Sajeev Edathadan is a known name in Malayalam Blogosphere. Infact his 'Kodakarapuranam' is one of the blogs (the other one being Berly Thomas's 'Berlytharangal') which led to the blogging revolution in Kerala in the late 2000s. While most of the 'superstar' malayalam bloggers have quit blogging since then ,Vishalamanaskan is still active in the malayalam blogging arena. Though his works have got published earlier also, I have never had a chance to read any of his works till date. So when I got an opportunity to read his complete works , I literally grabbed it!
Contrary to it's title Kodakarapuranam, is not a history of the place called 'Kodakara', the small idyllic place somewhere in Kerala.It's about the small incidents (real and fictional) that have apparently happened in Edathadan's life as a 'kodakarakkaran' .Sajeevan's Kodakara is inhabited by people who are funny, innocent,honest and believable, yet with their own sense of small world 'crookedness' and 'street smartness'. Be it the over enthusiastic Giri who ventures to make 'Kerala Porotta' though he has absolutely no clue about the 'mechanics' behind it's making or the BBC chettan of Kodakara who honestly believes that it's his moral duty to 'spread the word'! At 350 + pages, 'kodakarapuranam' is a sheer joy to read and I bet you will laugh out loud atleast for half of it's stories!
AmminiPillai Vettu Case is an anthology by G.R.Indugopan .The stories are realistic and deeply rooted in human values and explores themes like love,longing and revenge.However there is a strong satirical tone to most of the stories and is pretty much prominent in the title story.Don't get deceived by the title though, this one is not a murder mystery by any stretch of imagination!
Perhaps the most famous work of this lot, 'Ozhivudivasathe Kali' is a collection of short stories by Unni R.The title story has been adapted to a stage drama as well as a Malayalam Feature Film. Like Unni's previous works, the stories in this collection are also quite contemporary and deals with socially relevant themes. My pick of the lot is the opening story which is aptly titled 'Alice inte Albutha Lokam' which deals with a very serious theme of child abuse, albeit in a very subtle yet effective manner. 'Neela Chitram' is another gem which explores the theme of exploitation in two different contexts.'Ozhivu Divasathe Kali' is all about the intoxicating effect of 'Power'! "Pathu Kalpanakalkkidayil Randu Per' and 'Prani Lokam' are the other two stories in this collection. This one is definitely a must read book!
-nikhimenon
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