Tales of women who live in ‘Varyams’ (family home of a Varasyar-temple servant) during the pre-independence era in Kerala were often regarded as classics. This is simply because these stories carry messages of endurance, struggles and victory in the end. In the novella, Varasyar- The Temple Servant, written by Shruti Amrita, Radhamani - the protagonist is no different. The story is inspired by family legends and stories of Padaathukaavu Bhagavathi (Perumpilly, Kerala) and Pambampottu Bhagavathi and Mullabhagavathi (Potta, Kerala), as described by the author.
The story starts with the narration of the Varyam and numerous members in it. The milieu in Kerala way back in the pre-independence era is detailed well during the opening chapters of the book.
The story unfolds during the period of India’s independence struggle. It revolves around a girl who is unsure about her own self, and silently suffers the humiliations inflicted on her. From her childhood, Radhamani’s family hated her, especially her father, because she was a girl. Her father abandons her mother for giving birth to a girl child.
Even though Radhamani always remained in the citadel of grief, her mother’s love had a soothing effect on her. But like any person, Radhamani longed for love, as she had considered it as an escape route from her loneliness. She secretly loved her neighbour Bharathan.
Her melancholic life changes when she meets Balakrishnan Nair, a passionate youth who gets involved in the Indian Independence movement. But again fate fails Radhamani, as Balakrishnan leaves her to marry a more beautiful girl. Later, Chandran Varyar ties the knot with Radhamani. But Chandran found pleasure from the pain he inflicted on Radhamani. With the death of Chandran, Radhamani gets her ultimate freedom.
Eventually Radhamani also becomes part of India’s independence struggle. And when the British army marches to her village to loot the jewels of the Devi from the temple, like the ferocious Devi, Radhamani stands and defends the powerful British army. The story speaks about Radhamani’s evolution from a weak woman to a powerful one.
“Our paths cross countless times in this journey of life and yet we remain strangers unaware”, the writer observes at one point of time. For Radhamani, the ones she loved never loved her back and she fails to realise the ones who loved her. After much trials and tribulations, her childhood neighbour Bharathan, who had a crush on Radhamani, comes in search of her. She then realises the love of Bharathan and ends up marrying him.
The story sheds light on the lifestyle of the members of the Varasyar community. Most of the male characters are described as torturers. The novella, spread across 131 pages, is divided into 14 small chapters. The essence of each chapter is given at the beginning, thus making it easier for the reader to understand what is coming. But the trivial narration is a major set back for this book. The author has developed the plot straight and is monotonous. Each chapter ends abruptly making the reader perplexed. The circumstances and images used in the story are not strong enough to substantiate the plot, hence the book becomes less charming.