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.
It's hard to review this book without gushing over the author himself. Truly, Mr.Jeyamohan is one of the greatest writers not just of our times but of all time! To undertake a magnum opus like Venmurasu is no easy task, and he has done this seemingly effortlessly.
I have just finished 'Mudharkanal' - book 1. I am reasonably well versed in Mahabharata and this helped a lot in understanding the context. That being said, Venmurasu needs serious commitment from readers and is not for the casual reader.
The language is beautiful and lyrical. The storytelling and imagination is out of the world. A sample: 喈瘉喈┼瘝喈瘖喈班瘉喈曕喈侧喁嵿喈苦喁� 喈曕喈曕瘓 喈庎喁嵿喁佮喁� 喈瘖喈┼瘝喈┼喈� 喈ㄠ喈曕喁� 喈掄喁� 喈む喈脆瘓喈瘝喈瘉喈む喁佮畷喁嵿畷喁佮喁� 喈ㄠ瘋喈编瘉喈瘉喈熰瘝喈熰瘓喈曕喁� 喈囙疅喁嵿疅喈む瘉. 喈瘉喈熰瘝喈熰瘓喈曕喁� 喈囙疅喁嵿疅喁佮喈苦疅喁嵿疅喁� 喈瘉喈瘝喈瘉喈编瘓 喈喁嵿喁堗畷喁� 喈曕瘖喈む瘝喈む 喈瘋喈喈む瘒喈掂喈瘓 喈曕喈掂喁佮畷喁嵿畷喁� 喈ㄠ喈编瘉喈む瘝喈む喈掂喈熰瘝喈熰瘉 喈む喈班瘉喈瘝喈喈瘝喈喈班喈喁� 喈氞瘑喈侧瘝喈侧瘉喈瘝 喈掂喈曕瘝喈曕喁� 喈曕瘖喈`瘝喈熰喁� 喈ㄠ喈曕畽喁嵿畷喈赤瘝. 喈氞瘋喈班喈� 喈掄喈苦喈苦喁� 喈呧喁嵿 喈瘉喈熰瘝喈熰瘓喈曕喁� 喈掂喈班喈ㄠ瘝喈む瘉 喈氞喈┼瘝喈┼疄喁嵿畾喈苦喁� 喈瘉喈脆瘉喈曕瘝喈曕喁堗喁嵿喁嬥喁嵿 喈ㄠ喈曕畷喁嵿畷喁佮喈ㄠ瘝喈む瘓喈曕喁� 喈掂瘑喈赤喈掂喁嵿喈�. 喈ㄠ喈曕畽喁嵿畷喈赤喈┼瘝 喈掂喈曕瘝喈曕喁嵿喈熰 喈呧喁� 喈掂喈氞喁堗喁� 喈夃喈班瘝喈ㄠ瘝喈む瘉, 喈ㄠ瘑喈赤喈ㄠ瘝喈む瘉 喈呧喁佮畷喁� 喈囙喁佮喁嵿 喈む喈脆瘓喈喈班瘝喈曕喈苦喁� 喈忇喈� 喈呧喈┼瘝 喈氞喈编畷喁佮畷喈赤喈┼瘝 喈ㄠ喁佮喈`喁� 喈喈曕瘝喈� 喈掂瘑喈瘝喈瘓喈曕瘝喈曕瘉喈赤瘝 喈呧喈班瘝喈ㄠ瘝喈む瘉喈曕瘖喈`瘝喈熰. 喈呧喈┼瘝喈喈┼瘝 喈呧喁嵿 喈喈班瘓喈瘒 喈呧喁� 喈呧喁嵿喁� 喈庎 喈夃喈班瘝喈ㄠ瘝喈む. 喈呧喁嵿喁� 喈む喁� 喈掂喈氞喁堗喈距喁� 喈掂喁嵿疅喁佮畷喈赤瘓 喈呧喁佮畷喁� 喈呧喁堗喁嵿喁� 喈呧畷喁嵿畷喁佮喈ㄠ瘝喈む瘓喈曕喁佮畷喁嵿畷喁� 喈夃喈掂瘋喈熰瘝喈熰喈┼喈赤瘝. 喈囙喈掂喈侧瘝 喈む喁� 喈囙喈曕瘉喈曕喁堗畷喁嵿畷喁娻喁嵿疅喁� 喈瘋喈熰 喈呧喈编瘝喈编瘓 喈喈む瘉喈曕喈む瘝喈む喈赤瘝. 喈呧喁� 喈む畽喁嵿畷喈赤瘝 喈掂喈苦畷喈赤瘓喈瘉喈瘝 喈む喁嵿喈む瘝喈む瘓喈瘉喈瘝 喈曕喁嵿疅喁佮畷喁娻喁嵿喁佮喁嵿喈班瘓 喈呧喈编瘝喈编瘓 喈呧喈赤瘒 喈瘒喈`喈┼喈赤瘝. I was so mesmerized by many such stanzas I kept reading them again and again, savouring each word.
There are several observations that I made. For instance, in none of the other retellings of Mahabharata have I seen this much importance given to snakes and the snake world. Most of the transportation seems to happen via water - including the abduction of the Kasi princesses by Bhishma. Typical Mahabharata retellings, we only see them travelling on ground, by chariots. Some characters are slightly different in terms of their relation to the central characters - for instance I have always understood Shikandi to be Drupada's son/daughter. Here it seems he/she is his adopted cousin. There are references to sage Agastya and Pandiya naadu. I was wondering if the author brought it up on his own because this is a Tamil novel. I was a little skeptical even. But I googled and found out there are indeed references to Pandiya kings in the Mahabharata (especially of their support to the Pandavas during the Kurukshetra war). This was totally new to me. Goes to show how much of all these have been glossed over in majority of the retellings. This also blurs the lines between mythology and history.
Appreciations are in order for Jeyamohan on venturing into recreating one of the magnum opus of Indian ethical history, The Mahabaratha. First of all, people should be aware that this series of novel is his recreation and hence, even though it is loosely based upon Vyasa's epic, the author here exhibits a varied dimension of the whole story involving his imaginations and perception. So kindly refrain from comparing this work with the real epic.
That being said, the kind of light the author sheds on each of the primary characters of this first part of his epic is to be highly regarded. Each characters are sketched with mannerisms and dialogues which we will definitely believe would suit them and makes one think that these must have been the real words uttered by them in such situations.
The author also had tried to excavate the geographical attributes of ancient India which might seem tough to comprehend with. But, to our surprise, the culture of different tribes and their social customs have been registered and portrayed in an agreeable manner.
To all those who have read the real epic, please don't hesitate on trying this one too.
There will be a day , when this work will be acknowledged as the 21st century gift of India to the world. I'm glad to have lived in the period of such a great writer .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Wonderful version of Mahabharata from the view of Mr Jeyamohan with rich language. Have reread twice for better understanding. I love the way he wrote Shikandi character. The fire in her to revenge Pithamagan Bhishmar. I鈥檓 fan of his way of writing about women. Must read book for every Tamil readers. Just bought malaipaadal both kindle and hard copy. Going to start read for continuity.