B. Jeyamohan (also credited as Jayamohan) is one of the most influential contemporary, Tamil and Malayalam writer and literary critic from Nagercoil in Kanyakumari District in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
He entered the world of Tamil literature in the 1990s, Jeyamohan has had impacted the Tamil literary landscape as it emerged from the post-modern phase. His best-known and critically acclaimed work is Vishnupuram, a deeply layered fantasy set as a quest through various schools of Indian philosophy and mythology. His other well-known novels include Rubber, Pin Thodarum Nizhalin Kural, Kanyakumari, Kaadu, Pani Manithan, Eazhaam Ulagam, and Kotravai. His writing is heavily influenced by the works of humanitarian thinkers Leo Tolstoy and Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Drawing on the strength of his life experiences and extensive travel around India, Jeyamohan is able to re-examine and interpret the essence of India's rich literary and classical traditions. --- 喈む喁嵿喁� 喈瘑喈喁� 喈庎喁�.喈喈曕瘉喈侧瘒喈喁� 喈喈赤瘝喈赤瘓. 喈む喈む瘝喈む 喈瘑喈喁� 喈掂喈曕瘝喈曕喁€喈熰瘝喈熰瘉 喈氞畽喁嵿畷喈班喁嵿喈苦喁嵿喁�. 喈瘋喈班瘝喈掂瘈喈� 喈娻喁� 喈曕瘉喈喈苦喈距喈熰瘝喈熰喁� 喈掂喈赤喈權瘝喈曕瘚喈熰瘉 喈掂疅喁嵿疅喈瘝, 喈む喈班瘉喈掂喈瘝喈瘉. 喈む喈む瘝喈む 喈呧疅喈苦喁佮喁� 喈嗋畾喈距喁�. 喈嗋畷喈掂瘒 喈氞畽喁嵿畷喁� 喈嗋畾喈距喁� 喈庎 喈呧喁堗畷喁嵿畷喈瘝喈疅喁嵿疅喈苦喁佮畷喁嵿畷喈苦喈距喁�. 喈呧喁嵿喈距喈苦喁� 喈呧喁嵿喈� 喈瘑喈喁� 喈侧疅喁嵿畾喁佮喈苦畷喁嵿畷喁佮疅喁嵿疅喈� 喈呧喁嵿喈�. 喈呧喈班喁� 喈氞瘖喈ㄠ瘝喈� 喈娻喁� 喈曕瘉喈喈苦喈距喈熰瘝喈熰喁� 喈掂喈赤喈權瘝喈曕瘚喈熰瘉 喈掂疅喁嵿疅喈瘝, 喈む喈班瘉喈掂疅喁嵿疅喈距喁�. 喈呧喁嵿喈距喁佮疅喈┼瘝 喈喈编喁嵿喈掂喁嵿畷喈赤瘝 喈囙喁佮喈班瘝. 喈む喁嵿喈� 喈庎喁�.喈氞瘉喈む喁嵿畾喈┼喁� 喈ㄠ喈喁� 喈む喈苦喈� 喈呧喈氞瘉喈む瘝喈む瘉喈编瘓喈喈侧瘝 喈掂疅喁嵿疅喈距 喈掂喈班瘝喈氞瘝喈氞 喈呧喁佮喈侧喈距畷 喈囙喁佮喁嵿喁� 喈撪喁嵿喁佮喁嗋喁嵿喁� 喈囙喁嵿喁嬥喁� 喈喁嵿喈ㄠ喈喁佮喈む瘝喈む喈侧瘝 喈掂畾喈苦畷喁嵿畷喈苦喈距喁�. 喈呧喁嵿喈距喈苦喁� 喈む畽喁嵿畷喁� 喈氞喁嬥疁喈苦喈� 喈呧喁嵿喈� 喈む喈班瘉喈掂疅喁嵿疅喈距喈苦喁� 喈嗋喈苦畷喁囙畾喈� 喈瘑喈班瘉喈喈赤瘝 喈嗋喈� 喈瘉喈曕喁嵿喈苦喁� 喈夃喁嵿 喈喈熰瘝喈熰喈喈┼瘝 喈瘋喈班瘝喈掂瘈喈曕喁€喈熰瘝喈熰喈侧瘒喈瘒 喈掂喈脆瘝喈曕喈编喈班瘝.
喈溹瘑喈喁嬥畷喈┼喈┼瘝 喈囙喁嵿喈瘝喈疅喁堗喁嵿喁� 喈む喈苦喈苦喁� 喈瘉喈曕瘝喈曕喈� 喈瘓喈侧瘝喈曕喁�... Ambedkar said casteism is a graded inequality. Here Jeyamohan uses the madras famine during British rule as a back drop and brings the atrocities against the lower castes by saying how the caste hierarchy works tirelessly to crush the depressed classes and thrives by helping the British government to exploit the the human resources. 喈囙畽喁嵿畷喁� 喈掂瘑喈赤瘝喈赤痪喈喈┼痪 喈掄喁� 喈曕瘉喈编喈瘈喈熰瘉 喈疅喁嵿疅喁佮喁�. 喈瘒喈侧瘚喈熰瘝喈熰喈距喁嵿喁� 喈喈班瘝喈む瘝喈む喈侧瘝, 喈夃喁堗喁嵿 喈喈苦畷喁嵿畷喈熰瘝喈熰喈曕喁�. 喈嗋喈距喁�, 喈氞喁嵿喁� 喈曕瘋喈班瘝喈ㄠ瘝喈む瘉 喈曕喈┼喈む瘝喈む喈侧瘝, 喈呧喁� 喈氞喁嵿喁佮喁� 喈呧畾喁堗喈距 喈氞喈む喈喁� 喈む喈┼瘝. That is actually a fault line on the natural species just like albino elephant which never changes state and unmovable but helps it's masters to oppress the masses. Like an elephant it cannot be completely subdued by its master and when pushed can turn against it's master.
Those who synergied despite the differences, ruled. And those who remained in disjunction were being ruled. "喈ㄠ喈瘝 喈囙喁嵿 喈ㄠ喈熰瘝喈熰喈侧瘝 喈夃喁佮喈距畷喁嵿畷喈� 喈掂瘓喈む瘝喈む喈班瘉喈曕瘝喈曕瘉喈瘝 喈呧喈苦畷喈距喈瘝 喈ㄠ喁嵿喁佮疅喁堗 喈掂喈氞瘉喈掂喈氞喈曕喈距 喈囙喁嵿喈曕瘝 喈曕喁佮喁嵿喈班瘝喈曕喁� 喈瘈喈む瘉 喈曕疅喁嵿疅喈瘝喈疅喁嵿疅喈む瘉. 喈囙喈班瘝喈曕喈苦喁� 喈喈む瘝喈む瘓喈瘉喈瘝 喈氞瘉喈喈侧喁嵿喁堗喁佮喁� 喈呧喁嵿喈む瘝喈む喈む瘝喈む瘓喈瘉喈瘝 喈曕瘖喈`瘝喈熰瘉 喈呧喁� 喈ㄠ喈瘝 喈囙喁堗喁嵿喁佮畷喁� 喈曕疅喁嵿疅喈苦喈苦喁佮畷喁嵿畷喈苦喁嬥喁�."
Not a typical historical fiction. It discusses the politics, economics and the social factors which created great famines during 1870s in the British occupied India.
Really liked the well etched and strong characters of Aiden and Kaathavarayan. I didn't like the philosophical exploration of life with PB Shelly's poems though, I found them very lengthy and tedious. But the other arguments made by Jeyamohan about caste, equality and religion is very strong and compelling. I will never be able to look at Madras the same way before.
Overall a very good read. This is my first novel of Jeyamohan and has not disappointed me at all.
I am hitting myself, as why I have not touched Jeyamohan's work for this long. Of Course part to do with current Tamil lit esp the political ones, as its filled with hatred on for another, and am not ready to get muddy with it, which perhaps starts from Marimalai Adigal. This author is out of ordinary.
Ok, coming to the book, not the regular historical fiction, where the beauty of the lady is described for pages,or sexul intercourse put in vividly. Very strong narration, very strong characters. He takes a part of history and gets into dam good detailing. It deals with Madras Famine, and characters around it, which took part of it. First protest of Dalit's as a union, and there are many first which are being handled. Philosophy part of the author can get bit tedious, and you can easily skip it, if you want. On a whole, nicely written piece of history, which is easily brushed aside.
Have you ever wondered, why does the Mass by Tamil churches, borrows so heavily on Sanskrit rather than on proper Tamil, and sometimes it has left me wondered, as to weather I have attended a Tamil one. For starters, words like : Prasangam, Devan, Jabam, Thuthi, Viswasam, Sharanam, gyanam, veda ( which is comfortably used to denote bible). I never believed it when my sister said it, that most of the words are from Vaishnavism, but now I have got leads to it from this book. Untouchability, entry inside the temple, St. Ramanuja, Srivaishnavam, partonsier of Vaishnavam esp Naidus or Nayaks and the conversion to Christianity and still now, stigma of dalit Christian( caste tagged along, even after they have left the religion due to one) and them becoming a pastor in any other churches, has some shades of grey, I suppose, which am yet to uncover.
For me, this book is a new leash of light to some of the unexplored parts of history, which are easily painted black and white, and my search starts there in.
STRICTLY FOR ADULTS....But let me try defining adults
Adults are just not 5.5 inches or above in height. Adults are just not physically capable of copulation to make babies.. Adults are just not capable of earning money..
Adults are - who can feel the palpability of others emotions, irrespective of their skin color, their religion or caste, their social status, their financial status..
In this story, set in Chennai at the backdrop of great famine, traverses through the eyes and emotions of a British soldier with the "famous" ICEHOUSE [ still called by same name] as a pivotal point around which strong, stinking, yet unavoidable issues are inextricably wound to make us cringe in shame.
GO FOR IT.. if you can face the truth which will blow hot on your face in every word...
I re-read this on a holiday. I knew it is a heart-sinking novel, still, I felt like carrying this on a holiday! When you wander in an unknown terrain this is the hook that connects you to your homeland... I felt something like this while reading it there. You always wish to escape from the current situation/place and you go on a trip and at the same time, you hold that hook tightly that links you back! The complexity of the human mind.
This is not a book review, but my reasons for the re-read!
The book Vellali Yaanai (White Elephant) by Jeyamohan, is an eye opener. The Ice House in Madras, as the name suggests, brought in a single ship load of ice bars from overseas to trade for seven ship loads of goods. Very interestingly informative. Jeyakanthan, a renound听 writer, says in his book Sindhaiyil Aayiram kadavul ezhuga (Rise our Saviour)听of Jeyamohan.