The Wanderer

<p><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>About the Book</strong></p><p></p><p><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Translated by the joint-winner of the JCB Prize for Literature 2021.</strong></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>The Sampark Kranti Express is travelling from Thiruvananthapuram to Chandigarh. It's pulling a vintage steam engine called the Wanderer which will be exhibited in the Republic Day parade in Delhi. This train travelling across the length of India carries a cross-section of the Indian populace. One of its travellers Karamchand (named so after Mahatma Gandhi) through the intersection of his observations along the journey his memories and the history of the places the train passes through creates a fantastic parallel journey along the one he is already on.</span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Landmarks in the history of India-the construction of railways in India by the British the notorious Portuguese sailor Almeida's attacks on ports in Kerala the 1857 mutiny the Chauri Chaura incident the Godhra riots find mention in the novel.</span></p><p></p><p><strong style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>About the Author</strong></p><p></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>V. Shinilal is a popular contemporary Malayalam novelist and short story writer. He hails from Nedumangad near Thiruvananthapuram and works for the Indian Railways.</span></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>His major works include the novels </span><em style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Udal Bhauthikam Adi 124</em><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)> and </span><em style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Iru</em><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)> and the short story collections </span><em style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Chola Buddhapadham Garisappa Aruvi Adhava Oru Jalayathra</em><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)> and </span><em style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Naroda Patyayil Ninnulla Bus.</em></p><p><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Shinilal is a recipient of the inaugural Karoor Award (</span><em style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Udal Bhauthikam</em><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>) Padmarajan Award (</span><em style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>124</em><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>) in 2021. He is the winner of the O.V. Vijayan Award in 2023. His works have been translated into many other Indian languages. </span><em style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Sampark Kranti (The Wanderer)</em><span style=background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1); color: rgba(15 17 17 1)> was awarded the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for the best novel in 2022.</span></p><p></p>