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ചില നാട്ടുകാര്യങ്ങള് [Chila Nattukaryangal]
A book which depicts the memories and experience of a traveler in a comic way. Chila Nattukaryangal is a memoir by Murali Thumarumkudi. It contains a foreword by Philippose Mar Chrisostome.
198 pages, Paperback
First published April 26, 2013
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31 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 7, 2018
First, a few words about the author. Mr Muralee Thummarukudy. He is the Chief of the Disaster Risk Reduction in the UN Environment Programme. Closer home, he is one of the most active personalities on Facebook with quite a lot of followers. His articles on various subjects are really interesting and worth reading. He keeps travelling around the world wherever the disaster has even the least mention. And with this wealth of exposure he entertains and educates in his Facebook posts. Recently, he was quite active when the floods hit Central Kerala and his articles during this time are quite informative.
This book, which is a compilation of his articles, is the winner of the Kerala Sahithya Academy Award.
Now, let us talk about the book.
Travelling is said to be one of the best teachers in the world. Through this book, the author shares with the readers what he has learnt in his life time. His narrations vary from his childhood experiences to his recent visits to various countries, from US to China, including Europe and Africa. Though many of the articles talk about his experiences outside India, he always brings the element of Indian –ness in it, a clearly indication of his strong bond to his roots. His writings consist of many interesting anecdotes, which sometimes may sound ridiculous, but are really true. Each of his articles has a quirky title, and by the end of each article, the reader understands why it was titled so. His articles which provide explanation about many facts, do attempt to provide solutions to many of the social, environmental and consumer problems faced by us. Some of his articles do touch upon topics like history and geography too and still manage to give something to any reader.
Where does the book score? Apart from the interesting anecdotes, it is the writing style, which borders between humour, non - fiction and auto biographies, which catches the attention of the reader. This is not a literary piece but one of importance. His strategy of pulling his own leg, at many instances, breaks the monotonous rumbling which he believes he has resorted to. But clearly not once does the writing sound monotonous and the strategy does bring a smile on the readers’ face.
The book can be a disappointment for those who are looking for some serious reading, though it embeds serious issues in it. I recommend this book to everybody, regardless of your background.
That the book is in Malayalam is a disadvantage. For that, I believe if the readers bombard his Facebook page with requests for English version, perhaps the author may agree to it.
Certainly, a book to be chewed and digested.
This book, which is a compilation of his articles, is the winner of the Kerala Sahithya Academy Award.
Now, let us talk about the book.
Travelling is said to be one of the best teachers in the world. Through this book, the author shares with the readers what he has learnt in his life time. His narrations vary from his childhood experiences to his recent visits to various countries, from US to China, including Europe and Africa. Though many of the articles talk about his experiences outside India, he always brings the element of Indian –ness in it, a clearly indication of his strong bond to his roots. His writings consist of many interesting anecdotes, which sometimes may sound ridiculous, but are really true. Each of his articles has a quirky title, and by the end of each article, the reader understands why it was titled so. His articles which provide explanation about many facts, do attempt to provide solutions to many of the social, environmental and consumer problems faced by us. Some of his articles do touch upon topics like history and geography too and still manage to give something to any reader.
Where does the book score? Apart from the interesting anecdotes, it is the writing style, which borders between humour, non - fiction and auto biographies, which catches the attention of the reader. This is not a literary piece but one of importance. His strategy of pulling his own leg, at many instances, breaks the monotonous rumbling which he believes he has resorted to. But clearly not once does the writing sound monotonous and the strategy does bring a smile on the readers’ face.
The book can be a disappointment for those who are looking for some serious reading, though it embeds serious issues in it. I recommend this book to everybody, regardless of your background.
That the book is in Malayalam is a disadvantage. For that, I believe if the readers bombard his Facebook page with requests for English version, perhaps the author may agree to it.
Certainly, a book to be chewed and digested.
July 17, 2018
Murali Thummarukudy writes lucidly. He has a knack for finding a story in the most mundane of things. His writing reminds me of two other writes I like. (1) Murali Nair, New York in Malayalam and (2) Bill Bryson in English, especially his book At Home.
March 7, 2023
ഒരു ചെറിയ യാത്രവിവരണം പോലെ ലോകത്തിലെ പല ഭാഗങ്ങൾ സന്ദർശിച്ച എഴുത്തുകാരൻ തന്റെ നിരീക്ഷണങ്ങൾ നർമ്മമധുരമായി അവതരിപ്പിക്കുകയാണ് ഈ പുസ്തകത്തിലൂടെ. സ്വദേശത്തെയും വിദേശത്തെയും ഓർമ്മകൾ ഒരേപോലെ പറഞ്ഞു പോകുന്നു.
February 27, 2023
An okay book. Funny at times. Gives some thoughts to ponder.
October 15, 2024
Even though the author tries to be a modern thinker, his thoughts are mostly based on a fixed mindset that has lot of prejudices towards different classes of people. Just an average book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews