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Gleanings:
Inspired by Maxim Gorky
K.S. Sivakumaran
One of the Lankan Thamil writers pride himself to be inspired by the
famous Russian writer and playwright, Maxim Gorky is T. Sivasubramaniam,
A.K.A. Thambu Siva.
He also says that he is concerned of the pitiable conditions of
people, mainly the downtrodden; He narrates realistically what he has
seen and felt, he claims.
His Writing
He writes literary columns and articles as well.
Earlier he brought out a literary journal (1970, 1971) called
Katpaham. He has also compiled a book called Kaalathaal Mariyatha
Katpaha Ithal Chiru Kathaihal (Indelible by time - Short Stories in
Katpaham). His other book is Mutpoakku Ilakkiya Chemmalhal (Veteran
Progressive Literature Writers) - a collection of essays. Chonthangal
(Relatives) is his first collection of short stories.
Hailing from the north, he is married in Thirukoanmalai. His daughter
is also a prominent writer in the country. Both have won prizes in short
story competitions. He was earlier working as a Taxation Officer in the
Inland Revenue Department and later in the North East Provincial Council
Printing Department. Presently he works for the Kolumbu Thamil Sangam in
Wellawatta.
A dozen short stories he has previously published in Thamil
newspapers and magazines are collected in the book published by Ilankai
Mutpoakku Kalai Ilakkiya Pearavai, 11 Rajasinghe Road, Colombo 6 and
priced at Rs.200/- per copy. The cover is a collage of scenes of the
underprivileged in the north drawn by the veteran artist Ramani.
Themes
What are the themes of his stories?
Displacement due to the war, Uprooting to foreign climes, Aftermath
of the Tsunami disaster, the agonies undergone by women, the plight of
the refugees, the tragic stories of foreign-returned domestic maids, the
importance of education, family problems, the new lifestyles of children
gone abroad, poverty, exploitation, disappointments etc.
Evidently these are stories that explain how the Thamilians in
particular belonging to this country are undergoing a miserable life.
They are indeed realistic portrayals even if one were to spotlight the
inadequacies of the writer on the structure and relative literary
merits.
Shortcomings
The shortcomings in his stories are that he writes longish stories
transcending the commonly expected confines of a short story. They are
mostly narrative of events to the extent of incorporating even generally
irrelevant information.
Depiction of the mental stage of the characters is minimal. These are
common to almost all the contemporary short stories by Lankan writers in
Thamil - particularly the new writers.
The stories in this collection were written during the past two
years.
Suggestion
What I would like to suggest is to request the writer to confine as
far as possible to a single incident and write with economy of words
with deeper depiction of the characters, moods and feelings rather than
to explain everything in a Naturalism fashion. Allow the reader the
opportunity to 'feel' the story than to be told everything in words.
Positive Aspects
The positive aspects in the stories are that the writer covers
incidents in various parts in the country and also brings in characters
from all the communities in the island. Some characters transcend
ethnicity identities and intermarry as normal human beings.
I felt sad when I read the calamity of a Sinhala railway guard who
lost his whole family (wife and children Thamilians) in the awful
tsunami. Similarly, the story about a Thamilian mother who was subject
to torture in Saudi Arabia also makes the reader uneasy.
She was also sexually assaulted at the local agency and abused even
later in the Middle East.
Another interesting story was about a travel from Thirukoanamalai to
Colombo by a CTB bus that stopped in Kanthalai. A Sinhala baby seated
with his mother and sister in the bus was fondly playing with the
narrator who was a Thamilian.
The mother says 'Mathayata Lamaya Hari Aasai' Her daughter said "Mahaththaya
Eyage Thaththa Vagei". The mother asked him in Thamil "Mathaya Nneengal
Thamila?" The narrator said yes.
Then the mother who could speak in Thamil said that she and her
daughter were going back to their native place - Matara after her
husband (a Thamilian) had lost his life in the tsunami disaster. They
were living in Thirukoanamalai for sometime. But the other incidents
while on the way to Colombo were also interesting when the narrator
emphasises on people who board the bus and depart.
The degrading life in the refugee camps is another story that is
shocking. The writer uses conversational dialogues that are authentic
and it is mainly in the language spoken in Yaalpaanam.
Thambu Siva's stories are in a way written records of actualities
that pertain to the lives of people in the North and East, particularly.
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