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The Ghosts of Meenambakkam
One dark and stormy night , Dalpathado unexpectedly crosses paths with the narrator of Meenambakkam airport. The faceless, middle-aged man from Dalpathado's past is mourning the unexpected death of his daughter in a plane crash . After they spend a dangerous night in each other's company, lashed by rain and reminiscence, neither man remains the same .
The Ghosts of Meenambakkam is a meditation on the violence that detonates human lives and the idea of love that endures all mayhem , even in death.
The Ghosts of Meenambakkam is a meditation on the violence that detonates human lives and the idea of love that endures all mayhem , even in death.
151 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1988
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About the author
Ashokamitthiran
83 books225 followers1931ம் ஆண்டு செப்டம்பர் 22ந் தேதி, ஆந்திர மாநிலத்தில் உள்ள சிகந்தராபாத்தில் பிறந்தவர். இயற்பெயர் ஜ. தியாகராஜன். தமது இருபத்தொன்றாவது வயதில் (தந்தையின் மறைவுக்குப் பின்) குடும்பத்தினருடன் சென்னைக்குக் குடியேறி, ஜெமினி ஸ்டுடியோவில் மக்கள் தொடர்புத் துறையில் பணியாற்றத் தொடங்கினார். அப்போது அகில இந்திய வானொலி நடத்திய ஒரு நாடகப் போட்டிக்காக "அன்பின் பரிசு" என்னும் நாடகத்தை எழுதினார். அதுவே அசோகமித்திரனின் முதல் படைப்பு. 1954ம் ஆண்டு வானொலியில் அந்நாடகம் ஒலிபரப்பானது.
அசோகமித்திரனின் முதல் சிறுகதை "நாடகத்தின் முடிவு". 1957ம் ஆண்டு கலைமகளில் இது பிரசுரமானது. கலைமகளில் அவரது இரண்டாவது சிறுகதை "விபத்து" பிரசுரமானதையடுத்து, மணிக்கொடி கி.ரா. மூலம் ந. பிச்சமூர்த்தியின் அறிமுகமும், அவர் மூலம் "எழுத்து" பத்திரிகைத் தொடர்பும் கிடைத்தது.
சுமார் நாற்பதாண்டு காலத்துக்கும் மேலாகத் தமிழின் மிக முக்கியமான புனைகதை எழுத்தாளர்களுள் ஒருவராக அறியப்படும் அசோகமித்திரன், அமெரிக்கா, சிங்கப்பூர், ஜெர்மனி, இலங்கை ஆகிய நாடுகளுக்கு அழைப்புகளின் பேரில் இலக்கியச் சுற்றுப்பயணம் மேற்கொண்டிருக்கிறார். அவரது பல படைப்புகள், பல இந்திய அயல் மொழிகளில் மொழியாக்கம் பெற்றிருக்கின்றன. அப்பாவின் சிநேகிதர்' என்கிற சிறுகதைத் தொகுப்புக்காக, அசோகமித்திரனுக்கு 1996ம் ஆண்டு சாகித்ய அகாதமி விருது வழங்கப்பட்டது.
அசோகமித்திரனின் முதல் சிறுகதை "நாடகத்தின் முடிவு". 1957ம் ஆண்டு கலைமகளில் இது பிரசுரமானது. கலைமகளில் அவரது இரண்டாவது சிறுகதை "விபத்து" பிரசுரமானதையடுத்து, மணிக்கொடி கி.ரா. மூலம் ந. பிச்சமூர்த்தியின் அறிமுகமும், அவர் மூலம் "எழுத்து" பத்திரிகைத் தொடர்பும் கிடைத்தது.
சுமார் நாற்பதாண்டு காலத்துக்கும் மேலாகத் தமிழின் மிக முக்கியமான புனைகதை எழுத்தாளர்களுள் ஒருவராக அறியப்படும் அசோகமித்திரன், அமெரிக்கா, சிங்கப்பூர், ஜெர்மனி, இலங்கை ஆகிய நாடுகளுக்கு அழைப்புகளின் பேரில் இலக்கியச் சுற்றுப்பயணம் மேற்கொண்டிருக்கிறார். அவரது பல படைப்புகள், பல இந்திய அயல் மொழிகளில் மொழியாக்கம் பெற்றிருக்கின்றன. அப்பாவின் சிநேகிதர்' என்கிற சிறுகதைத் தொகுப்புக்காக, அசோகமித்திரனுக்கு 1996ம் ஆண்டு சாகித்ய அகாதமி விருது வழங்கப்பட்டது.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
August 11, 2016
I have not been posting reviews for quite some time now. Reason is, I am in Chennai on an orientation programme with the new job I have taken. I miss my desktop and my own private space - posting from my tab is all very well for FB, but GR requires more respect.
However, this novella simply overwhelmed me so much that I decided I at least had to do a quick review.
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I am not very familiar with Tamil literature, a gap which I decided to redeem recently. What better place to start than from the state capital itself? Quite serendipitously, I visited the "Giggles" bookshop and Nalini, its delightful proprietor, pointed me to some landmark books and writers. Asokamitran was one of them.
This slender book packs so much power in its one hundred and forty-nine pages. It's the story of a night and a day: the unnamed narrator, a father grieving the death of his only daughter in an airline accident, is at the airport at Meenambakkam on some unspecified errand when he meets Dalpathado, an award-winning film-maker from another country (one may guess it's Sri Lanka) who is apparently on the run from some people out to kill him. In a sequence straight out of Kafka, we see him crawling across the railway tracks in pouring rain, holing up in a house, and participating in some kind of clandestine activity with the foreigner. All the while, his mind is full of his angelic daughter whose face he can't remember any more - and Dalpathado's erstwhile girlfriend Sylvia with whom she seems to share a strange kind of identity. The story ends in a shattering climax at the airport; the last sentence hits the reader with the force of a tidal wave.
Asokamitran's writing is very straightforward; however his narrative is complex. There are multiple layers hidden within the folds of this apparently simple story. The way the novella opens, with the mention of Meenambakkam's road accidents and the ghosts inhabiting that place, provides an all-encompassing metaphor for the tale.
A wonderful read.
However, this novella simply overwhelmed me so much that I decided I at least had to do a quick review.
------------------------
I am not very familiar with Tamil literature, a gap which I decided to redeem recently. What better place to start than from the state capital itself? Quite serendipitously, I visited the "Giggles" bookshop and Nalini, its delightful proprietor, pointed me to some landmark books and writers. Asokamitran was one of them.
This slender book packs so much power in its one hundred and forty-nine pages. It's the story of a night and a day: the unnamed narrator, a father grieving the death of his only daughter in an airline accident, is at the airport at Meenambakkam on some unspecified errand when he meets Dalpathado, an award-winning film-maker from another country (one may guess it's Sri Lanka) who is apparently on the run from some people out to kill him. In a sequence straight out of Kafka, we see him crawling across the railway tracks in pouring rain, holing up in a house, and participating in some kind of clandestine activity with the foreigner. All the while, his mind is full of his angelic daughter whose face he can't remember any more - and Dalpathado's erstwhile girlfriend Sylvia with whom she seems to share a strange kind of identity. The story ends in a shattering climax at the airport; the last sentence hits the reader with the force of a tidal wave.
Asokamitran's writing is very straightforward; however his narrative is complex. There are multiple layers hidden within the folds of this apparently simple story. The way the novella opens, with the mention of Meenambakkam's road accidents and the ghosts inhabiting that place, provides an all-encompassing metaphor for the tale.
A wonderful read.
July 11, 2016
When Kalyan Raman, the translator of this book, put up the covers of three new Penguin Ashokamitran translations on Twitter earlier this year, I was overjoyed. I've always loved the Modern Classics productions; the quiet, sometimes playful seriousness of the covers seem to celebrate the idea of books itself - as works of art to be contemplated, discussed, and enjoyed. There is also this unique feeling of nostalgia the photographs and illustrations on the covers of these editions evoke, something akin to what the Portuguese call saudade, a feeling of intense longing for something that we perhaps have never really experienced, but seem to miss intimately.
With the cover of this particular book, I had no such problem. I could miss the real thing. I have watched the Madras MRTS train speed through the Meenambakkam station in this very way, and felt some of the things the protagonist feels. My Meenambakkam is extraordinarily different from the Meenambakkam of this 1988 book, and yet, I seem to understand the slow, private Madras of that time. This is an emotion only someone who has lived in, and loved the Tamil capital will understand - that even though it is now a bustling, loud, non-stop metropolis: at its heart, Madras remains a small town. It still moves to the beats of the Tamil hamlet, its rhythms are still dictated by the Tamil festival calendar. And its evenings can be sad things; the breeze warm, the darkness sudden, and the air tight, coiled-up, with the congested dreams of normal, ordinary people who have come to the big city to make a life.
It is this private drama within an individual in a city that Ashokamitran explores. I first encountered this in his Manasarovar (also translated by Kalyan Raman), a brooding tale that left me with a sense of loss. The Ghosts of Meenambakkam is similar in the sense that it is also a very grim narrative, but entwined as it is true events and a commentary on personal tragedy, it is also a very different book. I'm trying hard not to reveal plot details, because in such a taut narrative, even a slight aside may ruin its effect, which is incredibly haunting. I read it in a single setting, and though the tension in the pages, intensely personal, made me tear my eyes away for a moment or two, I was never able to put it down. This is incredible mastery of both the writer's and translator's art.
As the translator points out in his introduction, the quality of Ashokamitran's writing can be deciphered in the weight of the things left unsaid. This is what The Ghosts of Meenambakkam does too. There are allusions, foreign names, veiled references, sidesteps. Putting them together is up to you, and it is through this that the story becomes more than just a story.
As my father nears retirement, he maintains a voluminous collection of stories/essays/travelogues cut out from the extraordinary number of Tamil magazines he buys. There is a whole folder dedicated to Ashokamitran, and its lovingly annotated pages indicated to me the stature of this writer I have only come to discover in English. This, then, is the only gripe I have - a personal sense of shame that I can only read the great masters of my own language in English. I intend to change that soon, but in the meantime, I'm thankful for these translations.
Very highly recommended.
With the cover of this particular book, I had no such problem. I could miss the real thing. I have watched the Madras MRTS train speed through the Meenambakkam station in this very way, and felt some of the things the protagonist feels. My Meenambakkam is extraordinarily different from the Meenambakkam of this 1988 book, and yet, I seem to understand the slow, private Madras of that time. This is an emotion only someone who has lived in, and loved the Tamil capital will understand - that even though it is now a bustling, loud, non-stop metropolis: at its heart, Madras remains a small town. It still moves to the beats of the Tamil hamlet, its rhythms are still dictated by the Tamil festival calendar. And its evenings can be sad things; the breeze warm, the darkness sudden, and the air tight, coiled-up, with the congested dreams of normal, ordinary people who have come to the big city to make a life.
It is this private drama within an individual in a city that Ashokamitran explores. I first encountered this in his Manasarovar (also translated by Kalyan Raman), a brooding tale that left me with a sense of loss. The Ghosts of Meenambakkam is similar in the sense that it is also a very grim narrative, but entwined as it is true events and a commentary on personal tragedy, it is also a very different book. I'm trying hard not to reveal plot details, because in such a taut narrative, even a slight aside may ruin its effect, which is incredibly haunting. I read it in a single setting, and though the tension in the pages, intensely personal, made me tear my eyes away for a moment or two, I was never able to put it down. This is incredible mastery of both the writer's and translator's art.
As the translator points out in his introduction, the quality of Ashokamitran's writing can be deciphered in the weight of the things left unsaid. This is what The Ghosts of Meenambakkam does too. There are allusions, foreign names, veiled references, sidesteps. Putting them together is up to you, and it is through this that the story becomes more than just a story.
As my father nears retirement, he maintains a voluminous collection of stories/essays/travelogues cut out from the extraordinary number of Tamil magazines he buys. There is a whole folder dedicated to Ashokamitran, and its lovingly annotated pages indicated to me the stature of this writer I have only come to discover in English. This, then, is the only gripe I have - a personal sense of shame that I can only read the great masters of my own language in English. I intend to change that soon, but in the meantime, I'm thankful for these translations.
Very highly recommended.
April 10, 2024
Impulsive pick. Tried this author for the first time.
Loved the narration style. Smooth and nostalgic.
90s airport descriptions were pretty good.
There was an element of mystery coupled with a tragic loss throughout the book.
It’s the middle parts of the book that got to my nerve - felt a bit repetitive and verbose. More so, since it is a novella not having the luxury of space.
The ending was perfect.
Overall:
A decent fast paced thriller.
Will be trying more from this author.
Loved the narration style. Smooth and nostalgic.
90s airport descriptions were pretty good.
There was an element of mystery coupled with a tragic loss throughout the book.
It’s the middle parts of the book that got to my nerve - felt a bit repetitive and verbose. More so, since it is a novella not having the luxury of space.
The ending was perfect.
Overall:
A decent fast paced thriller.
Will be trying more from this author.
March 30, 2022
The Ghosts of Meenambakkam by Ashokamitran and translated from the Tamil by N Kalyan Raman is a book that left me befuddled with a lot of questions about the author and his writing, all in a good way I must add. A short novella, this is a meditative
narrative on the nature of the past with its baggage of guilt, despair and over-powering grief that affects people in so many different ways. We know more of the airport at Meenambakkam and less of the two protagonists in this and that made me look at the writing whether this was an effort to capture the essence of a place that is moving at breakneck speed towards being a city, stripping itself of character to become concrete buildings and tarred roads. It makes one pause at the amount of emotions by way of memories and associations we have let go to welcome big structures into our lives that will not necessarily compensate for what we are losing.
On the face of it, the novella follows an unnamed character who goes to the airport every day, reliving the horrors and pain of losing his daughter in plane crash. He runs into a rather mysterious person from his past who in turn is carrying his past into his present. What follows in the course of a few days in the present is heavily influenced by what has happened to each protagonist in their past. There is a sense of unreality in the events that transpire that made me question whether it is the case of an unreliable narrator, one who has lost his grip on the reality around him. And then of course, I went back to the translator's note where I am assured that it is the author's craft, his style and that's where the brilliance of this novella is that it makes you grapple with the dilemmas in way of the protagonists and that it makes you want more.
This is a book you should read if you are reader who loves to submit to the craft of an author. If you want to read something and examine the journey, go for this.
narrative on the nature of the past with its baggage of guilt, despair and over-powering grief that affects people in so many different ways. We know more of the airport at Meenambakkam and less of the two protagonists in this and that made me look at the writing whether this was an effort to capture the essence of a place that is moving at breakneck speed towards being a city, stripping itself of character to become concrete buildings and tarred roads. It makes one pause at the amount of emotions by way of memories and associations we have let go to welcome big structures into our lives that will not necessarily compensate for what we are losing.
On the face of it, the novella follows an unnamed character who goes to the airport every day, reliving the horrors and pain of losing his daughter in plane crash. He runs into a rather mysterious person from his past who in turn is carrying his past into his present. What follows in the course of a few days in the present is heavily influenced by what has happened to each protagonist in their past. There is a sense of unreality in the events that transpire that made me question whether it is the case of an unreliable narrator, one who has lost his grip on the reality around him. And then of course, I went back to the translator's note where I am assured that it is the author's craft, his style and that's where the brilliance of this novella is that it makes you grapple with the dilemmas in way of the protagonists and that it makes you want more.
This is a book you should read if you are reader who loves to submit to the craft of an author. If you want to read something and examine the journey, go for this.
September 9, 2017
After having read Aravind Adiga's piece on Ashokamitran several years ago, I kept his name stored away at the back of my head, keeping a lookout for his works in translation. I finally found a stack of them at Words & Worth in Besant Nagar.
This book starts off a bit confused, but as it progresses, the confusion makes sense. The plot as such is very basic and only has two or three real movements. The narrator of the book, who is unnamed, has to deal with the ghosts of his past, literally and otherwise. It's primarily a story of loss and suffering, and of departures. And of how time wears us all down, numbing us, changing us, and pushing us along, like rocks in a stream. And at 150 pages, you're soon ready for your own departure.
The writing is crisp and leaves a lot of space for the reader to read between the lines. There's often more left unspoken than there is explicitly stated, bringing to mind Tolstoy's shorter works. There is no overly descriptive prose, yet it is not too minimalist either. The real heart of the book is reserved for the dialog, the inner monologue, and all those unsaid thoughts. It's where the book really shines.
The translation is top notch and smooth, and as someone who can speak Tamil, I could detect a connect with the source language in the translation style.
Apart from that, it captures the vibe of Chennai life perfectly, and the utter loneliness you find in this giant city. The descriptions of the thoughts you have at suburban railway stations struck a chord with me. The description of middle class life is more subdued and less embellished than you might expect from Indian English authors, and feels very authentic.
This book starts off a bit confused, but as it progresses, the confusion makes sense. The plot as such is very basic and only has two or three real movements. The narrator of the book, who is unnamed, has to deal with the ghosts of his past, literally and otherwise. It's primarily a story of loss and suffering, and of departures. And of how time wears us all down, numbing us, changing us, and pushing us along, like rocks in a stream. And at 150 pages, you're soon ready for your own departure.
The writing is crisp and leaves a lot of space for the reader to read between the lines. There's often more left unspoken than there is explicitly stated, bringing to mind Tolstoy's shorter works. There is no overly descriptive prose, yet it is not too minimalist either. The real heart of the book is reserved for the dialog, the inner monologue, and all those unsaid thoughts. It's where the book really shines.
The translation is top notch and smooth, and as someone who can speak Tamil, I could detect a connect with the source language in the translation style.
Apart from that, it captures the vibe of Chennai life perfectly, and the utter loneliness you find in this giant city. The descriptions of the thoughts you have at suburban railway stations struck a chord with me. The description of middle class life is more subdued and less embellished than you might expect from Indian English authors, and feels very authentic.
February 14, 2018
Another 5 star :) I had more questions than answers at the end of the book - What was the narrator's name? Was Dalpathado a terrorist or was he a vengeful lover? Did he the concoct the whole spy story? Was he following the narrator's movements?
And kudos to the translator for doing a fantastic job. Look forward to reading Paavam Dalpathado!
And kudos to the translator for doing a fantastic job. Look forward to reading Paavam Dalpathado!
July 30, 2020
Regret: being able to read in tamil, it is sad that I am forced to read in english. I grabbed this book this book from a old book shop , it is very short and could read it at a stretch(but I advice you not to).
Question: Tirisulam railway station seems to be non existent at the time. WOW. JUST WOW. Meenambakkam station flanks the ever so busy GST this side, but the other side still is neglected( except for binny mills. Can film makers find another place to shoot climax of movies?)
Madras technically ended in guindy those days, airport was outside the city. WOW.
Meenambakkam. Pallavaram. Aiyo. Bajjis in rain. The connect was immense.
I could remember the airport from my childhood, the opposite to it was dingy and dark, opposing to the new theater area flushed with light and multiple bridges over head.
Being a person who can see the pallavaram hillock from my terrace and the bright white light of the airport flushing the hillock(in the night), the connection is immense.
Added to that, I commute daily in suburban trains (or at least I did before COVID). The connection........is immense.
I could just imagine the old anna airport terminal. But that is all I could do. The airport in the story seems like a glorified public space with runways. Frogs and snakes in airport premises? I wish. Every inch is concrete now, islands of soil lay here and there.
The story was too, strong. I will leave it there.
Question: Tirisulam railway station seems to be non existent at the time. WOW. JUST WOW. Meenambakkam station flanks the ever so busy GST this side, but the other side still is neglected( except for binny mills. Can film makers find another place to shoot climax of movies?)
Madras technically ended in guindy those days, airport was outside the city. WOW.
Meenambakkam. Pallavaram. Aiyo. Bajjis in rain. The connect was immense.
I could remember the airport from my childhood, the opposite to it was dingy and dark, opposing to the new theater area flushed with light and multiple bridges over head.
Being a person who can see the pallavaram hillock from my terrace and the bright white light of the airport flushing the hillock(in the night), the connection is immense.
Added to that, I commute daily in suburban trains (or at least I did before COVID). The connection........is immense.
I could just imagine the old anna airport terminal. But that is all I could do. The airport in the story seems like a glorified public space with runways. Frogs and snakes in airport premises? I wish. Every inch is concrete now, islands of soil lay here and there.
The story was too, strong. I will leave it there.
December 26, 2018
I had absolutely no idea this was going to be a thriller (is it even?). Judging by the cover and the blurb, you'd imagine a quiet contemplative dialogue between two strangers at Meenambakkam Airport (a novel I'd have loved to read) something along the lines of The Sunset Limited. With the sudden introduction of murderers and secrets in the air, you slowly realize the author has other plans, sink deeper into your bed, and get ready to be taken on a different ride than the one you thought you were on.
There's something unmistakably cinematic about the present->sharp cut to flashback->present structure of the narrative. On the last page, I found myself thinking not about the narrator, but about Sylvia and Dhalpathado. And for some reason found myself singing Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division, a strangely apt tune for the tragic end. Their tangent injected a lot of drama into the story without being mentioned too often, and it's used expertly at the novel's conclusion. I think that's what going to stick with me, along with the Lalitha flashback and the narrator's regret about not knowing his daughter.
Sidenote #1: Ashokamitran & Vivek Shanbagh
In the preface, translator N. Kalyan Raman classifies Ashokamitran's narrative technique as "documentary realism". His description of the term however reminds me of another celebrated South Indian author, Vivek Shanbagh. I loved his 2017 book Ghachar Ghochar for it's subdued narration, simple prose, and as Raman puts it in the preface of this book, "for describing the surface of events - choosing the details with great care but never spelling out what they might mean". That's true for both of them, and both of them use the art of leaving things unsaid in different ways. While Ashokmitran's generous with the blunt emotional triggers and puts unspoken tangents to great use, Shanbagh is more subtle and a closer proponent of "documentary realism".
Sidenote #2: Cannot do the reader the injustice of not linking this brilliant profile of Ashokamitran by Arvind Adiga. Enjoy!
There's something unmistakably cinematic about the present->sharp cut to flashback->present structure of the narrative. On the last page, I found myself thinking not about the narrator, but about Sylvia and Dhalpathado. And for some reason found myself singing Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division, a strangely apt tune for the tragic end. Their tangent injected a lot of drama into the story without being mentioned too often, and it's used expertly at the novel's conclusion. I think that's what going to stick with me, along with the Lalitha flashback and the narrator's regret about not knowing his daughter.
Sidenote #1: Ashokamitran & Vivek Shanbagh
In the preface, translator N. Kalyan Raman classifies Ashokamitran's narrative technique as "documentary realism". His description of the term however reminds me of another celebrated South Indian author, Vivek Shanbagh. I loved his 2017 book Ghachar Ghochar for it's subdued narration, simple prose, and as Raman puts it in the preface of this book, "for describing the surface of events - choosing the details with great care but never spelling out what they might mean". That's true for both of them, and both of them use the art of leaving things unsaid in different ways. While Ashokmitran's generous with the blunt emotional triggers and puts unspoken tangents to great use, Shanbagh is more subtle and a closer proponent of "documentary realism".
Sidenote #2: Cannot do the reader the injustice of not linking this brilliant profile of Ashokamitran by Arvind Adiga. Enjoy!
February 6, 2017
An amazing work of Ashokamitran, very well translated by Kalyan Raman.
The book is a fast-paced thriller, set in the backdrop of Meenambakkam.
With brilliant balance between the emotions portrayed, suspense created and pace adopted, the book keeps you stay hooked to it until the last page, and longer. Characters choose not to leave, and incidents keep haunting.
I am so glad that I discovered such a gem of an author.
Already looking for more of Ashokamitran books, and all thanks to Kalyan Raman!
Highly recommended.
The book is a fast-paced thriller, set in the backdrop of Meenambakkam.
With brilliant balance between the emotions portrayed, suspense created and pace adopted, the book keeps you stay hooked to it until the last page, and longer. Characters choose not to leave, and incidents keep haunting.
I am so glad that I discovered such a gem of an author.
Already looking for more of Ashokamitran books, and all thanks to Kalyan Raman!
Highly recommended.
November 5, 2020
A short, haunting read. You'll keep waiting for the big secret to be revealed, and, yet, you're going to be hit hard when the loose ends tie up at the end.
Read
January 7, 2024Picking a regional translation is like an adventure; you do that when you are looking for something new. The blurb of the book read "beautifully haunting novella on love and loss," and I picked it up.
From the narrator's point of view, airports, train stations, public places, and slums are not just crowded places, they are places where thriving stories are tightly packed. If a mishap happens, people die. What happens then? The crowd remains. Their ghosts stay. Their stories stay. After one such mind-bending accident, in which the narrator loses his daughter, he becomes strangely fascinated with the Ghosts of Meenambakam Airport. One eventful day, he finds an old friend near the international departure gate, once a revolutionary filmmaker from Sri Lanka, who wanted to make films in India because he felt he was heard in this country. That friend compels him to spend a night of hiding, and in that, the narrator finds a strange loss of love - for a country, for a motherland, and for a once-loved foreign land.
The book is very short. It attempts to talk about a lot of things in a layered way with very few words - about racial segregation, idealism, revolution, nationalism, love, indifference to the sufferings of those for whom you are apparently fighting, how idealism can turn you into a monster, and Grief.
However, all of this substantial talk is packed into the last few pages. Most of the book describes the "hiding," which is an anticipation of them being caught by the police. I expected, while in hiding, there would be some conversations between the narrator and this person, Dalpathado. But no. There wasn't much. It had a memory-based approach to narration. If the details of the hiding was some sort of symbolism for plot development, then translation destroyed it.
Rating - 3/5
From the narrator's point of view, airports, train stations, public places, and slums are not just crowded places, they are places where thriving stories are tightly packed. If a mishap happens, people die. What happens then? The crowd remains. Their ghosts stay. Their stories stay. After one such mind-bending accident, in which the narrator loses his daughter, he becomes strangely fascinated with the Ghosts of Meenambakam Airport. One eventful day, he finds an old friend near the international departure gate, once a revolutionary filmmaker from Sri Lanka, who wanted to make films in India because he felt he was heard in this country. That friend compels him to spend a night of hiding, and in that, the narrator finds a strange loss of love - for a country, for a motherland, and for a once-loved foreign land.
The book is very short. It attempts to talk about a lot of things in a layered way with very few words - about racial segregation, idealism, revolution, nationalism, love, indifference to the sufferings of those for whom you are apparently fighting, how idealism can turn you into a monster, and Grief.
However, all of this substantial talk is packed into the last few pages. Most of the book describes the "hiding," which is an anticipation of them being caught by the police. I expected, while in hiding, there would be some conversations between the narrator and this person, Dalpathado. But no. There wasn't much. It had a memory-based approach to narration. If the details of the hiding was some sort of symbolism for plot development, then translation destroyed it.
Rating - 3/5
June 6, 2023
Ashokamitthiran's writing style is one that can be explicitly savored even when its translated work, but that credit is shared thoroughly by the translator as well.
This novella managed to capture my attention so well that I completed the book in a single stretch, all because I was so desperate to know what happened next and I was definitely not left disappointed.
The book carried so many different elements and themes together, perfectly. The grief that follows loss, the conflict of morality, the strive to perfection and the habitual nature of betrayal. There are so many layers to this work that can be explored, but for the simple mind it can very well be a thriller, and a really good one at that.
It was even more of an interesting read for me, while living in Chennai and knowing the exact hillocks and the airport being talked about. It's bewildering to think that Meenambakkam looked that way a few decades ago. The next time I'm there, I'll definitely be looking for the ghosts, but mostly, for paavam Dalpathado!
This novella managed to capture my attention so well that I completed the book in a single stretch, all because I was so desperate to know what happened next and I was definitely not left disappointed.
The book carried so many different elements and themes together, perfectly. The grief that follows loss, the conflict of morality, the strive to perfection and the habitual nature of betrayal. There are so many layers to this work that can be explored, but for the simple mind it can very well be a thriller, and a really good one at that.
It was even more of an interesting read for me, while living in Chennai and knowing the exact hillocks and the airport being talked about. It's bewildering to think that Meenambakkam looked that way a few decades ago. The next time I'm there, I'll definitely be looking for the ghosts, but mostly, for paavam Dalpathado!
February 25, 2022
An average book which describes a day in the life of a father who lost her daughter a while ago. While the atmosphere set, and the premise, could lead to a multitude of beautiful thoughts and conversations, the book could rarely hold a grip on me. The book talks about topics of death, love and loss but fails to really invoke any of those feelings.
April 26, 2024
It is a well written book that makes you feel the grief of the author. It has a sense of mystery to it too.
October 22, 2025
This will remain with me for a lifetime to come.
June 11, 2020
A distraught father who has been mourning his daughter for over 20 years and trying to win over his inner ghosts accidentally meets an old acquaintance on a stormy night at Meenambakkam airport. What follows next is a journey of emotional turmoil filled with suffering and poignance. Read this short yet powerful novella written by the one of most influential writer in post independent Tamil literature.
April 4, 2017
This small book is a power-packed novella from Ashokamitran.
Wonderful read..
Wonderful read..
April 4, 2017
Was Dalpathado a terrorist or was he an angry lover? Ashokamitran only can answer.
April 25, 2017
(3.5/5. Half a star only for the last line of the book)
The novella begins with the narrator walking along the airport in Meenambakkam when he spots Dalpathado, a foreign filmmaker, getting attacked by assailants. This chance encounter sucks the narrator into a vicious ordeal involving Dalpathado and other such shady characters with evil plans.
The plot is predictable and seems superficial but there are lots of things that left unsaid by the author. The story is as much about grief and loss, which the narrator exemplifies throughout, as much as it is about the turn of events that happen.
Overall, a very quick read that leaves behind an impression.
The novella begins with the narrator walking along the airport in Meenambakkam when he spots Dalpathado, a foreign filmmaker, getting attacked by assailants. This chance encounter sucks the narrator into a vicious ordeal involving Dalpathado and other such shady characters with evil plans.
The plot is predictable and seems superficial but there are lots of things that left unsaid by the author. The story is as much about grief and loss, which the narrator exemplifies throughout, as much as it is about the turn of events that happen.
Overall, a very quick read that leaves behind an impression.
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