The Crimson Hibiscus – T. Janakiraman, Translated from tamol by Periaswamy Balaswamy

Description

Set in the pre-Second World War decades in Tamil Nadu and considered among the best of Tamil novels, ‘Sembaruthi’ is the story of an ordinary person, a shopkeeper, who is forced to give up studies at a young age after his brother’s death, and to take up managing a small shop in a small town, and to take care of his own and his two brothers’ families. Full of twists and turns, it is a family tale about how the protagonist faces life with its losses and gains, ups and downs, and emerges as a noble person. With three women living with him, who love him but also give him enough trouble, he navigates through family life with his wife, whom he loves and admires, and who stands by him through all his trials. He is witness to the freedom struggle and the corruption that seeped into public life in the post-Independence period, as well as the rising Communist movement in India.

It is an intense and psychologically deep examination of the impact of sexuality on the inner lives of men and women. The protagonist’s stream of consciousness examines the nuances, contradictions and ethical dilemmas; and poses the most daring question – can a man allow two women to rule his heart?