CHENNAI: Kumarasurar’s world goes topsy-turvy after a phone call from his only son Meghas. The son’s demand was a seemingly simple one — an expensive smartphone. But it torments the father, unfolding layers of insecurities and suppressed emotions buried inside him. The rest of the story goes about how the two navigate the contemporary world consumed by endless desires.
To new beginnings
Set in Asuralogam or the world of demons, author Perumal Murugan’s Kazhimugam is his first in an urban setting. The novel’s English version — Estuary, translated by author Nandini Krishnan — has managed to retell the story with its spirit intact. Speaking about his new attempt, Murugan says, “The novel is set in Asuralogam and the characters are asuras because demons are anyway vilified and this way I can play it safe. Involving humans or gods would get me into trouble. The problems faced by a common man, as I’ve addressed, are the same everywhere. I may have loosened my grip with writing but the style and usage of dialects find its way somehow.”
In the foreword, the author mentions that he has abandoned the compactness, intensity and nuance for which his writing has been praised so far. “I’ve given my hands the freedom to go with the flow without restrictions. The rest will be taken care of by fate. My readers seem to be taking well to this fresh perspective. The inspiration for the story was born out of my discussions with fellow friends and their experiences as fathers. I also took the opinion of my son and other college-going youngsters to offer a well-balanced plot. This is a coming-of-age topic that needs to be addressed,” he explains.
A man’s world
Kumarasurar, the protagonist of the book, comes across as an average middle-class government employee living next door. His actions are bound by societal constraints and he strives to live by what is expected of him as the man of the house. “A man is more or less defined by his work atmosphere. It forms a strong impression on his personality. The mind grapples with the monotony of job, financial woes, the future of the family, and more. We seldom talk about men’s mental health. Is it because they don’t say or emote much? It kept bothering me as a father and I wanted to emphasise the anxieties and everyday mental turmoil faced by a father,” reveals the author.
Murugan has tactfully toyed around with the characters in Kumarasurar’s life. Mangasuri cares plenty for her husband but does more to ensure that the happiness of their pampered child is intact. Meghas is a temperamental and stubborn son who knows how to get what he wants. Kumarasurar’s three childhood friends — Kanakasurar, Thenasurar, and Adhigasurar — have their set of problems and only look for opportunities to add fuel to the fire in each other’s lives. Among the lot, Murugan says he enjoyed writing Kumbhas, Kumarasurar’s assistant at work. “The relationship starts on a bitter note but eventually matures into one where the two find it in themselves to confide in each other. It’s Kumbhas who exposes Kumarasurar to the other side of the world, one that the latter has been trying to run away from. We all need that one person to whom we can vent. These are small things that help maintain our sanity,” he says.
Old-school approach
Another facet the book has significantly stressed is the loopholes plaguing the education system. Right from admitting their children to the best of schools and colleges to the culture shocks that unravel because of the generation gap, the book sheds light on the mindset of parents. Perumal has effortlessly laced this with humour but ensures that it remains a hard-hitting narrative.One of the chapters comically highlights how parents, along with their children, go college-hunting with high aspirations. Some colleges have bridles for students so they can remain focussed. Some run buses to show around the campus. Some have separate blocks for girls and boys, to make sure there is no communication between the two. Some have high walls to keep the students from escaping. Despite the amount of torture these institutions inflict on students, it’s amusing to find parents arguing over management and merit quotas, deeming the former a least of their concerns.
Like other parents, Kumarasurar and Mangasuri also have plans for their only son. They want him to pursue medicine, he opts for engineering. They want him to go to a college within their city limits; he prefers the sophisticated one miles away. Meghas is not the one to give in easily. This gives space for frequent misunderstandings between Kumarasurar and him.
Murugan goes on to add that self-realisation and lessons from his own life — as a parent and a teacher — helped him treat the story differently. “I’m reminded of verses from Thirukkural: Ulakathoadu otta ozhukal palakatrum. Kallaar arivilaa thaar. That roughly translates to ‘One must adapt with time. Someone stubborn with values, irrespective of how educated he is, will be considered a fool’. This is the kind of conflict Kumarasurar and a lot of us as parents are grappling with. The book can be an eye-opener for such parents,” says Murugan, who presently serves as the principal of Government Arts College, Namakkal.
Murugan wrote most of the novel while at Manipal University in Karnataka. Just when he was contemplating an appropriate conclusion, nature came to his rescue, as it always does with his creative process. “My room had a view of an estuary. The sight of it was blissful. I would go there often to unwind; I also got to interact with a few students from Tamil Nadu studying at the university. That’s when it struck me that nothing else but nature alone can help Kumarasurar to clear his mind. We all need a break. It can work wonders, like how it did in Kumarasurar’s or even my case. And that’s how the book got its name Estuary which in Tamil translates to Kazhimugam,” he shares.
The author has been busy with Zoom conferences for literary festivals and virtual book promotions. He’s currently working on a bunch of short stories.