CHENNAI : Mano Bharathi is one among the few aspiring young writers in the city who use regional language to pen their thoughts. Who knew that the Facebook page, Ezhuthupizhai, that he launched four years ago would turn into a platform for guiding budding Tamil writers. The page currently has 23,439 followers and a diversified team of nine members who work for it. Ezhuthupizhai in Tamil means ‘mistakes in writing’. The 27-year-old author, he says “I’ve been in Chennai for 10 years. I developed a passion for writing three years back. My accidental attempt into writing is the reason behind the title.”
He recently launched his second version of the first book titled Ezhuthupizhai 1.1 and it is a compilation of poems and short stories. Mano has written three books in three years. His first book Ezhuthpizhai was a hit and sold 700 copies in one month. “Some reviews were encouraging and others were not very favourable. But I focused only on the constructive criticism and that helped me work better towards my goal,” says Mano, a native of Thanjavur. He keeps in mind two things while writing — simple words and establishing relevance with the reader. “You don’t have to be well-versed in Tamil literature to read my books.
They are completely in layman’s terms, very short and conversational,” he adds. His other books are- Vikatakavi and Kannamma. While the former is a palindrome — Reading the book from the front would give a male perspective to things happening around you, reading from the end would give a female perspective — the latter portrays colours through the eyes of women.
Mano’s dream is to write a travelogue and more about food. He has two books in the pipeline. Thiruvanmiyurin Azhagana Kolaigaari will talk about hardships in a couple’s life. It could be something as simple as a girl’s number being misused at the recharge shop. And the whole book revolves around beach that Thiruvanmiyur is known for. “A lot of people have a mindset that just going to the beach will solve all the problems. It is place to vent out your feelings,” he says while narrating scenes from the book. And Kansimittal (blink of the eye) is a microtale. The story ends in just two sides. “When I complete six books, people should pick up the book and feel good about choosing it. And I’ll make sure that my books talk to them,” he shares.
He is trying to make these stories available in audio books for people who cannot read Tamil. “A particular story will be made into an audio format along with a background score. Otherwise it would read like a narration. Like there are listeners to radio, there will be listeners to audio film series as well,” he says. Mano believes that no matter what the language is, a reader’s thinking language and perspective determines the success of a book. He has received a few letters from his well-wishers. “A friend of mine called me and cried after reading a particular scene. With good friends by your side, you can reach great heights,” he shares.
Mano also runs a creative design company, God Particles, that was started two years back. This engineering graduate juggles between his love for writing and his profession. Alongside he has also written the lyrics for a song Cassata kanmaniye and the title song of a Tamil web series, Half Boil.