Enmakaje (novel)
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| Author | Ambikasuthan Mangad |
|---|---|
| Translator | J. Devika (English) |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | DC Books |
Publication date | 2009 |
| Publication place | India |
Published in English | 2017 |
Enmakaje is a Malayalam language novel written by Ambikasuthan Mangad based on the life of the people in Enmakaje, a village in Kasargod affected by the Endosulfan disaster in Kerala. Ambikasuthan Mangad, a professor of Malayalam at Nehru Arts and Science College, wrote the novel after directly visiting the areas affected by Endosulfan.[1] This is his debut novel. The novel is used as a textbook in seven universities.[2] The book brought attention to the plight of the pesticide victims.[3][4] The novel has been published in 17 editions in Malayalam and has been translated into English, Tamil and Kannada.[2] An upcoming Hindi translation is being published by the Hindi Prachar Sabha on the organization's 100th anniversary.[5]
Background
[edit]The novel depicts the challenges faced by the people of Enmakaje, a village at Karnataka border in Kasargod district of Kerala, due to the lethal chemical Endosulfan used by a plantation corporation in 5,000-hectare cashew plantation in the village.[4]
Plot
[edit]A couple named Neelakantan and Devayani live on a hill inside a forest. After living in self-induced isolation for six years, They are coming to the place named Swarga which literally means heaven.[6] There they see an unusual environment with children and calves with deformed bodies, ponds with no fish and a sky with no birds, and realize that Swarga is no heaven at all.[6] Devayani decides to bring home a child named Pareekshit, who has never walked in his 7 years of life, who has grey hair and sores all over his body due to pesticide poisoning.[7] Through this child, which the couple later adopts, the horror of endosulfan poisoning unfolds before readers.[7] The couple later joins the struggle against the pesticide.[8]
Translations
[edit]J. Devika translated novel Enmakaje into English with the name Swarga.[3] The novel is named after Swarga, the name of a place in Enmakaje village affected by the pesticide.[4] The Tamil translation was done by Sirpi Palasupramaniyam.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ "'എന്മകജെ' പാരിസ്ഥിതിക ദുരന്തത്തിന്റെ നേര്സാക്ഷ്യം". 2019-03-01. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
- ^ a b Anantharaman, Latha (2017-04-29). "'It is not just art but an act of protest'". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
- ^ a b Nair, Aparna (2017-05-11). "Paradise lost". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
- ^ a b c "ഇത് സ്വർഗം ശപിച്ചവർക്കുള്ള ഭൂമിയോ?". ManoramaOnline. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
- ^ മീങ്ങോത്ത്, മുരളി (25 July 2018). "എൻമകജെ ഒരു ഉത്തരമല്ല , കുറെ ചോദ്യങ്ങൾ ചോദിക്കാനുള്ള ശ്രമമാണ് - മലയാളനാട് വെബ്ബ് ജേർണൽ". malayalanatu.com. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
- ^ a b "Malayalam author Ambikasuthan Mangad's new novel 'Swarga' is a reminder for us of our mindless crimes against humanity". The Financial Express. 2017-08-06. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
- ^ a b "'Swarga' Draws on Mythical Tales to Depict Kerala's Struggle Against Endosulfan Spraying". The Wire. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
- ^ "Dark Eden". The Indian Express. 2017-08-12. Archived from the original on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
- ^ En̲makaje : Malaiyāḷac cūl̲aliyal nāval (1. patippu ed.). Cen̲n̲ai: Kavitā Papḷikēṣan̲. 2013. ISBN 9788183453363.