TITLE- TWO LEAVES AND A BUD
AUTHOR- M A CHACKO
GENRE- FICTION
NUMBER OF PAGES- 309
PUBLISHERS- THE WRITE PLACE
FORMAT- PAPERBACK
About the book-
In two leaves and a bud, M.A CHACKO shares a rich insight into the lives of Syrian Christian community of Kerala. Three distinct stories weave their magic in this novel. The first, The faithful husband, stars Seby, a true Sunday Christian, who has acquired land from Malabar Namboodiris and contrives to retain the land for his family, using any means. The protagonist of the second book is a young Catholic boy from Kerala, who sets off for greener pastures to earn a living as a construction worker. Chacko fluently discusses the interplay of family, values, society, marriage ,dowry and property on the day to day life of the community. The holiday, the final book in this trilogy, is a day in the life of Raymond, who wanders through old haunts in Goa on his day off. With it's leisurely pace and gracing style, The holiday gently touches ethics, culture, politics and religion in this multi cultural tourist hotspot.
My rating-☆☆☆.5★★
My review-
This book contains three short stories namely- the faithful husband, two leaves and a bud and the holiday. All the three as a whole are set in the background of Kerala and Goa and dwells into the lives of Syrian Christians and Goans.
In 'The faithful husband' there is Seby who is portrayed as the typical male chauvinist, who is blinded by power and would do anything to uphold his status in the society. This story, in particular talks about the uprising of Communist government in Kerala- the little incidents which provoked people especially the working class to rise above the feudal landlords and set up a government of their own. The female characters in this story are timid and suppressed, however the author, at every turn speaks of women empowerment, their independence and the need to accept their individuality. Besides these, this story dewlls on the fragility of life, the obsession of the Syrian Christians with land, gold and property and shuns the typical Indian male mentality.
The second story ''Two leaves and a bud" which stars Beatrice, Jose and Digambar. Jose- a young Catholic boy who had come to Mumbai in search of a new job. Digambar- an artist by heart who used to work in the same place as Jose and Beatrice who wanted to become immortal by being captured as a work of art. Their individual lives intertwine,Beatrice gets close to each man at some point of time only to move away again. Life moves on and the three go on their separate ways. This story in particular talks of the uncertainty of life, and focuses a lot on the societal life of human beings. Family life, values, marriage, dowry and property- these form the basis of this story.
The third story " The holiday" shows Raymond- a government employee on a day when he is off work and his wife is away. The day starts on a dull note only to improve as it progresses. He comes across various acquaintances with whom he talks of various aspects of life- the author here focuses on the innate human values- of love, honesty, ethics and the way Goan culture is influenced by it's multilinguistic inhabitants.
On the whole the book touches various aspects- outwardly being the society, corruption and politics mainly and inwardly being the humane nature of human beings. The author has focused on every aspect of human life, has addressed a lot of social evils and has given a vivid description of life and culture of the Syrian Christians of Kerala and Goans as a whole.
The book is extensively informative, each story in the trilogy distinct, without any connection with each other- except that every thing discussed here directly or indirectly affects the life of the people of Kerala and Goa. It consists of stereotype characters which perhaps makes it easier for the readers to reflect on the points discussed.
The story touches a variety of topics and thus can be exhaustive, I personally had difficulty in connecting one story with the other. The three stories separately are quite enjoyable though. The stories are thought provoking as a lot of social evils discussed here exists and the readers are aware of them. On the whole, this book is an insightful read which throws light on the dark corners of the past and present of some sections of Indian society.
Characters-
The characters in each story are different showing a particular type of people. The character development is as such nil, and the characters remain the same as they are introduced. Only a few female characters undergo some transformation and are shown to be empowered whereby they make a niche for themselves. The main characters in each story are-
Seby- from "the faithful husband"- is a typical Indian stereotype male character, who thinks himself as the supreme One. He is one of those people who are outwardly very respectable but are shallow and downright rotten from within. In the story he resorts to any means to safeguard his lands and his position in the society. He has a wife Annakutty, two sons and a daughter- who play an important role to make him realize his vile inner self.
Kuriakose- he was one of the main leaders who founded the Communist government in Kerala. Rose to power, backed by his followers of the working class, he was the one who was irksome to Seby and turned his greatest rival. He played a vital role in showing Seby his place and his shallowness within.
Jose- from "two leaves and a bud" is a young Catholic who left his homeland to find work in Mumbai. He is a practical man who doesn't support his parents' view of dowry, falls in love with Beatrice but later accepts that he can't make her his- hence moves on to marry Mary, who in turn becomes great friends with Beatrice thus putting Jose in a fix.
Digambar- a worker by profession but an artist at heart. Beatrice becomes his muse and one of his greatest works of art. Even later on he marries another woman only to leave Beatrice stranded. However he doesn't enjoy a blissful conjugal life and this affects his wife greatly.
Beatrice- a woman who is a great admirer of art, a kind, compassionate lady who takes care of both the men in her life and even puts up a strong face where they decide to leave her on her own.
Raymond- the protagonist from the third story- "the holiday" is a government employee who shows the readers what a government job looks like- which is a stark contrast to the life of a navy officer and the general public of Goa.
Writing style-
The author has written all three stories in a lucid language, easy to understand but difficult to connect. There are a lot of topics crammed into a short number of pages and thus the transition becomes difficult.
The characters are very familiar and the text informative, however there is a lack of continuity at certain places.
Overall this is a book which is a world in itself- making the readers aware of the negativities of the society and different sections of people coexisting. The author has mainly focused on the need of the hour- the reforms necessary in the society and the reforms that has already taken place in the past.
A good book, that will make the readers ponder upon various aspects.
Recommending it to people who love descriptive texts and are fond of reading about culture and short stories- it might turn out to be a real eye opener for you.
Thanks to Writers Melon for providing me a copy of this book. It was indeed a good experience.
Purchase link-
TWO LEAVES AND A BUD
http://dl.flipkart.com/dl/two-leaves-bud/p/itmf98vt8vm5cdaj?pid=9789387282674&cmpid=product.share.pp
https://www.amazon.in/gp/aw/d/B07HNN6GDN/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1549559653&sr=8-2
About the author-
M.A Chacko originally hails from Kerala. He started as a school teacher in Goa and retired as the principal of a higher secondary school after along teaching career spanning more than three decades. He presently lives in Goa, having made it his home and pursues his passion for writing. He is the author of three books: The circus and other stories, How he met me and other stories and Those memorable days.
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