Book Review - Nalabhagam, T.Janakiraman

Nalabhagam, T.Janakiraman

This is, as always, another book with an explosive (at that point of time) theme by T.Janakiraman. Every other book by this author is special for me for three reasons. One, they make me feel as if this author has taken a peek into my life at some point of time or the other. Two, like most classics of Tamizh literature, this one also revolves in and around Thanjavur district – my native place. And, three, every other work by this author, ‘pushes my emotional envelope’ and stretches my mind’s canvas, so that it can contain more of emotions and I could paint some vivid pictures in the same.

The story goes like this – Kameswaran was abandoned by his father and step-mother while he was a young boy and he was brought up by Vatsan who used to cook in the temples. He was brought up in the best of ways and discipline and devotion to God is all that he knows about. Now he makes a living by working as a cook in religious tour trains.

Rangamani is a middle-aged woman whose husband passed away due to TB within a few years of marriage and she was left to suppress both her carnal requirements as well as emotional requirements for a child. She has an adopted son now, but who is also not bearing any child. She is so worried for the future of her daughter-in-law and is in pain thinking that her daughter-in-law’s fate will also end up similar to hers – without any progeny.

Muthuswamy is a famous astrologer, who is travelling in the same train as Rangamani and tells her that as per the family horoscopes, her adopted son will never have a child, but her daughter-in-law will. Rangamani meets Kameswaran in the same train and something deep down tells her that he is the son that she couldn’t bring out from her womb. She asks Kameswaran to come and stay with him as her son. Kameswaran, though reluctant, feels the same love for her and accepts her as a motherly figure.

Meanwhile, thinking over the astrologer’s words, Rangamani has some plans of bringing progeny to her family, by involving Kameswaran with her daughter-in-law, in crude concept of surrogate father. What did transpire? Did Kameswaran see things the same way Rangamani did? What did her daughter-in-law and son think about her plans? What were the emotional struggles? ‘Nalabhagam’ answers all these questions.