Matthew Perry (1969-2023)

The man who brought life into the character of Chandler Bing from sitcom FRIENDS - A character who hides his childhood trauma and his awkwardness during emotional moments with sarcasm. A character who yearns for love and is hopelessly immature and desperate in his relationships until he finds the love of his life. A character who tries to overcome his inner battles and slowly grows into a responsible family man and an emotionally strong human. 

The character demanded a person who is incredibly funny, capable of coming up with witty dialogues and has an impeccable timing at comedy, a person who is rational and practical at all situations.

Who better than Matthew Perry could have played Chandler? On-screen Chandler is his off-screen persona. Death is inevitable, but Chandler will be remembered for long. 

அசோகமித்திரனின் "ஒற்றன்"

அசோகமித்திரன் அமெரிக்காவின் ஐயோவா மாநிலத்தில் பிறநாட்டு எழுத்தாளர்களுடன் தங்கியிருந்த அனுபவங்களையும், அங்கே அவருக்கு ஏற்பட்ட பயண அனுபவங்களையும் ஒரு புனைகதையுருவில் "ஒற்றன்" எனும் நாவலாய் கொடுத்திருக்கிறார். 

பயணக் கதைகளிலும், பயணக் கட்டுரைகளிலும் அந்தந்த இடங்களின் நிலப்பரப்பு, உணவு முறை, சுற்றுலா தளங்கள், கலாச்சாரம், பருவநிலை மாற்றம், அங்குள்ள மனிதர்களின் வாழ்வியல் போன்றவையே பிராதானமாக இடம்பெறுவன. ஆனால், அசோகமித்திரன் தான் சந்தித்த மனிதர்களின் உணர்வுகளை பிரதானப்படுத்துகிறார். வெளிநாடு சென்றடைந்தவுடன் வரும் பயம்,  பதட்டம், பழக்கமில்லாதலால் வரும் தயக்கம் ஆகியவற்றை தனது சொந்த அனுபவங்களின் மூலம் நம்மிடம் கடத்துகிறார். 

பருவநிலை மாற்றம் மற்றும் பழக்கப்படாத வானிலை ஒரு மனிதனின் மனநிலை மீது ஏற்படுத்தும் தாக்கம், எளிதாக தயாரிக்கப்படும் மேலைநாட்டு உணவு வகையே ஒருவனுக்கு காலை உணவாய் என்றென்றைக்கும் மாறிப்போகும் நிலை, வெளிநாட்டு பேரூந்துகளில் பயணச்சீட்டு பெறும் முறைக்கு பழக்கப்பட ஒருவன் படும் சிரமம் போன்றவற்றின் நுட்பமான வர்ணனை அசோகமித்திரனின் எழுத்தில் வெளிபடுகிறது.

சொந்தங்களை பிரிந்து வாடும் கடினமான நாட்கள், தாய் நாட்டிலிருந்து வெளியேற்றப்பட்டு புலம்பெயர்ந்தவர்களின் அவல நிலை, உலக போர்களால் சராசரி மனிதர்களுக்கு உருவாகும் நிச்சயமற்ற வாழ்வு மற்றும் கடல் கடந்து வாழும் அவர்கள் சொந்தங்களின் மனநிலை என பிரிவின் வலியை பல இடங்களில் காட்சிப்படுத்துகிறார்.

தன்னுடன் தங்கி இருந்த சக எழுத்தாளர்களின் வாழ்வில் ஏற்பட்ட சம்பவங்களையும், அவர்களின் செயல்களையும், தனிமனித உறவுகளையும் விவரிக்கும் போது moral/immoral எனச் சுட்டிக்காட்டாமல் உள்ளதை உள்ளபடி மட்டும் கூறி வாசகர்களிடம் விட்டுவிடுவது அசோகமித்திரனுக்கே உரிய பாணி. 

ஆங்கிலத்தில் நடைபெறும் உரையாடல்கள் தமிழில் குறிப்பிடப்படுவதால் பல இடங்களில் செயற்கையாய் அமைகின்றன. மற்றபடி அசோகமித்திரனின் மற்றுமொரு அழுத்தமான படைப்பு. 

Fifty-Fifty by Steve Cavanagh

Fifty-fifty starts off as a murder mystery with two sisters on trial, each accusing the other for the gruesome murder of their father, a millionaire. 

In a male dominated profession, a young female lawyer Kate Brooks who is part of an established firm is forced to stand against the firm after being subjected to harassment. She represents Alexandra, one of the sisters and is convinced that her client is innocent. An ex-con artist turned lawyer Eddie Flynn represents Sofia, the other sister and believes in her innocence. The prosecutor Dreyer convinces the judge to have a joint trial for both the sisters which means Eddie will be pitted against Kate with a possibility that either one or both the sisters will be convicted at the end of the trial. 

The novel starting off as a murder mystery is tense and has enough elements to sustain the suspense, but the brilliant courtroom drama that ensues is what makes this novel a compelling thriller. With a steady pace, the novel piques the reader’s interest with enough high points. The readers are kept guessing with their suspicion oscillating from one sister to another as events unfold in this taut legal thriller.

A plot that stands out from template murder mysteries, the intense courtroom drama and a convincing climax makes this novel gripping!

Carrie by Stephen King

Stephen King’s “Carrie” is a supernatural horror novel that delves deep into the darkest corners of the human psyche. The novel is about Carrie, a girl with telekinetic powers - latent at first but intensifies as the novel progresses with each of her traumatic experience. 

Carrie, a high school student is often bullied by her classmates and suffers distressing experiences at school. Her mother being a religious fanatic, Carrie grows up in her oppressive influence as a naive and emotionally deranged kid. 

The narrative of the novel is presented as a combination of prose, excerpts from police investigation, news snippets, magazine articles, interviews and a personal diary of one of the characters Sue. The idea of narration from the perspective of different characters adds necessary depth to the proceedings. However, there are pacing issues and sometimes the narration from Sue’s diary feels like a monologue. 

Carrie’s characterisation as an emotionally disturbed kid due to the conservative upbringing in the hands of a religious fanatic mother and her spiralling descent into madness caused by events of extreme psychological trauma is well written. The other characters in the novel create a diverse environment and get proper closure at the end of the novel. 

A slow paced, yet well-written supernatural horror novel. 

Agatha Christie’s “The Murder on the links”

Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie’s very own Sherlock Holmes reappears in this complex whodunit which is twisted, smart and compelling. 

Poirot receives a letter from a wealthy businessman Monsieur Renauld summoning him to France to help him from an impending danger. Poirot arrives at France only to learn that his arrival is late and Renauld has already been murdered. His wife, his rumoured mistress and her young daughter, his son, an unknown lady who met with him on the day of the murder and a tramp are in the list of suspects and Poirot is presented with innumerable possibilities, and to top that he is pitted against a younger and equally competent detective. 

Despite the twisted storyline and the overwhelming list of characters, the novel keeps us guessing until the very end and at no point it gives us the feel that we have it all figured out. The psychological angle to the murder investigation that Agatha Christie brings in every Poirot novel is a delight to read. 

Readers might need to closely follow up on the characters, their relations with each other and to the victim and the information they reveal in the interrogations. Yet, this is a smartly written murder mystery that never loses its steam.

"The Trial" by Franz Kafka

Joseph.K, a banker by profession, wakes up one day only to find two men appear in his house and keep him under arrest for a crime that is unspecified. The novel progresses with K.'s struggle against the judicial system and his search for the substance of charge leveled against him. He is placed under trial without knowing the specifics of the crime he had committed and every attempt he makes to unravel the reason behind the charge and the status of his trial proves futile. 

The solitary struggle of Joseph.K against the absurd bureaucratic processes of the judicial system is presented as a political satire on totalitarianism. At the same time, K.'s quest to find the substance of his trial is a metaphorical take on his own existence, thus making this an existential novel. 

The self-determined approach of K. towards the start of the trial withers away slowly after his futile attempts at finding what he is guilty of. The final episode conveys the inevitable end of his unjust trial. This analogy with the journey of life towards an inevitable end makes this novel a good read. However, the dead ends which K. faces at all his attempts becomes repetitive at a point and slows down the pace of the novel. With shades of Albert Camus' take on absurdity and existentialism, Franz Kafka's "The Trial" is another classic which can convey different perspectives to different people at different times. 

Remembering Periyar E.V.Ramasamy on his birth anniversary

"Periyar" E.V. Ramasamy, a social reformer from Tamil Nadu is known for his unyielding propaganda against caste inequalities and gender based discrimination. Though some of his speeches and writings are misinterpreted today for misleading the masses and his principles are convieninetly misquoted "anti-hindu" as against "anti-casteist", he still remains as the icon of social justice in Tamil Nadu. Confining Periyar as an atheist has been an ongoing conscious attempt at diluting his ideology which encompasses annihilation of caste, gender equality, women empowerment, questioning of superstitious beliefs, rationalism and self-respect. Periyar, being an extremist, questioned the fallacy of age-old beliefs and enlightened the masses to be rational and believed that reason is the guiding light.

Periyar's voice against untouchability and caste discrimination reverberates till date. His simplistic writings on the injustice of caste-based system that garners attention of any common man makes it difficult for casteists to convert him into a harmless icon, the only other option is to tarnish his image which is what is happening now.

Periyar’s book “Why were women enslaved?” is an insightful perspective into the unfair and unequal treatment women receive in our society. Periyar lists down the aspects and ideologies that curtail the freedom of women and in turn lead to a woman’s life always being dependent on the male counterpart.

The fallacious inveterate beliefs that confine women are dealt with uncompromisingly forthright counter arguments, no matter which religion or ideology preaches them. The book gives a fitting end by stating the enslavement of women can end only when unnecessary pride in the masculinity of the opposite gender withers away or gets abolished.

There are some extreme views put forth in this book, which are debatable, but one cannot ignore  or brush aside the facts emphasized here. Periyar's ideology on women empowerment needs to be spread to the masses. 

Remember that these thoughts were put together in words 100 years back during a time when they would have been received with the most savage malice.

"I do not say you should believe what I have said because it alone is certain. Accept such ideas as can be accepted, with the help of your reason, after a sound inquiry. Reject the rest" - Periyar

Let us read him, understand him and subject his thoughts to inquiry. We can criticise him on the ones which we deem unacceptable and accept only those which feel right in the light of reason!