Review of " The Investigation".

For you Chithra

I haven't read Varalotti's story, so am not qualified to review that. But am doing this for you Chithra. Don't worry I'm not standing as a fault-finding umpire! This review is certainly an improvement on the previous one - you haven't let the cat out of the bag! As you know Varalotti as a person and as a writer, there is a warm feeling of familiarity. It seems almost conversational in tone - which is a good style to adopt as it makes it more readable.
I understand that Varalotti's stories are difficult to review because of the following reasons:
1. The writer-reader interaction.
2. Knowing the writer personally makes it hard to highlight his weak points/weak links in the story.
3. While reviewing there are others' comments to worry about!

In my case I'm also worried about those I might inadvertently anatagonise if I criticise popular icons like you!
But keep at it! If my comments range from moderate-good it will be up for public viewing - or else you'll get brickbats in your pvt. email box!
Sharada

 

You Are My Parimelazhagar!

For those of you who want to read my story after reading Chitra's review, here's the link
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=209

Dear Chitra,

History says that with Parimelazahagar, Thirukkural became even more popular among the ancient Tamils. Similary, Microsoft Mam, (Microwaves, see, I have grabbed your star.... ha ha ha) you are becoming my Parimelazhagar bringing out the salient points in my story through your well-written reviews.
I am very flattered that you took an old story for your review thus breathing a fresh lease of life into it.
A little history of the story may add colour to your review. This story was published in Womans Era a few years back. But before accepting it they sent it back to me asking me to put more "dhum" in the story. This made me to rewrite the dialogue several times. Especially the final dialogue was written at least ten times. I was satisfied only when my wife reading it got tears in her eyes.
Satyajit Ray went into the lives of the poor as with his creativity and perception he could make some epics out of such lives; but I being not so powerful, and being in the other extreme of Mr.Ray, went into the opposite direction, into the lives of rich and famous, which offers enormous scope for human interest stories.
I tried hard to find some fault with your review but could not. It is good and brings out the best in the story. I have been thinking that I write in a simple and a direct language and as such, a review cannot throw any more light on the story line. But with your review you have disproved me and have shown some insights which the readers might otherwise miss.
I am thankful for your appreciation of the words 'broke through the defences...'. Keep up the good work, Microsoft Ma'am.
You have now tremendously increased my responsibility. When I know that my story will one day come under your incisive pen, I should be more careful and try to turn out better work. Help me, God!
regards,
sridhar
PS: Being an auditor this fault finding attitude will not easily get away from me. A small suggestion: while writing a review, you may please drop the use of "&" and use "and". This will make your writing pleasant to the eyes. You may also cut down the size of the font by one point. The font I use, the default font, provided by IL is good.

 

Please send me the link!

Hello Mrs CV,

I am not able to trace the link. Reading your review , as usual i feel like reading the story! Varalotti, you may seriously have to give MRs CV your royalty!! Great going CV... looking for more such reviewsfrom you..


Regards,
Purnima

 

ohh sorry varalotti

just read our comments. Thanks for the link... Mrs CV, you can ignore my prev mail.. about the link!

Purnima

 

Hello Chitra,

I read the review and of course got back to the story immediately..your review created the right amount of interest in this story, that i wanted to read it first....
You have justified it properly! um Chitra, looks like Sharada has given you a positive input this time , so i guess you are in the right direction!:tongue

Anyway Sridhar, i really wonder if there are such honourable Heroes as you have potrayed, Raj looks like a real Ideal guy!....wonder if any of them are around....wishful thinking..:?
All said and done Chitra has unearthed one more story for all of us...
Thanks for digging it out Chitra.

 

Let Wonderful Heros Exist At Least In Our Minds!

Dear Sudha,
You have raised a very pertinent question. I have been waiting for such a question. I fully agree with you that it is very hard, if not impossible, to find such wonderful heros in real life. Raj is my ideal character and I could not think any hero, or for that matter, any man (that includes me as well) in his position.
But we writers have an advantage; no I will call it a duty. We should at least keep such people in our stories so that people will know such goodness, such greatness is possible. If we also confine to real life characters, goodness may slowly become extinct in the world.
When Kambar describes Ayodhi in his Ramayana, he visualises a ideal city. Historians always suspect that whether such a city could be there. It's all right to praise your hero, Rama. But why should you praise all the citizens of Ayodhya? To which a great scholar answered, 'That's Kambar's ideal of what a city should be.' To paraphrase his words, 'Raj's my idea of how a man, how a husband should be.' I must hurry to tell you that I am not so. But I am trying and may be in another 100 births I may attain half of that goodness.
thanks for the wonderful question.
See, Chitra, you have revived a wonderful discussion. Hats Off To You!
sridhar

 

Dear Sridhar,
well it is actually your fault that i voiced that question...you see i am into one of your short stories ...i had read SUNDARAM SIR, last night and first thing this morning when i read Chitra's review, and i reread The Investigation, i was a little doubtful about The Hero's virtues. I don't want to share more details on the story SUNDARAM SIR, since i think it will be reviewed shortly and i want the others who have not read to do their reading... but Chitra and you and of course any one else who has read will know what i am talking about,....THE SO CALLED VIRTUES OF A MAN...or rather nalla manushan.....
of course you will say that is a different characterisation and it was a weakness and after all Sundaram was also a human being....but for me coming from he same writer, i could not trust Raj character...in fact i was already thinking ahead that maybe he knew that his wife is having someone follow him and so he was being all goody- goody you know!
Well thanks to an active imagination and the ideas your stories are giving us....i seem to be doing a lot of thinking nowadays....keeping it busy!

Sso yeah thanks to Chitra for starting this !

 

Sudha, You are making the discussion really lively!

Dear Sudha,
You have raised another wonderful point and have argued beautifully. You see the writer basically brings out the emotions in his mind.
As a person you cannot be sweet and chummy all the time; nor will you be dull and gloomy all the time. You will be very good, cheerful and outgoing on one day and and on some other day, you will the exact opposite of it. Not only you, but all of us are like that. There are people who are naive enough to expect a perfect consistency in a human being. I direct them to the mortuary or the grave yard. Only the deceased are perfectly consistent.
Like human beings a writer is also subject to mood changes. Sundaram sir was written when I was depressed about the society. Investigation was written when I was bullish about the human race.
Kambar is pretty optimistic and buoyant when he describes Rama's birth place, when he describes Rama's marriage and so on. But when describing about Surpanaka, Ravana's sister, or when he describes Ravana's lust for Seetha, Kambar feels depressed and gives out all negative expressions.
When the great poet Kambar himself could not escape the mood-changes, what can a small fry, like me, do, but succumb to my moods and outlook?
Sundaram Sir is an example of one extreme, Jannal (another short story in Jannal Collection) is an example of another extreme, Kaavi Nirathil Oru Paavi, is again a good example. But Vallinam describes a selfish man who goes after another woman.
While writing an epic or a big novel, the author has the luxury of showing all types of characters in one place. A short story writer has to devote, normally, one full story to a good character and another to a bad one.
Let's continue in this vain. Other ILites please join us and let us have your views as well.