187. Marriage and Mutton Curry by M. Shanmughalingam

BOOK REVIEW: Marriage and Mutton Curry by M. Shanmughalingam

They say readers are a lucky bunch, we have the world at our fingertips, both fictional and worldly. My stroke of luck became a boulder of luck as it trundled along and bowled me over. I had the chance of being in contact with Dato' Dr. M. Shanmughalingam, one of Malaysia's most influential short story writers. He personally requested for my book review on his latest book, Marriage and Mutton Curry.

So today, I shimmied over to the nearest Popular bookstore in Kluang Mall (yes, I'm a bat-town girl) and thank heavens they had a copy of this witty book that paints a picture of the Jaffna Tamil community in Malaysia. Without wasting a moment's time, I dived into the pages and read the first short story which was Victoria and her Kimono. I couldn't wait to share some of my findings from the book before completing it.

Most of you must be thinking what has the name Victoria got to do with Jaffna Tamil? Victoria refers to one of the characters in this laughter-inducing short story named Mrs Vickneswari Ramanan, "The Tigress of Asia". In this short story, the narrator slowly unravels the trials and tribulations the Jaffna Tamils had to go through during the Japanese occupation, which was after the British Rule.

It portrays the golden days, during the British Rule, when everything was governed by the English language and how the folks of yesteryear became "Englishmen" through heart and soul. A good example of this is another character in the story named Albert Ramanan, the Tiger of Victoria Institution. Although he is a Jaffna Tamil, his upbringing in a society governed by the British Rule made him dress, speak and behave like the English, a trait which I have clearly seen in the older generation.

On the other hand, Ramanan's better half, Vickneswari, is very much an Indian whereby though she was brought up under the British Rule like him. She sticks to her traditional clothing, reads Tamil material and also is a Tamil silver screen enthusiast. This portrays another important element in life where the women are brought up conservatively without losing traditional values and also where their family becomes the core of their universe.

Besides these elements, this short story weaves the disturbing nature of the Japanese occupation in a light-hearted manner, leaving all gory bits out. It made me imagine the time my grandmother was young and had a family of her own. She also went through the same experience as the characters in the story. Some of it was related to me by my mother who was fortunate (or unfortunate) enough to be around during that era.

I must say that even the first short story left me hankering for more. Although it was a piece of fiction, the author was wise enough to inject the history of Malaya into it, something very rare as far as fiction is concerned. Most fiction pieces conjure up purely fictional places and scenes. So this was a burst of energy to learn a little history while enjoying it.

This tome of short stories written by the accomplished yet humble Dato' Dr. M. Shanmughalingam is a definite pick-me-up from any good bookstore near you. I thoroughly enjoyed the first story and I'm not even halfway through yet! Refreshing and definitely not a boredom inducing book, I highly recommend this to all my fellow readers out there.

P.S. I forgot, below is a list of terms that you may find useful when you read the first short story, Victoria and her Kimono. Happy Reading!

1. Topi: hat
2. Chili padi: birds eye chillies'
3. Rotan: cane, used in the yesteryears to hit misbehaving children..haha
4. Blancoed: whitened.
5. Kopi-susu: dark skin (hence the kopi which means coffee) and fair skin (hence the susu which means milk).
6. Karupu sutu vellai kaaran: literally translated as black bottom Englishman, it means an Indian with the heart and soul of an Englishman.
7. Ayah: husband.
8. Kempeitai: military police of the Japanese army.
9. Kunrenjo: Japanese boot camps.
10. Seishin: Japanese spirit.
11. Nippongo: Japanese language.
12. Pavadai: underskirts worn under sarees.
13. Pottu: a dot placed on the temple between the eyebrows especially the Tamil community.
14. Rasa velli kilangu: yam.