 Short
Stories: America
V.N.Giritharan
Translation By: Latha Ramakrishnan
Publisher: Sneha Pathippagam
(Madras)
FOREWORD:New
Tamil Writer
By Se. Ganesalingan
Return to: Table of Contents
Epics were being written in the poetic form itself.
At the same time verses that lacked the essential rhyme and rhythm were
also being written in the magazines. Right from the period of Sangam literature
these trends could be seen. This remained the profession as well as the
heart's content of the poet's clan. But, listening to the tales continued
to be the prime interest of the general public. From old to young, people
loved tales. A period of illiteracy when people didn't know to read or
write. The tales of the rural side, moral stories, stories from epics and
anecdotes were used to satiate this appetite of the general masses. In
the last century, with rise of capitalism and that of the middle-class
which is literate when people started leaving their native villages and
came to settle in the towns and cities and lead a kind of secluded life
new literary forms such as the novel and short-story came to be in simple
prose style so as to fulfil their emotional needs.
With the development of printing technology these
new literary forms too developed and it resulted in the decay of the ancient
forms of poetry and verse. If we leaf through the pages of the popular
magazines of today we can perceive this all too clearly. Their will not
be totally gone or done away with. But, just one or two pages alone are
being allotted for these old forms. Poetry will always remain intact to
be sung with music. It endeavours to stay on with new names as like Prose-Poetry,
Neo-Poetry, Haiku poems and so on. All these also would be seen mostly
as but a feeling or message usually conveyed in Prose-style , having been
said in several lines with the words and lines arranged in such a way as
one below another so as to give it a semblance of poetry. The rhyme, metre
and rhythm are not to be found anymore. Mostly they are statements. Because
of this, with the poems joining hands with the musical art forms and so
staying on, the verse form is fast losing its poetic characteristics. This
is my perception. Novel and short story are developing into the neo art
forms. In the last one century the short-story form has come to have a
great hold and influence on the Tamil literary field. Every year thousands
of short stories are being written by hundreds of writers. So far, there
has not been any hard and fast rules formulated for this literary-form.
Works of such veteran writers as Pudumaipithan have become models for the
growth and development of this form. We can evaluate short stories and
novels on the bais of the very basic perceptions, which hold that for any
form of art, there are what we call a structure, social relevance and responsibility,
form and contents.
I was given the anthology of short stories written
by Sri Lankan Tamils who are immigrants. Titled, 'Paniyum Pannayum' meaning
'The snow and the Palmra', the book was given to me by the sub-editor of
'The Hindu' for review. When I read all the stories in the anthology 'A
cow's tale' cought my attention very much. In my review I had made especial
mention about that story. Before two months when I was conversing with
Mr. Nithiyananthan who was formerly a lecturer of the Jaffna University,
before he left for Paris. I told him that this was the story I liked most
in the anthology. He too expressed the same view. It was through that story
only that I was introduced to Mr.Giritharan, the author of this book. Going
down the memory lane and relieving all those momentsI read this anthology
eagerly.
Giritharn has shaped the stories on all that he
has seen and experienced in the land wherein he had sought refuge. This
would be something very new to Tamils, Sri Lankan Tamil and to the foreigners.
No doubt about that. Mostly entwining himself into the story as an essential
character and adopting the first person figure of speech he has tried to
fell the story and its incidents. This very trait can make the story authentic
and enable the reader identify himself/herself with its course and characterizations.
The author has also tried to give a profound message in each and every
story in the anthology. One can say that it was that drive that had him
impetus to write. In his first story, he brings the man who dies after
living his entire life by the side of a manhole to stand before he who
was formulating laws in front of the Parliament of Ontario. In the story
'Ponthup Paravaigal(The Hollow existence)' he shows a man living in a small
room and going to work with knee problem being saved from fire by a black-man
of Jamaica who has been looked down by the former all the time, and so
upholds a humanness that has no caste, color or creed. In the story, 'A
Co(w)nference Problem' (Oru Maa(naa)ttupp Prachanai), a Cow which escapes
from the slaughterhouse desiring to have the freedom to live causes traffic
jam. Through its struggle the author describes the present condition of
the Sri Lankan tamil. The style and the content of the story makes it a
striking example of a good short story. That the source of human life,
sexual needs are the same for one and all irrespective of their class and
caste is told convincingly with absolutely no obscenity in the depiction
of those walking hither and thither in Young street. With the help of a
little rat he has tried to speak about the significance of existentialism
that has man at its center. In 'Kanavan' and in 'Oru Mudivum Vidivum' he
highlights the idea that one shouldn't worry about the days of hi/her life
-partner prior to their marriage.
'America' is the longest story of the collection.
In this he has dealt with the rules and realities of America in a humorous
vein. How refugees are handled and treated by the American laws are brought
forth in a detailed manner in this story. Giritharan proves himself as
a significant Short-story writer from Srilankan Tamil in the ever-widening
expanse of the Tamil literary field. This story-collection is also noteworthy
in another aspect, in that it proves once again that books written in English
on the plights and perils of the refugees as well as the 'Sons of the Soil'
can never be as effective and as informative as those written in Tamil. |
