‘Orran’ is a story about writers Gopalji in Manasarovar, Rajagopal in Karaintha Nizhalil are writers. Many of his stories including his very first short story ‘Nadagathin Mudivu’ have writers at the centre of the narrative. Ashokamitran recalled how the novel Indru was based on the Emergency and the life of Snehalata Reddy. In fact, writers were his primary protagonists. The character of Satyan Kumar was documenting the story of Dilip Kumar as the story of partition history. His Manasarovar had two migrant people in Bollywood. His representation of the water crisis in urban cities made me question the very idea of modernity. Ashokamitran’s Water – translated into many Indian and international languages – spoke of the two sisters, Jamuna and Chaya. His novels too had deceptively simple stories that drew you into their narrative swirl. His depictions of the world of children and adolescent youth deserve special attention. His women were sensitive, struggling and strong. It consisted of drivers, light boys and assistants in the various departments of the industry. He also portrayed the underbelly of the glamorous film industry in its bleakest form. Ashokamitran’s stories were based out of the two cities he lived in – Secundrabad and Chennai.
The streak of irony that formed the foundation of all his writings mellowed the harrowing nature of the life experiences he was presenting. His writings, however, spoke to me convincingly of ordinary people and their everyday lives. But I could never feel the intimacy of a trusted friend, probably because of my overt political leanings. I always enjoyed his warmth for the nearly three decades that we knew each other. He was one of a few men in the public sphere who could talk to a woman with comfort and without preconceived notions. I always had a not-so-easy affection for him. In the span of 60 years, he also produced eight novels, 20 novellas and countless essays and reviews. The latest collection of his stories – edited by Mohanarangan and published by Kaalachuvadu – contains 274 short stories. After working in Gemini for over a decade, he decided to become a full-time writer, a decision unthinkable to many even today. No one even had the remotest idea that he would pass away!īorn Thyagarajan in Secundrabad, he moved to Chennai in his twenties. He had always been frail and soft spoken. Many had met him at his grandchild’s wedding just a week ago. For a writer who was as prolific as Ashokamitran, that could be the only rightful homage. The life of the writer does not end with his passing away. But, half-truth, the unique characteristic of fiction enlivens fiction,” said Ashokamitran. Fiction reveals half-truths they are not the truth. “In general, it is best to approach fiction as fiction always.
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