A look at the Western Ghats now just shows a condition of ravage. The flora and fauna that was once so famous has faded. The hill-tribes but all are almost extinct. The Gods and spirits protecting the Ghats seem to have departed. And almost everyone has forgotten the Dolmens, the single-chambered tombs made of stone.
Welcome to Kandathil Sebastian’s first book in the Mountain Trilogy, Dolmens in the Blue Mountain. A director of an International foundation, Kandathil Sebastian has seen the plight of the Kerala-Syrian community and felt the need to do something for them. The Mountain Trilogy is his take on the situation of the hill tribes of the Western Ghats.
Dolmens in the Blue Mountain starts with the story of a hardworking farmer, Devasy who works on the land of a Nair in Ezhacherry and slowly prospers to become a landlord himself. Spreading out the branches of his family tree, Devasy’s wife gives birth to three sons, Varghese, Ouseph and Thomman. Ouseph becomes a father to five children and Varghese moves to the hills to start farming. Thomman on the other hand is keen to study but fails to do so.
Moving forward a bit, Thomman and Varghese both get married and father a son and two respectively. The book follows the story of Saju, the son of Thomman and Philipose and Dominic, the sons of Varghese. Saju a bright child is denied from studying in an English medium school and is instead sent to a Malayalam medium school as his father can’t afford to send him to one.
Things take a change for the worse as Philipose, the elder son of Varghese changes into a really bad character. Everything goes haywire when Philipose rapes Kannagi, the wife of Deven, the friend of Dominic. Philipose goes walking on the path of carnage as he joins the Naxals and starts importing cannabis and whatnot.
What I loved about this book was the fact that the story is so authentic. The characters are fresh and unbiased. The backdrop of the book is beautiful as we encounter the dolmens, the beautiful Neelakurinjis, the splendor of the Western Ghats. The way they have been described makes you feel that you have been transported to the Ghats yourself.
I feel that the book is a must rad as it has every element to make a perfect book. Politics, corruption, exploitation, violence, everything.
Book Details:
| Author: | Kandathil Sebastian | ||
| Publisher: | Leadstart Publishing | Year of Publication: | 2013 |
| ISBN-13: | 9789383562244 | ISBN-10: | 9383562242 |
| Binding: | Paperback | No. Of Pages: | 212 |
| MRP: | Rs. 195 | Buy From: |  |
My Verdict
3.8
I implore everyone to read this book to make themselves aware about the condition of the hill tribes. It is an engaging read.
