Enga Uppapaavukkoru Aanai Irunthathu

‘EngaUppavukkoruAanaiyirunthathu’ a novel by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer foregrounds the internal functioning of a Muslim family and paints a metaphorical picture about the community. The family tries to live in the present by clinging to memories of the past. Vattanadimai Kaaka has the pride of serving as the village chief. His wife has the fond memories of those halcyon days when her father raised an elephant. Their daughter reminisces about the day when her groom arrived atop an elephant. All these golden recollections are slowly swept away by the march of time. The newer generation dispels these myths by saying that their grandfather did not have an elephant but rather an insignificant insect. The three of them are made to adapt to the customs and practices of the ‘new world’. This is the new Tamil translation of the influential novel that was written over half a century ago and continues to be lauded today.