Moustache

by Jayasree Kalathil, Jayasree Kalathil (Translator)

Vavachan is a Pulayan who gets the opportunity to play a policeman with an immense moustache in a musical drama. The character appears in only two scenes and has no dialogue. However, Vavachan's performance, and his moustache, terrify the mostly upper-caste audience, reviving in them memories of characters of Dalit power, such as Ravanan.

Afterwards, Vavachan, whose people were traditionally banned from growing facial hair, refuses to shave off his moustache. Endless tales invent and reinvent the legend of his magic moustache in which birds roost, which allows its owner to appear simultaneously in different places and disappear in an instant, which grows as high as the sky and as thick as rainclouds—and turn Vavachan into Moustache, a figure of mythic proportions.

Set in Kuttanad, a below-sea-level farming region on the south-west coast of Kerala, the novel is as much a story of this land as it is of Vavachan and its other inhabitants. As they navigate the intricate waterscape, stories unfold in which ecology, power dynamics and politics become key themes.

Originally published in Malayalam as Meesha, S. Hareesh's Moustache is a contemporary classic mixing magic, myth and metaphor into a tale of far-reaching resonance.

Genres: Fiction, Indian Literature, India, Magical Realism, Audiobook, Literature, Literary Fiction

437 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2018

Reviews

[Ashwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the author of Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award winning short story collection ആദം Aadam comes in മീശ Meesha, translated as 'Moustache' by Jayasree Kalathil, a novel unlike anything else in contemporary Malayalam literature. With myth-like storytelling, this book reads as a fable, as a larger than life tale, that addresses the extremely relevant subject of social ostracism, poverty, casteism and cultural intransigence. In inventive prose that echoes the cadence of oral tradition, it tells the story of Vavachan, a Pulayan, members on the bottom rung of casteist society. Adorned with newfound popularity, after appearing as a policeman in a drama, Vavachan's spread-out moustache becomes the mainspring of terror among the upper caste crowd when he refuses to shave it off. There are bunch of other characters that add colour as the story moves its focus on the mundane, peers through the magical into the deeply-rooted myth ensconced in history. A sort of animism begins to pervade the story, as the moustache attains a true maniacal proportion; a mind of its own. An escalation of power and settled strangeness erupts on the pages, wherein lies a phantasmagoria full of extravagance.
Told in layers, unfolding in a grand tapestry that weaves actions into a complex series of consequences, this novel is not an easy read. However, for readers who are willing to take their time are rewarded with a satisfying experience. You can certainly compare this densely furnished novel to other fabulists, such as O.V. Vijayan and Márquez, but Hareesh's caustic wit sets it apart as a fine primer of postmodernist invention. Jayasree Kalathil's straightforward translation preserves the essence of the original, but too often she resorts to few jarring word choices that blunts the idiomatic expression.

The JCB Prize longlisted, and rightly so, Hareesh delivers an incomparably sophisticated portrait of the inner dirt, ie. the perpetual deception of beliefs and ruthless hunger for power that is generally the hallmark of a caste-ridden society, by projecting its politically drenched narrative onto reality, with all its foibles that embed the lives populating Kuttanad.

Thank you HarperCollins India for the advance copy, which was provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Abhilash · Rating 4 out of 5]

ഹരീഷിന്റെ "മീശ" പല വിധ ദൗർഭാഗ്യങ്ങൾ നേരിടേണ്ടി വന്ന ഒരു നോവലാണ്. ഒന്നാമതായി അത് ഖണ്ഡശഃ പ്രസിദ്ധീകരിയ്ക്കുന്ന ആശയം എഴുത്തുകാരനോ വാരികയിലെ പത്രാധിപരോ മുന്നോട്ടു വച്ചു. അത് നോവലിന്റെ ആഖ്യാനത്തെയും ഫോക്കസിനെയും ബാധിച്ചു(അവസാനഭാഗങ്ങളിൽ പ്രത്യേകിച്ചും). രണ്ടാമതായി ഇതേ കാരണം കൊണ്ട് തന്നെയായിരിയ്ക്കണം നോവലിന്റെ നീളം കുറയ്‌ക്കേണ്ടിവന്നു. മൂന്നാമതായി നോവൽ വായിച്ച അധിക പങ്കു വായനക്കാരും തികഞ്ഞ പരാജയങ്ങളായിരുന്നു - ഒന്നുകിൽ മംഗളപത്രമെഴുത്തുകാരാണ് ഇത് വായിച്ചത്. അല്ലെങ്കിൽ നോവൽ വായന ശീലമില്ലാത്തവർ. ഇവർ പറഞ്ഞ രണ്ട് വിരുദ്ധ അഭിപ്രായങ്ങളും നോവലിനെ വിലയിരുത്തുന്നതിൽ വിജയിച്ചിട്ടില്ല എന്നതാണ് ഇതിലൊന്നും പെടാത്ത ആളുകൾ നോവൽ വായിയ്ക്കുമ്പോൾ തോന്നുക (മലയാളത്തിൽ ഞാൻ അറിയുന്ന നല്ല ചില വായനക്കാർ നോവൽ ഇപ്പോഴും വായിച്ചിട്ടില്ല, ബഹളമൊതുങ്ങാൻ കാത്തിരിയ്ക്കുകയായിരിയ്ക്കണം അവർ, ഞാൻ അതായിരുന്നു). നോവലിന്റെ ഫോക്കസ് മീശയുടെ കഥയിൽ ഉറച്ചു നിൽക്കുന്ന സമയത്ത് ഹരീഷ് ഒരു രത്നം മിനുക്കിയെടുക്കുകയാണെന്നു തോന്നുന്ന വിധത്തിൽ സുന്ദരമാണ് "മീശ" - സീതയെത്തേടി എന്ന ഒരു അധ്യായം മാത്രം മതി ഈ എഴുത്തുകാരൻ എന്തുകൊണ്ടാണ് ഇപ്പോൾ മലയാളത്തിൽ ടോപ് അഞ്ചിൽ പെടുന്നു എന്ന് മനസ്സിലാക്കാൻ. അതിലെ വിശദാംശങ്ങൾ, അത് ആഖ്യാനവുമായി ഇണക്കിയ വിധം, അതിലെ രാമായണം റെഫെറെൻസ്, അതിന്റെ കുട്ടിക്കഥകളെ ഓർമ്മിപ്പിയ്ക്കുന്ന തുടക്കം തുടങ്ങി അതിനെപ്പറ്റി അനവധി കാര്യങ്ങൾ എടുത്തെഴുതാൻ പറ്റും. അപ്പോഴും ആഖ്യാനത്തിന്റെ ഒഴുക്കിന് ഒരു കോട്ടവുമില്ല. നോവലിന്റെ മിയ്ക്കവാറും ഭാഗങ്ങളിൽ അത് ശക്തമായി നിലനിൽക്കുന്നു. വളരെ യൂണീക് ആയ ഒരു ലോകസൃഷ്ടിയാണ് ഹരീഷ് നിർവ്വഹിയ്ക്കുന്നത്. ഖണ്ഡശഃ പ്രസിദ്ധീകരിച്ചപ്പോൾ വായനയിൽ തോന്നിയിരുന്ന തട്ടും തടവുമൊന്നും പുസ്തകമായി വായിയ്ക്കുമ്പോൾ തോന്നിയതുമില്ല. ഇത് പുസ്തകമായിത്തന്നെ വരേണ്ടതായിരുന്നു എന്നതിന്റെ തെളിവായാണ് ഞാനതു കാണുന്നത്. നോവലിന്റെ പേരുപോലും നോവലിന് ബാധ്യതയായാണ് എനിയ്ക്കൊരു സമയത്ത് തോന്നിയത്. ഒരു പുരുഷ കേസരിയെ സദാ പിന്തുടരുകയല്ല ഈ നോവൽ ചെയ്യുന്നത്. നോവലിനെപ്പറ്റി വിവാദസമയത്ത് പറഞ്ഞു കേട്ട കാര്യങ്ങളൊന്നും നമ്മുടെ ശ്രദ്ധയിൽ വരുന്നുമില്ല. എഴുത്തുകാരന് മാത്രമറിയുന്ന ഒരു കാരണം കൊണ്ട് ഈ നോവൽ ഇരുനൂറു പേജെങ്കിലും short ആണെന്ന് ഞാൻ വിചാരിയ്ക്കുന്നു. സമയമെടുത്ത് ചുരുളഴിയുന്ന ദീർഘമായ ആഖ്യാനമായിരുന്നെങ്കിൽ "കയറി"നൊപ്പം നിൽക്കേണ്ട, മൈൽസ്റ്റോൺ നോവൽ ആയേനെ മീശ (മലയാളത്തിലെ നോവലുകൾ scale ചെയ്യാറില്ലെന്നോർക്കുക, അതിനുള്ള വലിയ സാധ്യതകളുള്ള നോവലായിരുന്നു ഇത്). ഡ്രാഫ്റ്റിൽ ഞാനിതു കണ്ടിരുന്നെങ്കിൽ ഇത് ഈ വിധത്തിൽ പബ്ലിഷ് ചെയ്യാൻ ഒരിയ്ക്കലും സമ്മതിക്കില്ലായിരുന്നു - അഥവാ, ഡ്രാഫ്റ്റ് വായിച്ചവർ എഴുത്തുകാരന് ഒരു disservice ചെയ്തെന്നു ഞാൻ ഉറച്ചു വിശ്വസിയ്ക്കുന്നു.

വായനക്കാരോട് എനിയ്ക്കു പറയാനുള്ളത് - മീശ വായിയ്ക്കുക. അതെന്താണോ അതായി, അതിനു വേണ്ടി വായിയ്ക്കുക. അപ്പോൾ നിങ്ങൾക്ക് മുന്നിൽ ഒരു ലോകം തുറന്നു വരും. ആളുകളുടെ ജല്പനങ്ങളെയും, മുൻവിധികളെയും തള്ളുക. മീശയിൽ കാമ്പുണ്ട്. അത് ക്ഷമയോടെ തിരയുന്നവർക്കു കണ്ടുകിട്ടും. മലയാള ഭാഷയിലെ ഉന്നതനായ ഒരെഴുത്തുകാരന്റെ മാജിക് നിങ്ങൾ കാണും. അതെനിയ്ക്കുറപ്പുണ്ട്.

[Prabhazacharias85 · Rating 5 out of 5]

After postponing it for months for various reasons, I have finally succeeded in finishing S Hareesh's novel, Meesha. I am so glad I did. Meesha is not an easy read for multiple reasons. It is thick in its local flavour and can become almost impenetrable for someone who is not familiar with the lingo. Luckily for me, the language, the foul mouth and its innuendos are something I am so familiar with while growing up around the parts. As someone who relied on the beautifully lyrical translation of the old testament and the saddest notes of cheriyoppees and puthanpana for my literary development, one alternate major contribution was the sailor-mouthed conversations of the people around me. Meesha requires its reader to slowly familiarize themselves with this world and its lingo while getting into a time machine and travel back to the late 19th early 20th centuries.
This bring us to the second reason why meesha is no easy game. It is not a contemporary story. I do not understand why people insulted this brilliant narrative with their god-awful presentism, but I can totally understand their urge to belittle something they couldn't tackle. You cannot read this novel the way you read say, benyamin or k r meera. It is easier to enjoy an aadujeevitham or an aarachar. Meesha will make you a student and would demand you to work hard and do some background reading, and really closely pay attention. I was familiar with the contemporary geographical terrain the novel talks about, which made it easier for me to get into that world. But I can totally see how this could be a roadblock. Kudos to the writer for the immense effort and research that has gone into this work. I will now be rereading it, slowly and without the pressure to finish. Thanks to S Hareesh. What a treat it was!
PS: It is going to be a pain in the ass work for a translator if at all someone dares to try.

[Jaya Jain · Rating 2 out of 5]

After a week of trying to read through The Moustache, I'm going to stop reading it for now. There are many things I liked about the first half of the book that I did read- the on-point commentary on caste and gender hierarchy, vivid descriptions of the landscape, the fish and snakes, buffaloes and coconut and paddy fields, and people and their habits
However, I feel like the plot is too thin (at this point I don't even know if there is a plot), and the pacing too slow for my liking. While non-linear storytelling works in many cases, I just couldn't make sense of where we are in the story anymore, and the vivid descriptions alone could not hold my attention anymore. I did read exactly 51% of the book so you can't say I didn't try

[Praveen SR · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Meesha', the book, had a fate almost similar to that of Meesha, the character, as far as the myths surrounding them are concerned. Just like how the myth about moustached Vavachan spread from one person to another, growing in size and power with every such passing, the one about the book being filled with anti-Hindu vitriol gained so much credence that the Mathrubhumi weekly which was serialising it was forced to stop it midway. One of the most talked about books in Malayalam in recent years would not have seen the light of the day if not for a publisher who knows how to cash in on the outrage market.

Infact, one would not even notice the few lines from the book that were used by the right wingers to manufacture a controversy and hunt the writer S.Hareesh, if not for the controversy. It appears as just another throwaway line in a conversation, which does not have anything to do with the larger story. The core story is centred on Vavachan, who grows a moustache to act as policeman in a blink-and-miss role in a play and decides not to shave it. The act of someone from the Pulaya caste growing a moustache, even for a play, was enough to invite anger from the upper castes.

Vavachan and his meesha soon becomes a myth, equally feared and respected, depending on which side you are on. In folk songs and stories, it is a shapeshifting moustache which at once is big enough to stretch across a stream or dense enough for birds to nest. Along with these grow the myths of the people around him, like that of Seetha's celebrating their 'love'. Some are out on a hunt for him, while others yearn that he appears before them. One of those out for the hunt in the backwaters ends up with his two legs protruding outside from the mud, in one of the memorable images from the book, which is filled with several such images.

Yet, some of the parts can be a hard read too, like the horrific rape of Seetha or the many scenes that represent toxic masculinity, with the author presenting it with a detached eye. The introduction of too many characters in each of the succeeding chapters can be bewildering to keep track of. But these are but minor quibbles when compared to what Hareesh achieves here, a tale of universal appeal that draws much on the folk tales of this specific region in Kuttanad. The flora, fauna, the people, living and dead and the history becomes a tool that can be shaped according to the needs of a writer who is at the heights of his powers.

Speaking about history, he has blended in seamlessly the stories of the Baker family or N.N.Pillai or one of the old Travancore royals with a bent for medicine, and who made the people around him objects for his experiments, and quite a few others. It is like using found footage for a documentary, but you should know where to fit each in, which Hareesh clearly knows.

Kuttanad’s landscape also is treated as he would a character, building it with a lot of details and almost evoking the feeling of an all powerful human, especially when he writes about its vast expanse of similar looking paddy fields, which can disorient one and make one get lost. All the descriptions of the landscapes, the fishes and the other landscapes which populate it, some of which get destroyed here due to human action, could also make one consider it as an ‘eco-novel’. The moving tale of the last surviving crocodile could even work separately as a stand-alone story.

For a novel situated amid Kerala’s rice bowl, hunger is also ever present in the novel, with people making do with whatever they can find. That this was also the reality for a considerable section of the population in Kerala within the past century could be hard for many today to believe.

I have come to admire Hareesh’s writing from the time I read his story collection ‘Adam’ and the second collection ‘Appan’. In ‘Meesha’, he more than lives up to the promise that he showed with those first two collections. It is a novel that opens doors to interpretation on several levels and on a wide variety of subjects. Let none of those doors be closed by obscurantists and bigots, whose only aim is to create social tension, which they think would be a vehicle for power. It is in a way ironic that those who survive based on myths and fake news, would take up arms against a novel which is about the idea of myth making.

[Shruti Sharma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book because it's longlisted for The JCB Prize for literature 2020 but I found it confusing in linguistics and I often felt drained. What I liked about the book is the honest portrayal of the land, its people and complex social practices (Vavachan can't grow a moustache because only upper caste are allowed to do that. But once he grows and decides to keep it, it scares the shit out of those upper caste people), fantasy creatures, and the mystical moustache. But I couldn't enjoy it very much because I feel I don't have enough cultural context to appreciate this story. So, please don't let my review deter you from reading it. It might turn out to be a great book for you.

[dunkdaft · Rating 2 out of 5]

The very first DNF of the year 2021. Despite all the sincere efforts I couldn't get through this. Premise is promising, blurb was solid, but, the narrative is muddled, non-linear and heavily travelling to-fro flashbacks. Ah, and too much tapioca, paddy, mango, toddy and breasts.Yes, that too. Plot is so thin I couldn't spot it even after finishing 110 pages. In chapter 1 I gave it time to brood, chapter 2 held my attention sincerely, but then - the train ran in derailed condition. Ah, now should I avoid JCB shortlisted/winners?

[AM · Rating 2 out of 5]

Suffers the same fate as K R Meera's Hangwoman - not sure if this one was planned to be serialized till the end before it was withdrawn - opening new stories and characters every now and then that almost do not service a narrative arc - there is no narrative arc as such anyway. Some of these stories are interesting but the entire experience is rather tiresome. And some of the lines about women almost qualify for #MenWritingWomen 🙏🏻

[Himanshu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lost in translation.

[Tanuj Solanki · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best novels I have ever read.

To touch upon what it achieves, words from Jayasree Kalathil, the novel's translator:

"... what emerges forcefully in this tale of magic, myth and metaphor is how the story of human beings' relationship with land has been fundamentally defined in terms of caste and gender."

[Kelvin K · Rating 3 out of 5]

pure example for writer on weed ;) ... a fiction- fantasy rather.. i would say..
and the added controversies.. its just few raw words used..and nothing else...

[Fanna]

↣ on my tbr for reading in translation readathon ↢

[Deepthi Terenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

ക്രിസ്ത്യാനിയായി മതം മാറിയ പുലയനാണ്‌ പവിയാൻ. പവിയാന്റേയും ചെല്ലയുടേയും 5 മക്കളിൽ ഒരാളാണ്‌ വാവച്ചൻ. പട്ടിണിയും പരിവട്ടവുമായി ഏറ്റവും അധകൃതനായി, തൊട്ടുകൂടായ്മയിലും തീണ്ടാപാടിലും ജീവിക്കുന്ന പുലയകുടുംബം. മാറുമറക്കാൻ പോലും അവകാശമില്ലാത്തവർ. അങ്ങനെയിരിക്കെ നാടകക്കാരനായ എഴുത്തച്ഛൻ ഒരു നാടകം അവതരിപ്പിക്കാൻ ആ കരയിലെത്തുകയും അതിൽ മീശയുള്ള പോലീസുകാരനായി വാവച്ചനെ അഭിനയിപ്പിക്കുകയും ചെയ്യുന്നു. പിന്നീട്‌ വാവച്ചൻ ആ മീശ മുഖത്ത്‌ സ്ഥിരമായി സ്ഥാപിക്കുകയാണ്‌. അവന്റെ രൂപവും പെരുമാറ്റവും ആളുകൾ ഭയക്കാൻ തുടങ്ങി. അന്ന് പുലയർ മീശ വയ്ക്കാൻ പാടില്ല, തന്നെയുമല്ല ഇത്ര വലിയ മീശ ഒരു കരയിലും ആരും കണ്ടിട്ടുമില്ല. അങ്ങനെ വാവച്ചനെന്ന മീശയെ പറ്റി കഥകളായി നാടൻപാട്ടുകളായി. മീശ നമ്മൾ കേട്ട്‌ പഴങ്കഥകളിലെ ഇതിഹാസപുരുഷനായി. വീരനും ധീരനും എന്തും കൂസാത്തവനുമായി മീശ ഓരോ കഥയിലും രൂപാന്തരപ്പെട്ടു. എന്നാൽ മീശയ്ക്ക്‌ ഇവിടത്തെ ദാരിദ്ര്യവും പിന്നെ വീണ്ടും നാടകം കളിക്കണമെന്നും ആഗ്രഹമുണ്ടായി. അതിനു മലയായിലേക്ക്‌ പോകുന്നതാണ്‌ നല്ലതെന്ന് കേട്ട് മീശയ്ക്ക്‌ മലയായിലേക്ക്‌ പോകണമെന്ന് അതിയായി മോഹം ഉദിച്ചു.അങ്ങനെ കരകൾ കടന്ന് കായലും കടന്ന് മീശ സഞ്ചരിക്കുമ്പൊഴാണ്‌ സീതയെ കാണുന്നതും അവളുടെ മാന്ത്രീകമായ സൗർഭ്യം അവനെ ആകർഷിക്കുന്നതും. പിന്നെ സീതയെ തേടിയായി അവന്റെ യാത്ര.
എഴുത്തുകാരൻ സ്വന്തം മകൻ പൊന്നുവിനു മീശയുടെ കഥ പറഞ്ഞ്‌ കൊടുക്കുന്ന രീതിയിലാണ്‌ കഥ എഴുതിയിരിക്കുന്നത്‌."ഒരു കൊച്ചുകുട്ടിയോളം നന്നായി കഥ ആസ്വദിക്കുന്നവർ വേറെ ആരെങ്കിലുമുണ്ടോ? എന്നാണ്‌ ഹരീഷ്‌ ചോദിക്കുന്നത്‌. എന്നാൽ നോവൽ വായിക്കുമ്പോൾ കുഞ്ഞുങ്ങളോട്‌ പറയാൻ പാടില്ലാത്ത കാര്യങ്ങൾ കൂടി എഴുതിയിരിക്കുന്നത്‌ കണ്ടപ്പോൾ ആദ്യം സംശയാസ്പദമായിട്ടാണ്‌ വായിച്ചത്‌. എന്നാൽ പൊന്നുവിനോട്‌ പറയാവുന്നതും അതിനു കൊള്ളാത്തതുമായ കാര്യങ്ങൾ തരം തിരിച്ചാണ്‌ പറഞ്ഞതെന്ന് എഴുതി കണ്ടപ്പോൾ ആശ്വാസമായി.
ഇതിൽ പുരാണങ്ങളുമായും ബന്ധങ്ങൾ നമുക്ക്‌ കൽപിച്ചെടുക്കാം. രാമൻ ജീവിച്ചിരിക്കുമ്പോഴാണ്‌ രാമായണം രചിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നത്‌, മീശയുടെ കഥയും അതേപോലെ തന്നെ. എഴുത്തച്ഛനാണ്‌ ആദ്ധ്യാത്മീകരാമായാണം നമുക്ക്‌ തന്നത്‌, ഇതിലും മീശയെ നമ്മൾക്ക്‌ പരിചയപ്പെടുത്തുന്നതും ഒരു എഴുത്തച്ഛൻ തന്നെ. രാമനും സീതയേ തേടുന്നു, മീശയും. അമ്മ ചെല്ല പാമ്പു കടികൊണ്ട്‌ മരിക്കുമ്പോൾ മീശ എല്ലാ പാമ്പുകളേയും കൊന്നൊടുക്കുന്നുണ്ട്‌, ധനമേജയന്റെ സർപ്പസത്രം പോലെ.
ഈ നോവലിൽ മനുഷ്യരുടെയൊപ്പം തന്നെ മൃഗങ്ങളും കഥാപാത്രങ്ങളാകുന്നു. ഞാറപക്ഷികളും ഈനാമ്പേച്ചിയും പാമ്പുകളും കാരാമയും വെള്ളാമയും മുതലകളും എല്ലാം പ്രധാന കഥാപാത്രങ്ങളാണ്‌. വൈക്കം മുഹമ്മദ്‌ ബഷീറിനു ശേഷം മൃഗങ്ങൾ കഥാപാത്രങ്ങളാവുന്നത്‌ മീശ എന്ന നോവലിലാവും.
ഇത്ര മനോഹരമായി ഗൂഢമായ ഗഹനമായ മായികമായ കഥയാണ്‌ ഹരീഷ്‌ നമുക്ക്‌ തരുന്നത്‌. അരനൂറ്റാണ്ട്‌ മുൻപുള്ള ഭാഷയും കാലത്തിനരൂപമല്ലാത്തതുമായ കഥയാണെങ്കിലും വശ്യമായ എഴുത്ത്‌ കൊണ്ട്‌ എസ്‌. ഹരീഷ്‌ വായനക്കാരനെ തന്റെ ആദ്യനോവലിൽ തളച്ചിടുന്നു.
മീശയുടെ ഇംഗ്ലീഷ്‌ പരിഭാഷയ്ക്ക്‌ JCB അവാർഡ്‌ ലഭിച്ചിരിക്കുന്നു. എഴുത്തുകാരനു അഭിനന്ദനങ്ങൾ.

[Girish · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Calvino's Invisible cities, Marco Polo says "It is not the voice that commands the story: it is the ear". This is befitting for Hareesh's Moustache which is an ode to storytelling - the making of legends and fables of Moustche.

The storyteller is narrating to his 5 year old son Ponnu. But the stories are filled with violence, sex, sexism and caste biases that you start wondering. Set in Kutanad, the book relentlessly narrates raw story after story, of Vavachan and his moustache, his search for Sita and the people of different castes who are threatened by the change in social order of a Pulayan growing a moustache. Some are outright funny, some satirical while the others are horrifying.

We are shaped by the stories we listen to and this book sure does have a lot to say. What starts as exaggerated impressions build on to become the magical nature of the moustache, with snakes and fishes laying eggs in it or having read the entire book of Yama. Along the way we are casually exposed to horror of rape, murder and chaste casteism. There are some funny references as to how the same legend gets assigned to other characters and Moustache consumes the character called Vavachan.

There were a couple of scandalous book baits which I assume the media dutifully picked up. The characters identifying their characters through their surnames was a bit difficult for me. The Kutanad landscape plays a prominent role. When made up stories and legends consume the normal life, you wonder how it would end. I found it amble on towards the end as if the storyteller is trying to land a crashing plane smoothly.

Legend of the Moustache will live on.

[Sanjay N · Rating 2 out of 5]

Language is good ..but the charisma to pull the readers to read the next page is missing...

[Bimal Kumar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ridiculous fusion of history and fantasy in a pessimistic point of view. Worst of time.

[Manu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring.

[Athira chandran · Rating 4 out of 5]

വിവാദങ്ങൾ കൊണ്ട് മാത്രം ശ്രദ്ധിക്കപ്പെടേണ്ട ഒരു നോവലല്ല 'മീശ '. മറിച്ച് ഒരുപാട് ചിന്തകൾ സമ്മാനിക്കുന്ന ,യാഥാർഥ്യവും ഭാവനയും കെട്ടുപിണഞ്ഞ് കിടക്കുന്ന എസ് .ഹരീഷിന്റെ അതിഗംഭീരമായ ഒരു രചന .മുൻവിധികളോടെ 'മീശ ' വായിക്കാതിരിക്കുക .'മീശ 'എന്താണോ അത് അതായിത്തന്നെ വായിക്കാൻ ശ്രമിക്കുക .തീർച്ചയായും മികച്ച ഒരു വായനാനുഭവം ആയിരിക്കും.

[Chinar Mehta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me preface this review with writing that I am not a seasoned reader of translated novels really, and I do not understand Malayalam. This took me a lot of time to read - part of why this happened was that in spite of being translated from Malayalam, there are a lot of colloquial terms and phrases that I had to read over and over again to really understand and keep up. I thought that probably some footnotes would have helped me get through the book in a better way, because in spite of rereading, there were many things that I don't think I fully understood. S. Hareesh's way of constructing the story (and take this with a pinch of salt since I read a translated version) was enchanting, even if there was a lot of focus on valuing of masculinity, which I am not otherwise a big fan of. The particular interaction with Seetha was harrowing and typically a masculine way of describing what was essentially a rape. Fortunately, there was some resolution of that towards the end, but that did not satisfy my offence. However, considering that Vavachan's masculinity (his moustache, really) itself was not taken well by the upper-castes in the villages where Vavachan goes, and his challenge to the expectations of his masculinity take on a larger-than-life, mythical characteristic. The smaller stories amidst the main storyline, the magical agencies attributed to stones, snakes, fishes, ghosts was fascinating and thrilling to read. I almost read it like a collection of smaller stories in a slow-burn sort of way that I could have complimented with another book, I think, but this was practically all the "fiction" I read the last couple of months.

I want to say that it was the translation that prevented me from enjoying the book fully. This is not to say that the translation was lacking, but that it might have exceedingly difficult to capture the folkloric myths that Hareesh writes about. That said, it was still a book I would recommend to someone who, above all, likes STORIES, especially those that read like fairytales.

[Astha Vyas · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a ride this was. Indeed a great metafiction. Loved the elaborate descriptions of areas in Kerala, and the caste politics. Each character had layers and even the topography, flora, fauna played crucial roles in storytelling.

[Areeb Ahmad (Bankrupt_Bookworm)]

"What if, I wondered, his moustache was a magical thing like the noses in Basheer's or Gogol's stories? What if one day, confounding its owner, it grew perpetually to become one of the wonders of the world? What if it grew like a forest reclaiming land, spreading anxiety among its modern inhabitants?"

A moustache is often considered a symbol of status and power, sometimes even virility and masculinity. In India, it also works as a visible caste marker. Upper-caste men believe it their prerogative to grow them, especially the elaborate handlebar where the curled tips are a source of pride. Moustaches for Dalit men (like in this book) are frowned upon and there have been incidents of violence against them by upper-caste men for even dating to groom their facial hair. Taking this innocuous object, S Hareesh transforms it into a cornucopia of narratorial wonder and delight. Through the figure of Vavachan, he comments on life in the village, caste dynamics, and the precarious way of existence in Kuttanad. Moustache grows in epic proportions, both the hair as well as the local legends around it, overturning fact and collapsing it into fable. I, unfortunately, DNFed it halfway through for reasons.

The narrative doesn't really move, it is very stagnant in terms of character development as well as plot progression. It ends up feeling like connected vignettes which introduce new elements and characters only to forget them. The shifts between the frame narrative and the main, and the shifts between chapters, get quite abrupt. The descriptions are lushly dense, but they do become overbearing after a while. The bit about women and breasts in the first few pages of the book should win an award for #menwritingwomen. Anatomically impossible doesn't even begin to cover those descriptions of angry statuesque nipples that roar and voluminous breasts which can be tossed over one's shoulders. I had problems with graphic multiple rapes of a woman early on in the novel, first by the protagonist and then by two groups of men separately who had been hunting the protagonist. It gets worse when the protagonist later decides to go look for her (because he has fallen for her???). I didn't want to hate-read the book till the end, it would have been unfair to me as well as the book. There are clearly a lot of people who loved it. So it might just be a case of it not working for me. So consider this not a review, but a general overview of my reading experience.

[Aswathy Ithalukal · Rating 3 out of 5]

#മീശയും _വിവാദവും _പിന്നെ _ഇത്തിരി വായനയും....

വിവാദങ്ങളുടെ കൊടുമുടി കയറിയ മീശ രണ്ടായിരത്തി പതിനെട്ടിൽ ഏറ്റവും കൂടുതൽ വിറ്റഴിഞ്ഞ പുസ്തകം അതാണ് മീശ...

വിവാദങ്ങൾ കൊണ്ട് ഗുണം ഉണ്ടായത് നമ്മുടെ എഴുത്തുകാരനും പബ്ലിഷേർക്കും തന്നെ എന്നതിൽ സംശയം ഇല്ല...പക്ഷെ നിങ്ങൾ എന്തിനാണ് പേപ്പർ ക്വാളിറ്റി കുറച്ചതെന്നു മനസിലാകുന്നില്ല പ്രിയപ്പെട്ട ഡിസി....

കഥയിലേക്ക് വരാം മീശയിലേക്ക് വരാം

ഹരീഷിന്റെ ആദ്യ നോവൽ ആണ് മീശ..

മീശ എന്നാൽ നോവലിലെ കഥാപാത്രം തന്നെ....

കേരളത്തിലെ ജാതി വ്യവസ്ഥയെ ദളിത് രൂപത്തിൽ ആവിഷ്കരിക്കുന്ന നോവൽ ആണ് മീശ

തുടക്കത്തിൽ എഴുത്തുകാരൻ പറയുന്നുണ്ട് എനിക്ക് കാഥാപാത്രങ്ങളെ പേടിയാണ് ഒരിക്കൽ സൃഷ്ഠിച്ചവരെ പിന്നെ ഒരിടത്തും ഉപയോഗിച്ചിട്ടില്ല എന്നും..

കഥ കേൾക്കാൻ വാശി പിടിക്കുന്ന പൊന്നുവിന് മീശയുടെ കഥ പറയുകയാണ് അച്ഛൻ....

മീശ എന്നാൽ ആണത്വത്തിന്റെ നിഷേദിയുടെ ഒക്കെ അടയാളം ആണല്ലോ....

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കഥകളും ഉപകഥകളും ചരിത്രങ്ങളും ഒക്കെയും പ്രതിപാദിച്ചു മീശയെ ഇതിഹാസനക്കുക ആണ് ഇവിടെ...

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പക്ഷെ എവിടെയൊക്കെയോ തകഴിയേ മീശ ഓർമ്മപ്പെടുത്തി...

മീശ എന്ന കഥാപാത്രത്തോട് നീതി പുലർത്താത്ത എഴുത്തുകാരനെ തകഴിയോട് താരത്യമപെടുത്തുവാൻ ആകില്ല

മീശയുടെ മാനസിക തലങ്ങളെ കുറിച്ച് നോവലിൽ കാണുന്നില്ല... മീശ എന്നാൽ നിഷേധിയുടെയും പ്രതീകം ആണല്ലോ... എന്നാൽ ആ നിഷേധം കഥയിൽ കാണുന്നില്ല....

എങ്ങനെയുണ്ട് മീശ???

വീണ്ടും വായിക്കട്ടെ... ലോകം എമണ്ടൻ എന്ന് പറയുന്ന ആ ഉത്തരം എനിക്ക് പറയാൻ കഴിയുന്ന നിമിഷം വരെ..

ഒറ്റ ഇരിപ്പിൽ എനിക്കൊരിക്കലും ഈ പുസ്തകം വായിക്കാൻ കഴിയില്ല.. ഇടയ്ക്കും മുറയ്ക്കും വളരെയധികം സമയം എടുത്ത് വായിച്ച ഒരേയൊരു പുസ്തകം മീശ യാണ്....

കഥകളും ഉപകഥകളും കഥാപാത്രങ്ങളും ഒക്കെ ചുറ്റി പിണഞ്ഞു കിടക്കുന്ന മീശ എന്നിലെ വായനക്കാരിക്ക് വെല്ലുവിളി തന്നെയായിരുന്നു....

നോട്ട് : പ്രിയപ്പെട്ട ഡിസി നിങ്ങളുടെ ബുക്ക് വായിക്കാനാണു് ആണ് വാങ്ങിക്കുന്നത്... ടിഷ്യു പേപ്പർ ആയിട്ടല്ല... അത് ഞാൻ പൈസ കൊടുത്ത് വാങ്ങുന്നുണ്ട്...

ലേശം ക്വാളിടി തരാൻ പറ്റുമോ

മീശയിലെ വിവാദത്തിൽ നിന്നും

ഞാൻ

അശ്വതി ഇതളുകൾ

[Chitra Ahanthem · Rating 4 out of 5]

This struck me with its various layers slowly unpeeling in bits and pieces until at last, there lay bare the author’s brilliant writing style. The main ‘story’ set in Kuttanad in Kerala is about what happens to and around Vavachan/Moustache, a Pulayan (a class that the reader knows belongs to the lower social caste order) after he ends up wearing a moustache for a play. When Vavachan takes to the stage, the sight leaves the audience gasping in fear and awe.When he decides to grow his moustache further, the life and exploits of Vavachan takes on a turn of events that keeps him on the run even as many stories sprout up about him.  So then, is the book about the social and caste system? Or about the socio cultural history of the Kuttanad region? Or the hardships faced by people in a region faced by yearly floods and hard labour? Is it about the lack of agency for women given they hardly occupy a meaningful position or place in the story or narrative except being the victim of sexual exploitation and violence? Moustache is all of these and more:the tone of writing is extremely conversational and makes reader to pause and think, to engage.
There is humour and satire, magical realism and stark scathing commentaries throughout the stories that flow like a wide water expanse that seems placid at first sight but which leads to various bends and streams with identities and whims of their own. There are two endings to the story of Vavachan or rather there are two strands to the story but both leave his final condition to the same end and therein lies the sheer beauty of the writing by S. Hareesh who makes a point about the power of story telling:is it the story or is it how it is told?

[Kidliomag · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read quite a few translated books and i liked them a lot, so this is the reason i picked up this book. Moustache, title is very intresting and catchy too.
This book is set in kuttanad, a farming reigon on the south-west Kerala.story was woven around it's cultural heritage, ancient stories, magic realism,caste system, mostly about the poor people belong to this region.Book totally focused on the social issues like gender roles, caste based politics,rich-poor dynamics and different communities belongs to Kerala. This Book takes me on a journey back in the twentieth century of God's own country Kerala where you can imagine each and every scene with paddy fields, backwaters, coconut tree,toddy and beautiful sea coast.
Vavachan aka Moustache is the central character of the book and all stories were related to him.Moustache is presented like a superhero in the book who will present anywhere at the same time and having magical powers.
Story is written in a manner like Narrator of the story is telling these stories to his son Punnu and narrator himself is very obsessed with the character Moustache.
What I didn't like about this book is the name of characters which are very confusing and the some terms or words in Malayali which i didn't understand,so for me making a connect with this book is really difficult and some of the things are very confusing,sometimes i have to re read some of the chapters to understand the story.Some of the stories are really interesting and engaging specially end of the story which is really good and compelled us to think about the powerful character of Moustache.

[Sidharthan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a very interesting premise. It is very nice to read books featuring magical realism in such an Indian way. The descriptions and the flow of the narrative within any chapter, take you to a very special place. You get a sense of space and adventure that is very unique to the setting. There are also places where the eponymous Moustache has some very surreal experiences that are evoked very beautifully. All these are also very grounded in the reality of life as it was, where hunger was the main motivation for all actions.

However where the book fell for me was in the overall narrative flow. It felt more like reading a collection of loosely-connected short stories than a novel. If it had been presented as such it could have worked better. I also did not like the trope of a father saying these stories to his child. I can see the reason for its presence, but I felt like it was used so rarely that it might have as well not been there. There are also a multitude of characters and some of them come back again after a long gap. I kept forgetting who they were. This did not hamper the reading completely, but I think I would have appreciated it more if these were contextualized better.

I took a long time to read this book and that might have impacted my overall enjoyment of it. But the narrative jumps between the chapters kept taking me out of it. If not for that, this book would have been a much more enjoyable read.

[Mohammad Sabbir Shaikh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vavachan, a Pulayan, has a big moustache that catches a playwriter's attention, who casts him as a police inspector in his play. He had only two small scenes. In the second, he had only to look at his audience and roar in anger. He plays his character so wonderfully well that he ends up scaring the entire audience, making them run away. Their this fear of the man with a big moustache never goes away. Thus, giving birth to Moustache and his many stories.

(From the book👇🏾)

Each of us is made of the stories that are told of us. If we look carefully, we can see a train of murmuring stories following each person like the royal mantle follows an advancing king. Some people are not flesh and blood, but fully made up of stories. What is there to do when such a person - Moustache, for example - is killed off in stories?

The rest of humanity, however, was still scared of Moustache because, in their stories, he did not go to Kainadi. In their stories, he was not dead.


A truly fascinating book that scores high on every point, including the book cover.

Thanks to Jayasree Kalathil for translating it.

[Yash Yagnik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moustache originally written as Meesha in Malayalam by S. Hareesh and Translated into English by Jayasree Kalathil is a story of Vavachan a Pulayan who has abnormally large moustache. The story based sometimes around World war II delves into magic realism, myth, metaphor, Fantasy, comment on society, environment, animal kingdom, politics and many other. As the blurb will tell you that the Vavachan is a lower cast man who becomes famous after playing a policeman in a village drama because of his monstrous moustache. The play ends but the myth of the moustache is about to grow to an extent that the myth will outgrow the moustache itself. The Book became controversial about certain comments made by a character about women going to temple all dressed up are "asking for it". The book beautifully captures the hinterlands of Kerala. I have been reading some translated works from Kerala lately and some in English so this helped me make my understanding even better. The book subtly points out the social practices of time such as how the poorest of the poor then (and even now) had to scurry around for food, the rapes of Lower (and higher) caste women as if it was the right kind of punishment, conversion of lower caste by missionaries and the objection to lower caste man growing a moustache. Moustache is traveling through the waters of Rivers, backwaters and Vembanad Kayal in his eternal search of something. Read the book to find what that "something" is. The scope of book is much larger for the book of that size. Every chapter until the end introduces a new character. Most characters come with a backstory, some highly engrossing and some that could have been skipped and they all ultimately intertwine with moustache (no pun intended)

The myth of moustache is growing in Kuttanad in south west Kerala. Much like Chinese whispers the story of moustache is altered by each narrator in the surrounding area until a time when the final version is much grander in proportion compared to an ordinary act performed by moustache. He is compared to everything from Ravanan to mountain to snake to shape shifter. But is Moustache any of this for real? Is it partly true, completely true or completely false? The book should be read for it's vast scope, the plethora of characters and the geography of Kerala depicted with details. But.....

But as a Gujarati reading a translated work it would be quite impossible for me to decide how much the book justifies the original work. With some works it is extremely obvious that the translation has captured the feeling of the original language. I have read various other translated works and 2 that stand out notably are Flights by Olga Tokarczuk translated from Polish to English and Jasmine Days by Benyamin translated from Malyalam. Moustache seems to be losing something in translation. A line where a character says angrily "his mother's fascism" (may be something like Uski ma ka fascism in Hindi) falls flatly when literally translated. Also a review of the original says that there is a lot of Malyalam dialect and invented language in the book. That would be quite impossible to achieve in English translation. Another incident where women are working in paddy field and one of them randomly says "who is it that bamboozled thousands in waist high water?" And then the everyone laughs and continues their work. Lord knows what that means for a non-speaker like me! But I am sure it must have some colloquial reference in Malayalam. There are many other incidents like these. Apart from translation, there are instances where the grandiloquence seems unwarranted and the story suddenly shifts gears and changes into some other topic in the next paragraph that left me confused. With the help of some Malyalam speaking friends I learnt to pronounce some frequently used words and there is an abundance of such words in the book. This is one of those books that will stun you in the first half but the feeling wanes towards the end with occasional glimpses of brilliance. If you can read Malyalam go for the original, if you can't then attempt the English one with caution. So what seemed like 4.8/5 in the beginning ends with 3.5/5 in the end. Of course it won't bore you to death because wherever there is moustache in the surrounding area he doesn't let anything remain ordinary. Enjoy! 🙂

[Sudeepa Nair · Rating 3 out of 5]

S Hareesh's storytelling capabilities are on full display in this book. He combines myths, local legends, folklore, folk songs, social commentary, and a touch of magical realism to create a vivid picture of Kuttanad, a region in the South-west of Kerala. These stories meld together like the rivers that flow into the backwater lakes and meet at sea to create a larger than life character of Vavachan (Moustache), a member of the landless Pulayan community. Throughout the story, the community is depicted to be at the bottom-most rung, socially and financially. Vavachan's mythical personality transcends social and class barriers and gives us an unlikely hero for the tale. But is he a hero or a victim? It is a question that is left for the reader to answer.

The region is mainly below sea-level and prone to saltwater incursions from the sea. The topography is distinct from coastal beaches and has dictated the lifestyles of the people in the region. Post independence, the region had been developed with roads, introducing better transportation, but weather changes and floods still impact the inhabitants' daily lives.

Before developing transport facilities, the region was largely cut off from other parts of Kerala, leading to a distinct culture that neatly fit into the microcosm called Kerala.
Today, we know it as the beautiful backwaters, marketed so wonderfully by the tourism department. However, the region has had a sordid past. As one reads about the challenges faced by the people trapped on the narrow strips of land, trying to harvest what they could from these slivers of mud, one feels as trapped as the people of the region. The story rarely steps outside the watery confines of the backwaters.

Along with the topography, events around the time like the First World War, the great Kerala floods of 1924. the social and political uprising also showcase the problematic and turbulent circumstances. Debilitating caste practices and poverty was rampant at the time.

Before I end the review, I would like to add a brief note on why I chose to give three out of five stars, although I am in awe of the author's narrative capabilities. I am not a fan of stories that do not provide a ray of light somewhere. The story was a bit dark for my liking. The author focuses on every character's baser animal instincts, raising a question as to whether being human is a choice. Probably, I am insensitive here to the characters. They were, after all, fighting for survival. However, the grey picture left me despondent.

[Navas Chenganath]

പുസ്തകം : മീശ
എസ് ഹരീഷ്
ഡി സി ബുക്‌സ്

Navas Chenganath (Puthanpally)

എസ് ഹരീഷ് എന്ന എഴുത്തുകാരനെ ഒരുപാടിഷ്ടപ്പെട്ടു, ഒരു വലിയ ത്യാഗം തന്നെ മീശ യെന്ന നോവലിന്റെ പുറകിൽ ഉണ്ട് എന്ന് വായിച്ചാൽ മനസ്സിലാകും, എത്ര സുന്ദരമായ എഴുത്താണ് അദ്ദേഹത്തിന്റേത്...

അമ്പലത്തിൽ പോകുന്ന ഹിന്ദു സ്ത്രീകളെ കുറിച്ചുള്ള പരാമർശം മീശ എന്ന നോവലിലെ കഥാ പത്രത്തിന്റെ പരാമർശം ആയിരുന്നില്ല. അതെ സമയം നോവലിസ്റ്റിന്റെ സുഹൃത്തിന്റെ അഭിപ്രായം അനാവശ്യമായി ഇടയിൽ കുത്തി തിരുകിയതായിരുന്നു. അത് ഒഴിവാക്കാമായിരുന്നു . അതെ സമയം നോവലിൽ ഒരുപാടു മോശപ്പെട്ട എന്ന് വേണമെങ്ക���ൽ പറയാവുന്ന പരാമർശങ്ങൾ ഉണ്ട് , അതെല്ലാം പക്ഷെ കഥാപാത്രത്തിനോട് നീതി പുലർത്തുന്നുണ്ട് .. ..

ഒരു നൂറു വർഷങ്ങൾക്ക് മുമ്പ് കേരളത്തിലെ സ്ത്രീകൾ മാറ് മറച്ചിരുന്നില്ല./ മറക്കാൻ അനുവദിച്ചിരുന്നില്ല അടിയന്മാരെയും ചെറുമൻ,കണക്കൻ, തിയ്യൻ തുടങ്ങിയ അടിസ്ഥാന വർഗ്ഗങ്ങൾ തൊട്ടു കൂടാത്തവരും തീണ്ടിക്കൂടാത്തവരും ആയിരുന്നു ... മീശ എന്ന നോവൽ പോയ കാലത്തേ മീശ / വാവച്ചൻ എന്ന എന്ന കഥാ പരിത്രത്തിലൂടെ വരച്ചു കാണിക്കുക്കുണ്ട് ...

എഴുത്തച്ഛന്റെ നാടകത്തിൽ പോലീസായി അഭിനയിക്കാൻ മീശ വെപ്പിച്ചതാണ് വാവച്ചനെ .. വാവച്ചന്റെ രൂപവും ഭാവവും കഥാപത്രം അരങ്ങിൽ തകർത്തു ... വിശപ്പ് മാത്രം ജീവിത പ്രശ്നമായിക്കണ്ട വാവച്ചൻ മീശ യിലൂടെ കൈ വന്ന രൂപം ഒരു പിടി വള്ളിയായി പിന്നെ വാവച്ചൻ മീശയായി മാറി വാവച്ചന്റെ മീശയും ഉഗ്ര രൂപവും നാട്ടുകാരുടെയും അധികാരികാരികളുടെയും ഉറക്കം കെടുത്തി ..

മീശ എന്ന നോവൽ ഇന്നലെകളിലൂടെ ഇന്നിന്റെ കഥ പറയുകയാണ് ... എന്തിനോ വേണ്ടി കെട്ടിയ വേഷങ്ങൾ അഴിച്ചു മാറ്റാൻ മറന്നവരോ മനപ്പൂർവം വേഷം കെട്ടിയവരോ ഇന്ന് സമൂഹത്തിനു തന്നെ ഒരു വലിയ ബാധ്യത ആവുകയല്ലേ ..

സിനിമയിൽ ഒരിക്കൽ പട്ടാളക്കാരനായി അഭിനയിച്ചാൽ പിന്നെ പട്ടാളവേഷം അഴിച്ചു വെക്കാൻ മറക്കുന്നവർ ഇന്നിന്റെ നേർ കാഴ്ചയാണ്. അത്തരം വേഷ പകർച്ച വന്ന പകൽ മാന്യൻമാരെ നമ്മുടെ സമൂഹത്തിൽ എമ്പാടും കാണാം.

ആവിഷ്കാര സ്വത്രത്തിനെ അംഗീകരിക്കുമ്പോൾ തന്നെ... എല്ലാറ്റിലും കാതൽ നന്മ മാത്രമായിരിക്കണം. മലയാളികൾ അക്ഷരങ്ങളെയും എഴുത്തുകാരെയും വല്ലാതെ നെഞ്ചിലേറ്റുന്നുണ്ട് എന്നുള്ളത് ഒരു പകൽ സത്യമാണ്... വായിക്കുക വീണ്ടും വായിക്കുക... നന്മയുടെ വക്താക്കളാകുക ....

[Sonali Dabade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moustache was shortlisted for the JCB Prize 2020, which is why I picked it up, so that I could try to predict which of the five would win. I had a hunch this would win even though I'm not a fan of this book.

You can watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dh0Mx...

Moustache is the story of Vavachan, a Pulayan from the Kuttanad region of south-west Kerala, who grows a moustache for a role in a play. And once the play ends, he keeps it and it becomes him, overcomes him, and turns into a legend. The trouble is, it isn't a tradition for men to keep moustaches, and Vavachan's moustache, along with his girth, personality, and his identity as a Pulayan, turns him into some kind of a legend in these parts. How the moustache and the man attached to it traverses the geography of Kuttanad, evokes fear in people, and turns mere made-up stories into myths and legends forms the entire story.

As I mentioned before, I'm not a fan of this book especially because of its clunky writing. I feel that the essence got lost somewhere and the nonlinear narrative did nothing to help its cause. The loss, I felt, was more than just the essence though, because where I could appreciate that this was an important book I was reading, I could also see that there was a lot of scope to edit the book and fashion it into a more beautiful version of it while retaining the rusticity of the story.

But I did like how Moustache wove through Kerala's geography, through its canals, fields, plantations, homes, and people, showing the stark difference in mentalities of people scattered throughout the book.

Fin.