MANJU – മഞ്ഞ് (Paper back, M.T. VASUDEVAN NAIR)

From one of the most celebrated Malayalam writers, Vasudevan Nair, comes Manju (M.T), which is considered to be a novel of an unusual genre. This novel has been set in the mountains of Nainital and builds a dramatic narration throughout the story. The story has very few characters, with all of them playing a very strong role in the story, the prime character of which is a school teacher named Vimala. She enjoys solitude prefers to keep away from people, including her family.

She spends a lot of time by her favorite lake, Naini and has only one friend, the school watchman. Vimala has been waiting for a long-lost friend, Sudhir, along with another companion, Buddhu, who is waiting for his father. In the meanwhile, a Punjabi man enters the story, who came to visit Nainital. This character has a consistent presence throughout the novel. All these characters, with their individual and intriguing life-stories and connections with each other has been masterfully portrayed by author, with the descriptions of the beauty of the hills of Nainital only adding to the enjoy ability of the novel.

Loneliness is a key theme of this novel. The mist and snow on the hills and the feeling of loneliness associated with this kind of weather on the mountains of Nainital add to the story of Vimala’s wait for Sudhir. Manju (M.T) was published in 1964 by Current Books Thrissur in Malayalam. It is available in paperback.