VALLI by SHEELA TOMY (translated from Malayalam by JAYASREE KALATHIL)

BOOK NAME: Valli

AUTHOR NAME: Sheela Tomy ( translated by Jayasree Kalathil)

PUBLISHERS: Harperperennial

BOOK BUY LINK: https://www.amazon.in/Valli-Novel-SHORTLISTED-PRIZE-2022/dp/9356290156

GENRE: Ecofiction

Travelling is learning, they say. We can all agree on quotes saying travelling leaves us speechless and turns us into storytellers. But imagine visiting a place without knowing its history and secrets. Have you ever wondered why some locals are always dismissive of tourists? Have we tried seeing through their eyes and thinking from their perspective on why there should be any friction at all?

That is because some of them might be mourning the loss of their lands and people when we stand mesmerised by the majestic beauty of those enormousness hills covered in green carpets. When we are drowning in the charm of the foreign land, we would have never known the history of enslavement and encroachment hidden under that vastness. The waves that wash our feet and leave us dizzy on our private beaches might remind someone of the compounds that erupted overnight and made them strangers in their own land.

 

Valli is one such story of Wayanad (formerly known as Bayalnad) and its indigenous people and immigrants. The narrative begins with how one day, an estranged couple, Tommichan and Sara, sought refuge in the unknown land called Kalluvayal and lived on to become its prime protectors. How Peter, Lucy, Tommichan and Sara fought for the forest against their own people. How the enchanting woods have survived those orange-red flaming fires, the landslides, the floods and the rains. How the sumptuously spread-over lush helplessly watched her women being taken away and ravaged, how her people were enslaved and treated like a piece of stock. How kali and Kelumoopan, who sang for the forest and worked for their people, perished without a trace, leaving the village voiceless. 

 

If you haven't read Valli, how would you know the story of Unniyachi and her azhagan? How will you know that Toto- the monkey, the jackals, the crocodiles and the elephants were witnesses to some of the most beautiful romances that blossomed in the scary woods? How will you know the story of the four generations that fought to save their land only to be taken over by the tourist industry? How their hearts would bleed seeing those fertile lands be polluted and deforested. I would not have known either if not for this book.

 

Valli is the untold tale of every local who was a fighter for their land. It's a story of Wayanad's women who had had enough and rebelled against every injustice in all possible ways. It's a story of those green climbers and trees that held its people together. It's a story of the paddy crops given as wages to people enslaved by those who considered themselves masters. It's an enchanting ecofiction of the earth herself.

 

 After reading this book, I have a lot of questions. Who decides who are the masters and who are their servants? Who decides that the punishment for asking questions is rape, lathi charge and murder? What and who decides power? Who are the protectors, and who are the outsiders? My god, this was a book like no other. I was utterly bewitched by the writing that my soul stayed with Kalluvayal, Manjadikunnu, Anjilikunnil and the Kabani river. I cheered and ached for Sara, Lucy, Tommichan, Peter, Kali, Susan, Tessa and many others. 

 

Let me warn you that this book will require your undivided attention and heed to minute details. The initial few chapters are complex, and there is a long list of characters to remember with names that might be difficult, but so are the people. You might also want to review chapters to clarify a few doubts. Yes, it is a dense read. But it will all be worth it in the end. The book will leave you pondering about it forever. 

It left me speechless just as any travelling experience would. I was teleported to those astounding woods through this amazing work of translation, which will stay with me forever. Based on its magnificent translation, I can only imagine how beautiful the original book would be. A huge thanks to translated texts for existing; otherwise, this masterly piece of literature would have been undiscovered by me.

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