The Story of a Seaside Village is a Tamil novel translated into English by M. Vijayalakshmi. The novel unfolds the history of an earlier generation. It is connected to the landscape of Thengaipattanam of Kanyakumari District. Meeran centres the story on a Muslim community in a region encompassed by the dense vegetation and the backwaters. It is all about the story of Ahamadu kannu Mudalali. He is the uncrowned monarch of his landscape which was then a part of the princely state of Travancore. Mudalali is the historical immigrant from Arabia. As one of the early descendants of Arab settlers he manage to wield tyrannical claims over his community.
It is around the time of the end of World War I. the novel unfolds the events of the town inhabited by Muslims. The novelist projects Ahamadu kannu Mudalali as “the village’s most powerful voice” when someone complains that the nephew of Mudalali has been insulted with a not-so-respect come here, Mudalali orders “that he given twenty one cane-strokes in the mosque”.
Only when Ahamadu Kannu Mudalali, the mosque begins its service, while this Mudalali of the northern house is projected as a demonstration of power Meeran brings in another instance of a superordinate force. When, in the first spring month, (i.e.) the 3rd month of the Islamic calendar a gentleman “more or less six feet tall” with “the sounded beard arrives on the scene. He gets out of the horse drawn carriage he calls himself “the revered” Syedna Mohammadu Mustafa Imbichi Koya from Muhalla (Maldives) islands “The Revered” carries a box with him. Right now he is coming from Calicut. He is on a mission. A Kafir Jinn (something like an imp) which follows the wrong path, “has escaped to these parts”. The most revered has come to seize it and stuff it in a flask”. It is against backdrop of these two events connected Meeran demonstrates the configurations of events that follow.
In a cultural perspective the novel is demonstrative of and exclusive cultural pattern a practised by and Islamic communities at metaphorical level its about a human collective which experiences the monarchical hierarchy. While the landscape is part of princely stat of Travancore, it is also a part of figuration (or) varieties of human behaviour it is natural that Ahamadu Kannu Mudalali Northern house should behave as the superior force in the community because she is rich and a show as a chief he is the villagers the most powerful voice. The novel is indulges in a parody of monarchy through the character of the Mudalali with the monarchical super mercy dis-integrated, Mudalali plays out in vain the role of monarchical superstructure.
As “Homi K. Baba” observes his book “The Location of Cultures” with the arrival of British east India Company, the kingly states of India disintegrated as they disintegrated they passed on the monarchical behaviour the patterns. The lander gentry in term executed the monarchical pattern called Jamindary system Ahamadu Kannu Mudalali is a cultural remenence of this integrated in prospectus one witnesses in the first chapter come the wiping scene of 15 year old “Vappu”. Vappu is a labourer who addresses they young nephew “with a not-so-respectful come here. Vappu is try to stone pillar. One used has a lamp post. The lamp post is a signifier which exposes a cultural mystery of monarchy. The arrival of most “Riveal” Impichi Koya is a parody on the colonial inclusion in the novel he has calm with the in the novel, like with Whiteman machine he is chuch of Leafir Jinn and evil spirit.
He has write landed in Thengaipattanam so that he can say the community from the evil. The most review becomes the quest naturally in Mudalali house, another cultural totem one points in the novel is the school run by “Hasanar Lebbai” he is the modir of maslee. He has to summon people for a five time prayer day at the same time teaching the children to read the Leuran. The school is representative of mono culture as a exclusive a bitter in a particular landscape again it’s a cultural metaphor of many of michenary schools which promoted Christianity supplemented by the presentation of the bibles. In this school run by Lebhai one should not other than rabic. No wanted, “Aid kurus” is a preten blacken Kuru and is Adren “Son of Satan” for having written on the “Blackboard in Tamil”
Mahmood is the cultural dissident he is poor he sustains his living by selling dry fish. Once he refuses to curtsy before Mudalali. He rejects the monarchical palanquin and as a result he is summered to the mask. It is Mudalali’s intention to grab one of his fertile lands. Yet Mahmood retorts subverts the monarchical status of Mudalali. Nevertheless, Mahmood cannot escape the social rath brought about by his environment. For instance Mahmood daughter is married of a mixed a social boy got neither the modin nor the deputed priest can attend the marriage. The marriage register of the mask doesn’t record the event. Yet nothing can disturbed the Mahmood. Even the bridegroom’s family refuses to accept an unregister marriage. However does the bridegroom is all the more willing to marry the girl.
According to Frederick Jameson a cultural dissident force can also be a cultural emergent. This view of Fredrick Jameson has been supplement by Terry Eagleton and Stuart Hall the renounced cultural theories in the novel, Mudalali is thrown off balance when he comes to know that Mahmood has donated his land to the government. So that they can setup a new English school.
Continue.........
0 Comments