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Sarita Mandanna’s debut novel 'Tiger Hills' is not a great literary work . It has many shortcomings.The diction is often loaded with sterile phrases and usages. Characterization lacks density in many situations. Narration also is at times disappointingly flat and crude. These are all totally adverse comments,Iknow.But the fact remains that I enjoyed reading the novel. I have an irrational love for everything related to coorg.The landscape of Coorg always gives me the feeling that my soul really belongs to this mystic land.When I get down at Veerajpet or Gonikoppa from Thalassery Mysore bus and move a few steps to interior areas I feel as if reaching back the land of my childhood left far behind.'Tiger Hills' gave me that indescribable and infatuating experience.'Tiger Hills' is even otherwise a literary work which can legitimate it’s being without such personal considerations on the part of readers like me.It takes you to so many nuances of coorg life and landscape The period described in the novel extends only upto the fourth decade of 20th century.But the incidents and details along which the plot moves forward take with them the ethos of present day coorg life, with wonderful ease.And of course there are some unique elements in the construction of plot and in the depiction of some areas of the inner life of characters.These things deserve detailed discussion and anaysis.Irresponsible comments like ‘Tiger Hills is nothing but a triangular love story’ ,should not be taken seriously.In grading the novel people may take diametrically opposite stands.That is a different thing.The inner thirsts, agony and pleasures of creativity quite explicit in this work ,of course, demand serious conideration from readers.In future writers with deeper insight and strong visions may spring up from Coorg.We can expect works with far more literay merit from them.But 'Tiger Hills' will continue to attract generations of readers.The cretive usage of ethnic and anthropological details of Coorg in the novel will always be a great source of inspiration for many and the memory of several dramatic and tragic situations in the novel may haunt them for years.I keep Sarita Mandanna’s novel in my shelf in between M.N.Sreenivas’ Religion and Society among the coorgs of South India,a really invaluable cultural study and Kavery Nambeesan’s Scent of Pepper the novel which has every right to claim a unique position among all the writings on Coorg life.
I have an irrational love for everything related to Coorg....The landscape of Coorg always gives me the feeling that my soul really belongs to this mystic land.When I get down at Veerajpet or Gonikoppa from Thalassery Mysore bus and move a few steps to interior areas I feel as if reaching back the land of my childhood left far behind.
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing irrational in it sir! Anybody who spent his childhood in Parassinikkadavu is bound to feel this robust affinity towards Coorg and people of Coorg. Don't you remember the heavy mustached Coorg men with black overcoats and lean beautiful Coorg women with their saries tucked in the opposite direction, walk in procession from Dharmasala to Parassini, during the misty mornings of October, November and December? Why did they come there? There should be something, other than Muthappan, which bonds Coorg and Parassini. I love to read more on this by you.