LGBT Book, Film & Video Blog

By Shinie Antony, Book: "Black Lentil Doughnuts"; Author: C.K. Meena; Publisher: Dronequill; Price: Rs.250

It is the bane of every south Indian author to be compared to Arundhati Roy. Wannabe writers from 'God's Own Country', Kerala, have to face "The God Of Small Things" in some dark alley or the other.

And to be fair, there does seem an unending crop from the land of coir and copra, with a sudden stress on 'mundu' (dress), 'mol' (girl) and 'mon' (boy) with nary a pretence of italics, let alone a self-deprecating glossary.

Hark the latest entrant - C.K. Meena - with "Black Lentil Doughnuts", the title an anglicised take on the humble vada.

It is true that the Malayali routinely ventures out for employment or education, that he is a hardy-sturdy individual with enviable adapting qualities that take him "simbly" to every nook and cranny of the globe.

He is the perennial outsider, pronouncing words in his own unique parochial way, wearing his geographical flexibility happily on his sleeve. But when he clutches a pen, he goes a step further - he dares to give voice to the diaspora of his soul.

Who is he, this migrant Malayali? Is he with "us" or "them", does he evolve into a human eternity of the real world or is he a figment of his own territorial imagination? Does being a Keralite, a woman and a gay bring on the right provincial debates and ring in politically correct answers?

These are just some of the queries thrown up in this brilliant debut by Meena, a journalist based in Bangalore. Her protagonist, Shanti, and imaginary pal Lily leave Calicut (now Kozhikode) in a huff but prove in the end they are no powder puffs as they palpitate and perish, respectively.

With Anita Nair, Ravi Shankar, Shreekumar Varma and now Meena glittering up the English literary path post-Roy, is it safe to say that the Malayali writer has arrived?

The Malayali's redemption song
NewKerala.com, India -