Book blog

              RAMAYANAM   The poem begins from the perspective of  Valmiki , the author of them poem. Valmiki is a hermit sitting in meditation when he receives an unexpected visit from Narada, a divine figure. Amazed at the appearance of this holy personage, Valmiki asks him a question he has long wrestled with: is there any man in the world who possesses all virtues? Narada tells him that there is such a man in these very times, and his name is  Rama . The holy Narada teaches the story of Rama to Valmiki, who commits it to memory and teaches it to two youths from his asrama,  Lava  and  Kusha . The two youths go forth and recite the  Ramayana  to kings, rishis, and common people. The story begins in the city of Ayodhya, located in the land of Kosala. The just and great  King Dasaratha  rules over this land, but he has one great sorrow in his life: despite his three wives and his advanced age, he has n...

PATHUMMAYUDE AADU Author :basheer  Published on :1959    Patthummayude Aadu  ("Patthumma's Goat") is a fictionalised account of Basheer's family life - only thing is, as with most of his stories, we cannot say what is truth and what is fiction. The goat belongs to Basheer's sister Patthumma (Fatima), and is characterised by a voracious appetite. It eats anything and everything. Basheer describes with his characteristic wry humour how it once ate his lunch, along with the banana leaf it was served on! And when it starts eating his blanket after polishing off two of his novels, Basheer says: "Dear Goat, please eat all the novels you want, I can get another copy printed: but leave this blanket alone! It costs money, and getting another copy is not easy!" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12516807-pathummayude-aadu    As can be inferred from the above sentence, the goat is a metaphor for the all-consuming hunger of a family living in poverty. Once Bas...

Bhasheerinde prema lekhanam                   Author             :Vaikom Muhammed                                  Basheer Publishing date  :1943   Premalekhanam  which means ‘love letter’, is a Malayalam novel written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, fondly known as Beypore Sultan. The book is a short read which is essentially an endearing love story, but it has its poignant moments too .                        Premalekhanam   may come across as a simple love story but through the humorous narration the author has left some poignant statements for the readers to ponder. At a point Saramma talks about her marriage prospects, superficially the comments seem sarcastic but indirectly it reflects the hardships caused by the dowry system. he book also favo...