196. Marriage and Mutton Curry (Short Story No.10 from Marriage and Mutton Curry) by M. Shanmughalingam

BOOK REVIEW: Marriage and Mutton Curry (Short Story No.10 from Marriage and Mutton Curry) by M. Shanmughalingam

If you have read the previous review of The Barefoot Man from Malaya, then it would be easier to have this short story to fall in place. A continuation from that, this short story carved out by the prosaic Dato' Dr. M. Shanmughalingam, is very touching and paints the relationship of a typical Tamil couple, even a Jaffna Tamil couple.

Rasamah rethinks of her marriage to Kandasamy, the way he unconventionally proposed to her and the way she married him in a heartbeat. But now after marriage and stepping Malaya, she regrets silently of her marriage to him as her heart is full of unfulfilled ambitions and dreams.

Staying in the government quarters, she is forced to seek solace in a neighbor of hers, Chelvi, a total village bumpkin and uneducated unlike Rasamah who has proper education. She becomes firm friends with Chelvi and shares with her the ups and downs, dreams and aspirations she has.

Kandasamy is portrayed as the typical Tamil husband. Wondering how these husbands behave? After marriage, the romance just evaporates, wives are just seen as those who clean, wash and cook and look after the household. Wives are treated with a certain distance and are only given extra treatment at certain times of the year like Deepavali. 

Rasamah's daring ambition to break the norms of a Tamil Jaffna girl by teaching sets Kandasamy into a frenzy and he vehemently pushes the idea away. To him, if his wife worked, it only meant he was incapable of providing for the family. Yeah, the same issue as in any orthodox family. Rasamah feels dejected by Kandasamy's disapproval of her doing something for herself.

One day, when Kandasamy informs Rasamah of good news that he is about to get promoted. However, he mentioned that it was to be a secret as some office politics were going around and that he was to be promoted instead of his seniors. Rasamah's couldn't contain her joy and spilled the beans to Chelvi, her best friend and neighbor. 

Does everyone have the capacity to keep a secret? Maybe not. Chelvi in turn relates this to her drunkard of her husband who jumps at any chance of toppling Kandasamy in office to take his place. 

The turn of events in the story after this is for you to find out and for me to keep a lid on. To know what happens to Rasamah, Kandasamy and Chelvi, read Marriage and Mutton Curry by one of Malaysia's top authors. A guaranteed good read, it will set your lips into a smile or perhaps a teardrop to stray down your cheeks with its touching moments in each short story.