale is so descriptive that you feel you are 'Alice in Wonderland' everyday.
The World Book Day celebrates this loyal friend who has always been next to your side, with pages that go on to saturate your fictional dreams. That thick bound, finely printed friend you get to know only once you flip it open, is certainly a gift to treasure. In order to do justice to the day, here are five books in Malayalam that lure readers with both the style and substance that reflect the changing times and aesthetics.
A customer reads a book at a bookstore in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Buenos Aires is the city with the most book shops per capita of any capital city in the world, according to a recent study released by the World Cities Culture Forum. Photo: APAadujeevitham by Benyamin
The novel depicts the life of Najeeb Muhammad, an Indian emigrant going missing in Saudi Arabia. Najeeb's dream was to work in the Persian Gulf states and earn enough money to send back home. But, he achieves his dream only to be propelled by a series of incidents into a slave-like existence herding goats in the middle of the Saudi desert. In the end, Najeeb contrives a hazardous scheme to escape his desert prison.
Aarachar by K.R Meera
Aaracharor "Hangwoman" (as its translation by J. Devika is titled) is a story based on the Indian culture of caste and religion. Set in Kolkata, the novel narrates the tale of a family whose male members have been executioners by profession for decades. But today, there is no one to inherit the profession, will a girl, Chetna, be able to inherit her ancestral profession? The book which has already won many accolades tells such a never-before tale.
Ullal by P V Shajikumar
Ullal by P.V. Shajikumar is an anthology of 13 short stories that herald the novelty and difference of contemporary Malayalam stories. It is the latest book by the author who has won the Sahitya Academy's fellowship for best young writer. The stories in the anthology hold a mirror to a number of issues that plague contemporary society, including communalism, sexual abuse and poverty.
Puthumazha choorulla chumbanangal by Shahina E K
The author is one of the newcomers in Malayalam literature. Born in Malappuram district in Kerala, her stories speak about commoners and the issues faced by them especially women. Shahina's way of writing is very sensitive and powerful.
Sugandhi enna Andal Devanayaki by Ramakrishnan T D
The defeat of Mahinda Rajapaksa after completing two terms as president of Sri Lanka to Maithripala Sirisena was unexpected and it shows the protest of the population against the prevailed rule.
Rajapaksa who suppressed the protests attained worldwide attention but soon was criticised because of his autocratic rule. The latest novel by Ramakrishnan, whose Francis Ittikora set a new trend in Malayalam fiction, talks of a situation wherein governance, army and media are completely under the control of an autocrat.
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