Kallikaattu Idhigaasam

The weekend that just got over was an amazing weekend. Instead of the usual schedule of watching 6 to 8 movies, this weekend I watched only one movie, even that was started at Sunday evening. I spent a lot of time working as well. But that is not what made the weekend amazing. It is the second Tamil novel I’ve ever read, a promptly named “Kallikaattu Idhigaasam”.


Vairamuthu wrote in preface that Idhigasam means “It did happen”. But the translated English word “epic” means “impressive”. I don’t really know whether it happened or not. But definitely it was impressive, I felt very moved. This book made me take pauses literally to avoid crying. The climax of the story is predictable, but there is no other way it would have ended. The author has put on a very good effort to depict the details on the course of the story, the way he explains a process is amazing, be it the making of country liquor, stealing of goats/chicken, making of chicken kozhambu, cow delivering a calf etc.


The first ever line I loved was this, “மனிதனுக்கு மனிதர்கள் மட்டுமே தேவை என்பது இரண்டு பருவத்தில்: ஒன்று வாழத் தெரியாத இளம்பருவம்; இன்னொன்று வாழ்ந்து முடித்த முதுபருவம். இரண்டிலும் தனிமைப்படுத்தப்படுவதுதான் வாழ்வின் சாபம்” (There are only 2 stages in life where only human warmth is required for a human being, one is the childhood and the other is the old age. Left alone in those stages is the curse of the life), about a kid whose mother just got married and the stepfather was not ready to take him into the family, obviously with no other choice left for the mother.


Then the classic yet funny irony “சில பேர்தான் பிள்ளைகளைப் பெறுகிறார்கள். பலபேர் பத்து மாதம் சுமந்து பிரச்சினைகளைப் பெறுகிறார்கள்” (Only a few people have children. A lot of people give birth to their problems.). Somehow a thought immediately came in, about my parents, whether they fall in the first or the second category. I think they are in both the categories, the first category for their first 2 kids and the second category for their last kid ;).


The story had its share of romantic touches as well, for e.g. a short poem in which Vairamuthu explains the beauty of a girl,


பாசம் புடிக்கும் தண்ணி
பலபேரும் குடிக்கும் தண்ணி
சிறுக்கி மக குளிக்கையில
சீனித்தண்ணி ஆச்சுதடி


It does look like there are going to be a lot of follow-up posts on this because there is so much left. Lets see if I get to post the rest. :) But nobody wants to miss their most favorite and here goes mine.


வெள்ளாவிச் சீலயின் உவர்மண் வாசனைக்குக் கீழே சின்னதாய் - சன்னமாய் - உரிமைக்காரன் மட்டும் உணருவதாய் - நாப்பத்தஞ்சு வருசமாய் நாசியில் படர்ந்திருக்கும் அனுபவமாய் - புடவையின் வெந்து போகாத அடிமடிப்பில் இன்னும் ஒட்டியிருந்தது அழகம்மாவின் அந்த வாசம்.


After his wife dies, the protagonist makes the washer man to dismantle the boiler to collect her saree mistakenly given for washing; with the saree half-boiled, he feels alive-from-dead to be able to smell her in the saree. I don’t know how many of you would agree, but I believe its very true, we do know our close people’s smell. In fact I remember my dad’s smell even now. When I was a kid if I’m not well, I used to take 2 medicines, one is an allopathic medicine and the other is a deep sleep hugging my dad. There were quite a lot of things where I could relate to and to me that makes it very very special. 


If you can read Tamil, please do grab this one and read, I’m sure its worth your time and effort. Of course, have Panchathanthram or MMKR ready with you, you will need those to cheer you up after you complete :). For those of you who have already read this and didn't recommend it to me, don't tell me that you have already read this. ;) 


P.S: Those who know Tamil and English well, forgive my translation ;)