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A soothing read

The other Sunday, the newspaper supplement had a write-up on some of the erstwhile royals of Tamil Nadu - the Sethupathis of Ramnad, one among them. The current 'Raja', while talking about his duties & responsibilities, had mentioned a century-old school in Madurai that he had to look after.

So, imagine my astonishment when the book I read last week was a school days memoir of someone who had studied in the same Sethupathi School - the school where M.S.Subbulakshmi made her debut as a singer!

'Green Well Years' by Manohar Devadoss is about this gang of 5-6 adolescent boys. Schoolmates, these boys spend most of their free time together. Their favourite hangout place is a large, open well on the outskirts of Madurai. The water looks green....hence, the title!

The author weaves a series of autobiographical incidents from his boyhood days with the history & geography of places in and around Madurai. In fact, life in Madurai during the early years of Indian Independence is so reminiscent of R.K.Narayan's Malgudi! One feels quite envious of the laid-back life style of that era!!



The book is unique for the pen & ink sketches by the author - like this one on the cover. These sketches (about 30-35 of them in the book), are special because the author suffers from near blindness due to a degenerative eye condition.

The author believes that the memories of his carefree childhood and the high spirits of his wife (also suffering - from paralysis below the neck) give him the strength to face his tough life. He is so matter-of-fact about the cruel blows dealt to him. This positive attitude inspite of all the setbacks is what makes this book exceptional.
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Comments

  1. Arun Shimoga28 March, 2012

    Thanks for introducing this book. I have ordered for a copy on Flipkart!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Soumya29 March, 2012

    I'm sure, you'll be able to relate to a few anecdotes!

    ReplyDelete

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