HYDERABAD: After a self-imposed exile following protests over his novel Madhorubhagan (Tamil), One Part Woman in English, Tamil writer Perumal Murugan is now awaiting the release of his next book, Poonachi, or A Story of a Black goat.
In conversation with Usha Raman, professor from University of Hyderabad and Kannan Sundaram, a leading Tamil publisher, the author talked about several things, including the reason he chose a goat as the protagonist of his book in the session titled ‘Extraordinary Stories of Everyday Lives’.
The book, Madhorubhagan was published in 2010. However, four years later, certain groups began protests objecting to the fictional portrayal of the deity Ardhanareeshwara. The protests were called off only after the local police compelled him to sign an unconditional apology and to withdraw all copies of the novel.Following this, Murugan announced that he was giving up writing and that the writer was dead. Petitions were filed against this and the Madras HC ruled in his favour when Murugan returned with a collection of poetry. His latest book, Poonachi, which can be pre-ordered on Amazon.in, emerged when Murugan decided to pick a subject that is familiar.
“After two years of being in exile, I feared to write about humans and it was far more difficult to write about Gods. When I started to write, I didn’t know I knew so much about a goat and it later on developed into a book,” said the writer.
The session ended with a huge applause from the audience when Murugan responded to a line from the book. Referring to a part in the book, where goats need to be registered with the State, as they might be a threat when they get together, Murugan said, “But when do goats get together!”
Hyderabad Book Fair concludes
The 10-day book festival, which drew lakhs of people, concluded on Sunday. The Hyderabad Book Fair, which was a huge hit this year. Irrigation minister T Harish Rao, who was present at the concluding ceremony, said, “Technology and cell phones have changed the world, but there is no impact on books.”