The Ichi Tree Monkey and Other Stories

Description

' Bama has] painted the Tamil-Indian village from the perspective of the cheri

(Dalit colony), thus turning the socio-cultural geography upside down.' -The

Hindu

From the author of the widely acclaimed novels Karukku and Sangati, this is

a fiery, feisty collection, comprising all the stories from her acclaimed book

Kusumbukaran and new ones written for this volume. Set among the Dalits of

rural Tamil Nadu, these stories display the full potential of the 'weapons of

the weak'-small, everyday acts of rebellion, sharp, irreverent humour and a

determination not to be crushed and extinguished.

Pachayamma in 'Chilli Powder' taunts the rich landlady Gangamma by

collecting fodder only from her fields, despite dire threats, and laughs in the

face of blustering policemen. The handsome and audacious young Ammasi

leaves a landlord fuming in impotent rage by calling him his brother. A pig and

a monkey debate which of them deserves a higher status. A ghost demands

whisky and insists he has no caste.

Bama's prose bristles with the raw energy and vitality that comes from living

close to the ground, and Ravi Shanker's translations retain all the power, wit

and brilliance of the originals.