rites of passage

 

Poonachi

By Perumal Murugan

In short: Go read it.

After a long time have I read a book that is telling the story of an entity that is so ordinary, so mundane but very much there in our lives so much so that we actually fail to register its presence as a sentient being. The writer has taken a goat who he calls ‘Poonachi’ to narrate its story and its world view of its surroundings. Its world is restricted to the small hut of its old and poor owners but its short sojourns to nearby places with the old couple gives it lot of wisdom and peek into the ways of the world. It is considered a miracle goat and that provides another angle to its otherwise simple life but acts as a mechanism to showcase the psyche of those around her especially the humans.

A big factor to liking this book is undoubtedly the lucid translation done by Mr N. Kalyan Raman. The story feels as if it was originally written in English rather than Tamil. Though I have not read the original work of the author, this work rendered in English translation uses the language to perfectly convey what must be some particular Tamil nuances. For example,  while alluding to the clan deity Mesagaran he retains the local way of addressing him as ‘Mesayya’ which lends itself quite effortlessly without creating any confusion. There are some more Tamil words that have been retained to good effect. One such word is the term ‘Asuras’ which has been kept as such without arrogating any western definitions or its equivalent in English and that lends a unique Tamil milieu to the narration.

The book is likened to the ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell as giving a political comment through the story which may be very well true. Sample this - ‘….Goats have horns, don’t they? Suppose they get a little angry and point them at the regime? Such goats have to be identified, right? That’s why they all have to get their ears pierced.’ Many more such references are there but the story doesn’t get lopsided with it. Rather it portrays the citizen as a politically aware commentator which is a page out of an Indian’s life.

The book wins for its simple yet thought provoking narration.