Devi – Translation of a Short Story by B Jeyamohan

Devi is a story that celebrates the feminine power in its different forms while following the triumphs and travails of an amateur theater group. It is set in a small village teeming with robust and highly opinionated characters, which makes the plot all the more animated.

I would like to say I found a niche. And I am immensely enjoying doing this. So much that I ask myself what took me so long. What made translating Devi such an enjoyable experience – beyond the fact that it has a kickass woman at the center of things – is the language, the landscape, and the delightful array of characters. So familiar, so nostalgic… and if you know me, you know that nothing drives me like a good shot of nostalgia and the whiff of home.

Devi was my first full fledged translation and I have a lot of people to be thankful to. First of all the author B Jeyamohan for his whole hearted support of my endeavor and for being such a source of inspiration; A Muttulingam Sir, veteran Tamil writer for his encouragement, blessings, and kind words to a novice; Suchitra Ramachandran seasoned translator and RS Saha for their help with editing and helping me tighten the translation; Dear friends Asha Suren and Prasad Puzhankara for being first readers and their valuable input which helped me clean up some messy places; Usawa Literary Review and the editors there, especially Suneetha Balakrishnan for giving this story in translation a home and artist/author/awesome woman Babitha Marina Justin for leading me to Usawa; Soundararajan aka Austin Soundar, the ‘Engine’ powering the Vishnupuram Literary Circle (VLC) which is doing great service to Tamil literature; Composer Rajan Somasundaram for bringing me into this fold and for the immense amount of confidence he seems to have in me; and of course the brilliant circle of friends I made through VLC for powering me on with your unflagging enthusiasm and encouragement. You all rock! And it truly takes a village – as the story undoubtedly proves 😉

Devi lets us in on some amusing true stories from the author’s early adulthood and features a host of real life characters. The heartwarming camaraderie of the village folk that crosses boundaries of language and community, the easy, non-malicious give and take, their innovative minds making the best of limited resources, and the general congenial atmosphere are what make the story what it is. And of course Neyyattinkara Sridevi!!! What a character! Read on to find out what makes her such a powerhouse.

Devi

“Just one female character? That’s not going to work,” said ‘Petti’ Khader. “A play must have at least three female characters. That’s the norm. If people just go about staging plays any which way, it’s not going to work.”

“It’s just a play, right?” asked Ananthan. Read on as originally published here:

Waterlilies

The simple joys of life – they are the best. It’s amazing how a simple little thing like a flower can boost up the cheer factor of your day quite a few notches. Yesterday, for me, it was my waterlily. I cannot even begin explaining how much joy that single flower brought to my day.

Dr. Indira Surendran – Doctor Without Borders

Dr. Indira Surendran. She was many things to many people, but to me she was the lady who always smiled. I think of her first as my mother’s friend and then as a doctor. She along with her sister, helped one of my sisters through a particularly difficult labor without resorting to a C-Section. She brought into this world quite a few children in my family including my first born, not to speak of the dozens in my extended family.

Trivandrum-Kanyakumari Highway Vs Nagercoil-Chennai Highway; A Tale of Two Roads

During my routine phone call home this morning, my sister mentioned that work is all set to begin on the Nagercoil-Trivandrum Highway in a couple of weeks. Flyover at Parvathipuram, Flyover at Marthandam… I think I heard a host of angels burst into song at that and the rest was lost in the music. Or maybe it was just my heart going into an overdrive of joy. Whatever that may be, it brought to mind this old post I had written five years ago for my column Kochu Varthamanam on Yentha.com.
Reposting here in the hope that during my next trip home, I will not be put through the same torture. 

Post 101- Looking Back with Gratitude

WordPress tells me this is my 101st post. Wow! The day I started blogging, way back in November 2006, I never dreamed I would get this far. It all began far, far away in a land called Rediffiland. The Ilanders were a motley crowd of wonderful people. Some of the best blogger friends I made were early dwellers of this mystic place. We all came together, supporting, motivating and being there for each other as we learnt the ropes of blogging. Somewhere along the way, the place unravelled and most of us migrated to WordPress or Blogger. But the friendships that sprouted there haven’t faded away. They merely spilled over to Facebook and continue to thrive.