கொட்டு மேளம் [Kottu Melam]

The last short story “Silirpu” was one of the most heartwarming stories I’ve read so far in my reading journey. I cannot believe this short story collection was the debut work of this author. A new favourite!

After reading a couple of novels by T.Janakiraman, I decided to read this short story collection by him. I think this is his first short story collection. The title of the collection, 'Kottu Melam', refers to the drum / percussion instrument that is played during Tamil weddings and during festive occasions. This book has twelve short stories. When I started the book, I didn't have high hopes. I just went into it with an open mind. I'd read one of Janakiraman's short stories years back, and didn't find it special. And so I didn't have high expectations. I didn't realize that that experience was years back, and now I'm an older, more mature reader. Now after reading this collection, I found his stories beautiful. The collection was spectacular. Out of the twelve stories, atleast eight were my favourites. That is a high hit rate for me. The title story is about a doctor who compares himself with other people he knew in the past, who have gone ahead of him professionally. Of course, life is not simple, and there is more to it than meets the eye. Another story is about a young happy woman who suddenly loses her husband. We see her story through the eyes of her grandfather. In another story, a young wife is attracted to a young man next door. In another story, an old woman is ignored by her grown up kids and is left to fend for herself. In another story, a man compares his life, which is a financial struggle everyday, with that of his neighbour, who is rich. There is more to this, of course, than meets the eye. More money doesn't necessarily mean more happiness. There is another story in the collection which is a sequel to this which takes this story forward. One story is about a blind person, who sees more of life than people who have vision in their eyes. In another story, a man is deeply attracted to a woman, but realizes that he doesn't have enough money to court her. So he goes somewhere far away and works hard for ten years and comes back with enough money. But things don't go according to plan. The last story in the book is about a dad and his son who meet a strange girl in a train. I loved this collection. I didn't have much expectations when I started reading the book, but Janakiraman was brilliant and hit it out of the park. Hoping to read more of his short stories. Have you read this collection? Have you read T.Janakiraman's short stories? Which are your favourites?