TIRUCHY: Stranger, thy name is strangeness”. This name of X Robinson’s second novel manifests the sentiment that befriended him when he landed in the astir city of Tiruchy in 2016. Barely 17-years-old, and completely in the dark about where to turn to, Robinson was armed solely with the resolve to secure admission to a college. But, forget college, his pockets weren’t even deep enough to support his sustenance in the city. Six years have passed since that day, and much water from Cauvery has flowed under the bridge. That frail and helpless boy is today an MPhil scholar, author of two novels and the in-charge of five textile shops.
Hailing from Pudukkottai, Robinson spent most of his school life in hostels as his parents’ work took them far to the textile factories in Tiruppur. When he passed out of Class 12, he knew his future hung by a thread as there was no way his parents could afford a college seat for him. So, when he got down the bus onto Tiruchy’s illustrious soil the following year, his heart skipped a beat. He had to earn enough to afford college fees, pay for his sister’s schooling, and also keep his body and soul together.
“Through a cousin, I landed a job at a roadside textile shop. My daily wage was Rs 100 then. It’s surprising how I was able to manage everything for so long with that pay. But, that’s life. At some point, everyone will learn to stop complaining and make do with what you have, in the pursuit of future happiness,” Robinson says.
He would attend college classes in the morning and then rush back to look after the shop. Study time occupied only a few hours that sparsely came after work at the bazaar. The chaos and bustle of the shops were initially overwhelming and loud enough to drown any thought of studying. However, his colleagues helped him warm up to the city, and before long, he made friends, learned of their stories, learned from their stories, and even began to recount their stories.
“The urge to write a novel began after my article on climate change got published in an AICUF (All India Catholic University Federation) magazine,” he says. Robinson’s first novel “Lord of the Lay” revolves around a migrant’s struggles to zero in on a house for rent in a new city. The prejudices the protagonist comes across and the outcomes form the rest of the story. The novel appeared in a Bengaluru-based publication. He credits guidance from his professors and a few workshops on prose writing that he attended for the appreciation his first story received. His second novel “Stranger thy name is strangeness” was about transcending feelings people share, particularly love.
“I want to pursue PhD in English and become a professor. Every year, hundreds of youth uproot themselves from villages and land in strange cities in search of a dream. I am familiar with the travails that wait in their path and want to help them in whatever little way I can,” he says. His friends vouch for how much his humility belies the camaraderie and respect he receives among his peers. Like it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a whole city to raise sail and help a Robinson cruise.