Srirangathu Kathaigal

Hardcover (Uyirmmai Pathippagam)

Language: Tamil

Author: Sujatha

Illustration: Desikan

This is an anthology of short stories that Sujatha wrote in the Tamil weekly Saavi in 1983, in Ananda Vikatan in 2003 and the other short stories he wrote about Srirangam. The common thread across the stories is Srirangam, the hometown and the place where he author grew-up.

One also gets a feeling that this is more a chronicle of the authors life in Srirangam. Although the author, in the afterword says that the only thing that is real in the book is the town, Srirangam. And everything else except that is his imagination.

These stories transport you to Srirangam and you almost get a walkthrough experience, such is Sujatha’s narrative. And many of us who are familiar with the Agraharam (the streets where Tamil Brahmin’s lived) set-up should be able to relate to at least 4-5 of the stories. They seem a flashback on our lives in the Agraharam.

As any anthology would have, there are some lighthearted, humorous & very positively oriented stories and there are also some very grim, heart wrenching tragedies. Most of the stories are laced with what we call the “Brahmana kusumbu” or the Tambram black humour that adds a great flavor to each of the episodes.

The author tells the story so nicely that this 300 odd pages book becomes a “drop it after you finish” affair once you start reading. The easy to read (and assimilate) Tamil makes things simple and adds to the fun. The other highlight of the book is the author quoting the Divya Prabhandam’s (this is a collection of 4,000 Tamil verses composed in praise of Vishnu by the 12 great Vaishnavaite saints, called the Alwars before 8 AD) before the start of some episodes. The author through those quotes of Prabhandam injects small portions of the great Tamil literature into you without you realising it.

Credit should also go to Desikan, who has done some lovely illustrations which appear with each story. These illustrations brings the grandeur of the town of Srirangam to life.

This one is a “Swami & Friends” in Tamil (only) for the adults.

Amazing compilation, very highly recommended for all those who can read Tamil.