KOCHI: It is said some cover songs are as good as its original version. The testimony of this is often seen on YouTube. This is the first thing that comes to one’s mind when you read ‘Nooru Cherunaalangal’, the Malayalam translation of author Preeti Shenoy’s A Hundred Little Flames, by Kabani C.
This is an excerpt from the book. ‘“People like to live in matchboxes, where there is not even a piece of land. You should always live in a structure where you can step out and feel Mother Earth, not be half-suspended like Trishanku in the sky,” Gopal Shanker always said.’ These words, to the reader’s delight, makes more sense in Gopal’s mother tongue Malayalam.
Preeti’s book is about 26-year-old Ayan, who is sent to live with his cranky grandfather Gopal, who broke his feet in a fall. The former had lost his job in Pune at the same time. The story intricately follows the relationship between the two as Ayan’s father plans to sell the ancestral home and land. While Ayan has a life lying ahead of him, Gopal lives in the past.
With a major chunk of the story set in Poongavanam village, it only makes sense to publish its translated version. And who else is the best at translating this uncomplicated text which resonates with bliss than Kabani. She has already translated numerous contemporary works - such as Shobhaa De’s Socialite Evenings, Paulo Coelho’s The Spy and Chetan Bhagat’s The Girl in Room 105.
What makes Nooru Cherunaalangal stand out is the description of the countryside and Ayan’s memories of spending a vacation at his ancestral home. Kabani has done a wonderful job at invoking long-forgotten memories by instantly transporting the reader to a different world. A Hundred Little Flames, published in 2017, is one of the best works by Preeti. Kabani’s translation has helped the work to achieve perfection.