A slim, thoughtful, sweetly-etched life story of a tiny black goat. Judged only by the style and flow of the translation, it is a smooth, pleasant and heartwarming read. The undercurrents and insinuations, accusations and symbols, though, are both joyful and laborious to untangle. And while its experimentations of merging a fable with contemporary satire are curiosity-rousing, they are also responsible for the muddles they give rise to.
The novel leads us to a hamlet, where an elderly couple ekes out a meagre living. One day, Poonachi enters their ordinary life and creates an astonishing change. The miniscule black goat, likened to a wriggling worm, takes up a huge space in their home and heart h.
This bonding between humans and animal is an emotional and intimate relation ingenuously conveyed. As we are lulled by this simple world brimming with affection and bonhomie, the gears start turning beneath our delicately-placed feet. Suddenly, the reader is made aware of the unforgiving world outside this idyllic microcosm. As the old lady stands in line for hours to procure government identification for Poonachu, the sorrows of the state come pouring in.
No one knows exactly what the identification does, or why a citizen has to face such misery before even getting a glimpse of a taunting, unhelpful, threatening government official. This is where we realise the story has evolved from an animal fable to a political satire. The rows upon rows of villagers tottering in line to get their cattle verified, and being flogged and punished ruthlessly if they dare faint of hunger or heat, is a direct parallel to citizens outside the novel, of suffering piled on to the already deprived.
Our minds will wander, angrily and fruitlessly, to fellow country people who trudge for days to fulfill an official diktat, but are spurned and ridiculed, and their work left undone.
We will be enraged by recollections of students who must pay fines to get their certificates corrected even though the error was not their fault; of officials turning defensive and inserting obstacles in the procedure where there are none. The regime has ears. The helplessness of the couple will ricochet back, ultimately, to the readers themselves.
This simmering resentment, anger and introspection are veiled by the childlike tale of the goat that touches the lives of everyone she meets. The rural milieu, its very flavour and atmosphere, is captured gorgeously by the writer through knowledgeable insights; it is a timeless representation of fresh pools, tender buds and cud-chewing cattle of a far-flung village.
Yet the writer is more than aware of rural hardships, and has stopped short of romanticizing it. It ends up as a hotchpotch, an animal baa-ing for attention while its owner clamours for the same space, of an animal not remaining one and a human rendered useless.
Murugan has humorously described why his protagonist is a goat. The ending, though, is superb. Just a simple sentence, but centuries of myths and cultural complexities layered in it that makes for extensive, and very interesting, background reading.
View 1 comment. Aug 15, Raksha Bhat rated it it was amazing Shelves: owned , indian-authors , signed , bengalurupoetryfestival I got an author signed copy of this book at the Bengaluru Poetry Festival. Reading Poonachi was a thought provoking experience, the writing is simple and unpresumptuous but the premise of the book is what shook me to the core.
We humans do a lot of unfathomable things and this story makes you see it through the eyes of a goat. Also the kindly care Poonachi receives from the ol I got an author signed copy of this book at the Bengaluru Poetry Festival. Also the kindly care Poonachi receives from the old couple; the transition of behaviour and emotions in the family, community and village is something which is beautifully described.
I wish I could read the original Tamil version! Kalyan Raman, thus begins the life of this black goat named Poonachi. There's a very prominent, recurring and touching theme throughout the book—something we see and witness every day without ever really sparing a thought.
The plot is exceptionally well written and equally smoothly translated. Simple langua "Once, in a village, there was a goat. Simple language, funny at instances, and you sail through it, wanting to delve further into the life of this little, inquisitive, intelligent and precious goat.
All the fuss around it feels justified and I'm glad I bought this book. Verdict: Buy! Shelves: books-i-own , translated-works , cover-love , challenge , india.
The most exciting literature in India is produced in regional languages. So glad I got to read this translation! Need to dig up more of Perumal Murugan's work asap. After receiving a gushing review from my favourite New York Times book reviewer, Parul Shegul,, I had my local indy thecityandthecitybooks order this in for me and it was the first title I finished in It did not disappoint.
A mysterious man carries a baby goat on his shoulders and offers him to an old shepherd, promising an animal certain to carry litters of seven. Skeptical but grateful, the old man takes the baby goat back to his wife, who names her Poonachi. The kid is a challenge to ra After receiving a gushing review from my favourite New York Times book reviewer, Parul Shegul,, I had my local indy thecityandthecitybooks order this in for me and it was the first title I finished in The kid is a challenge to raise but the wife grows quite attached to the goat, mothering her to good health.
What follows is an intimate parable, told through the views of the shepherd, his wife and Poonachi, each telling their suffering as the goat grows into adulthood and fulfills the fate promised by the mysterious man. Despite this, Poonachi does not bring good fortune as drought means her gift is a great burden. Told in very simple prose, this story is nonetheless a deep and emotional examination into the meaning of family and love and the suffering that often accompanies these. One feels for all the protagonists, who cannot overcome forces beyond their control, despite carrying with them a miracle meant as a gift.
Instead this gift adds to their sadness, feels like an extra misfortune in a life filled with them. Even good luck dooms in the end.
May 19, Neeti rated it it was amazing. The book might come across as if it would like you to believe that it is subtle it's smart that way , but it's not subtle in its criticism and it doesn't want to be - every sentence in the book is hard hitting and remains relevant to current socio-political scenarios in the country.
It is a critique of hierarchies and inequalities around class and gender. It also comes across as a story of struggle and existence. View all 5 comments. May 28, Radhika Roy rated it really liked it. Short read which will move you in ways that you will find extraordinary. Murugan has presented a devastatingly raw picture of how hunger, lust, love, and, at times, maternal affection, triumph over everything else.
Would recommend. Sep 01, M. It's a very sad book. When a series of misfortunes are placed one after another, it becomes Poonachi's life. But it all starts with the most pleasant vibes. A farmer sitting on a mound, enjoying the sunset when he sees a man, half as tall as a palm tree with a small black goat in his hand, as small as a worm; the blackest, shiniest and the smallest goat.
A miraculous goat! It is a book written about women by a man; a remarkably accurate account of women's life by man. I have read many books men wr It's a very sad book.
I have read many books men write about women, but none like this one. This one is respectful, clear, open and with no loops to bound the nature of women within. I bow down to this man for creating such a story and smartly linking it at the end to the story of a goddess.
So, gracefully has no other writer written about humans through animals. The space one enjoys when talking about humans by dint of animals is enormous- just realised that. There was a little distance in his way of expressing the pain and reliefs of human and animal lives; and a lot of ironical references.
Intentional or otherwise, both made this book what it is today. Absolutely brilliant! Also, make sure to read the introduction of the book by the author and translator's note at the end. Please, someone go give the translator an award.
Kalyan Raman is his good name. There were words he used, that couldn't have been replaced whatsoever for better ones. I haven't read the orginal text, but the essence he left behind in his translation, doesn't even want me to try to do so; otherwise every translated book leaves me with an urge to learn the original language and re-read the book.
This one gives me relief, thoughts, pain and patience Jun 26, Girish rated it it was ok Shelves: hindu-literary-award. Poonachi or the story of a black goat - is an effort at placing a social mirror through the story of a goat. Anthropomorphizing is a good tool and some of the best books like Animal farm go on to do that.
However, the book decides to keep humans as important as Poonachi. An old couple get this tiny scrawny goat who is promised to be a miracle. They name her Poonachi and use her to fill their life with love. In a seemingly simple narrative, the author takes on systems, gender discrimination, cruel Poonachi or the story of a black goat - is an effort at placing a social mirror through the story of a goat.
In a seemingly simple narrative, the author takes on systems, gender discrimination, cruelty of humans, faith and poverty. The book however did not work for me. The translation seemed like subtitles and the village slang sounded off. As the author cheekily says you can't write about people or cows these days and so he chooses a goat. Not for me, thank you! Aug 10, Smitha Murthy rated it really liked it Shelves: india , india-translated , contemporary , fiction.
Everytime, I go to a bookshop these days, I keep seeing a goat staring at me. Don't get me wrong - there are no goatherds in bookshops. But this cover of a goat is on the top-selling list of the bookshops I frequent. As with any allegory, you are left wondering if you should treat this is as a simple fable of an old couple's bonding over a goat, Poonachi, or if y Everytime, I go to a bookshop these days, I keep seeing a goat staring at me.
As with any allegory, you are left wondering if you should treat this is as a simple fable of an old couple's bonding over a goat, Poonachi, or if you should dig deeper and look at issues that you imagine the author wants you to look. In the translator's note later, he urges you to consider these deeper nuances.
Is it a political satire as other great allegorical novels of the past? Or is there a deeper look at survival? At love? At motherhood and its deep bonds?
Do we think of subversive regimes? Do we just wonder at miracles? Or do we just rejoice in a good story? I think the answers are all of those. Oct 10, Jerrie redwritinghood rated it it was ok. The story is about an elderly couple who is gifted a black goat by a god or demon? Well, blessings can sometimes turn out to be a curse, as the couple soon finds out. The point of view swung back and forth between humans and goats too much, and the story and writing were pretty simplistic. Apr 24, Ashma rated it really liked it.
The rain is always insufficient in the land of Asuras. Even if it poured for half an hour, they rather curse it for drenching them. Murugan's world of landscapes, animals, birds, and Asuras resembles the human world where the old couple we walk with shows the duality of human nature. The drought grows as love and affection are replaced with selfishness. This anthropomorphized world follows the life of Poonachi, an extraordinary black goat.
It's deaf only when we speak about our problems. Her black color was a problem, however. Most of the goats in the state were white Since they could not be recognized in the dark when engaged in any criminal activity. Would a solitary boar enjoy itself so much? That was only done to the proud goats, who were forced to look at the ground as they walked. To me, Poonachi is a metaphor for those unfortunate and free-spirited lives struggling to belong to this world.
They had mouths only to keep shut, hands only to make obeisance, knees only to bend and kneel, backs only to bend, and bodies only to shrink before the authorities.
Suppose they get a little angry and point them at the regime? Such goats have to be identified, right? Death felt like a plain attempt. I cannot stop wondering how did the shadow find Ponnachi and why did the situation unfold as they did.
My lack of mythological and societal knowledge has left me unsatisfied. Mar 23, R J K rated it it was amazing Shelves: reviews-written. In , author and professor Perumal Murugan declared his death as a writer, following the protests surrounding his novel, One Part Woman. It was an event that shocked readers and the literary world alike, prompting discussions regarding censorship, freedom of speech and dissent. Poonachi was published after he ended his self-imposed exile, and the trauma of the past year may be evident in his preface — he states he is now fearful of writing about humans and gods, and that now leaves animals.
He In , author and professor Perumal Murugan declared his death as a writer, following the protests surrounding his novel, One Part Woman. He chooses a goat as his primary subject because other animals say, cows and pigs would incite controversies as well. Set in rural south west Tamil Nadu, India, the main characters of this novel are an aged couple who are marginal farmers, and a black baby goat that enters their life by complete happenstance.
In doing so, Murugan also lets you look at life in general- the vulnerabilities and vagaries of rural subsistence farming life, the hierarchies and inequalities deeply entrenched into Indian society, the values it engenders etc. There are observations about the state and the control it exerts on its vulnerable citizens. Life is portrayed with all its monotony, suffering and tragedy. Poonachi thus is also a bleak tale of human exploitation, greed and subjugation.
It is a short novel, but the tale within packs punches. As you follow her story from forest to habitation, independence to motherhood, you recognize in its significant moments the depth and magnitude of your own fears and longings, fuelled by the instinct for survival that animates all life. My Review - Umm.. This is no conventional book you read, this is a kind of book you read once in a while. The book is an Anthropomorphic account of a Human girl depicted here as a Black Goat.
Once an Old farmer from the rural area took his goats in the field for herding. While heading back, he saw a very large Human-like man passing by with a small bundle in his hands.
The Big black man approached the old man and gave the small parcel to the man and told him that it is a small Black goat and she can give birth to 7 Offsprings, which is a very uncommon thing.
That day they named the goat as Poonachi. The book says a great deal about the difficulties faced by a girl child as well as women in rural and many developed urban areas where from the arrival of a girl child till her last breath she is believed to be a curse rather than the package of joy. Still, there are certain places around the globe where every bad event or situation faced by one or the whole family is blamed on the girl child and assumed her to be the bad luck that she bought since her birth.
It shows how hard it is for a farmer to survive in the world where they are been forced to feel lesser rather than the royalty they must deserve. How farmers are subjected to all the bad circumstances may it be natural as depending on Rains or Government work.
All they want is to just see their crops grow or else they are left in debt from which their survival is so harsh that a City-dwellers may not even understand. The book has a third element which it highlights gravely. The topic of Animal abuse. From food as meat to Traditional sacrifices. All the 3 issues must get their much-awaited justice soon. Donate it to someone needy, the issue for hunger is not a local one. Hunger is a worldwide issue which can be helped by simply donating your leftover the next time you visit a Restaurant.
Why just donate and fo good deeds to poor on Thanksgiving or Eid or any other festivals on a Single day of the year. Conclusion - Deeply moving and thought-provoking. Full Review on Blog. Jun 14, Manpreet Kaur rated it really liked it. It was a sweet tale of an orphaned goat and the ups and downs in her life It's a good book. I was reading something from Tamil literature for the first time and I am happy I picked it up.
But u have to re story of a goat But u have to read it slowly to grasp the subtle hidden themes. I am not sure I did that very well but I did enjoy the book. But i am happy I picked it up. Aug 19, Anu Khadka rated it really liked it. This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here. She is so puny and lifeless that people around her wonder if she'll be able to survive. Her life is difficult, a nanny goat refuses to let her suckle her, an eagle tried to attack her and a wildcat who tries to make her it's prey, but Poonachi endures "Once in a village, there was a goat. Her life is difficult, a nanny goat refuses to let her suckle her, an eagle tried to attack her and a wildcat who tries to make her it's prey, but Poonachi endures it all.
Poonachi is grounded, extremely observant, curious and humble. She stayed on with me long after I finished reading the book. Murugan has given a strong voice to Poonachi. The human characters aren't named, the animals have beautiful names. What I loved most about the book was how the emotion of love between animals was written with conviction.
Who can forget Poonachi's yearning and love for Poovan! This book is not just the emotional journey of Poonachi but also is a very beautiful satire on society. Some of the events of the book are hard hitting and leave us in a sullen mood. It's a short book, just pages but it manages to convey so much in a short number of pages! The translation was done gracefully and tastefully, but still I would advise people who can read Tamizh to read the original.
I am in complete awe of this man! This book is said to be the 'Animal Farm' of India. I absolutely loved reading it! May 30, Ms. When you are gifted by a god, is it a miracle or a curse?
An old farm couple are the recipients of just such a divine gift, a 2-day old black kid, frail and tiny as a kitten. She barely escapes being snatched by a large bird before she even reaches the homestead. The old woman names the goat Poonachie after a cat she once had and was fond of. She tries to get their own goat Kalli to suckle the newcomer along with her recently born three kids.
But like humans, goats are willful. Kalli will not su When you are gifted by a god, is it a miracle or a curse? Kalli will not suckle the interloper. Fortunately, Poonachie, confused and fearful, exerts her own will — to survive. A makeshift diet of rice water and millet paste sustain her just enough to stave off death. We soon become involved with Poonachie's story and even breathe a sigh of relief at her narrow escape from the jaws of a nocturnal predator.
The neighbors debate. Was it a jackal? A wildcat? To Poonachie the only thing that matters is that it was big and it had teeth. The life of a goat is short, shorter even than that of a human. Poonachie will suffer from careless cruelty, and heart-breaking losses. The old woman declares Poonachie is like a daughter and works tirelessly and with resourcefulness to protect Poonachie.
Poonachie savors the variety of flavors each plant offers, and is pleasantly surprised by the pungent treat of an onion. She enjoys the comfortable if not affectionate familiarity of her playmates Ootham and Uzhumban, two slightly younger goats. She delights in a brief night of freedom in the forest that arouses both wonder and curiosity.
Above all, she experiences the ecstasy of encountering Poovan, playful solicitous Poovan, whose smell and touch will haunt her dreams.
Murugan interrupts these intense episodes with moments of scathing parody aimed at the government. It is both stupid and paranoid. A rumor claims that black goats like Poonachie are extremely rare because the government had exterminated all black goats: they might commit crimes in the dark and would be undetected! They had mouths only to keep shut, hands only to to make obeisance, knees only to bend and kneel, backs only to bend, and bodies only to shrink before the authorities.
Sep 26, Shifad rated it it was amazing. Some books are very subtle. They say something outrageous, mind churning and vehemently outrageous in disguise of something innocent, playful and seemingly trivial. Here we have something along the lines of Animal Farm. For those who know animal farm, I know you will appreciate the political correctness of the book.
How the narration interlaced with playfulness and seemingly harmless acts finally evolved into something sinister. Poonachi does this in a more subjective satiric way. Enter the email address you signed up with and we'll email you a reset link. Need an account? Click here to sign up. Download Free PDF. Rituparna Sengupta.
A short summary of this paper. Download Download PDF. Translate PDF. One Part Woman , Perumal Murugan declared his death as a writer. Poonachi, published in Tamil in and in English in , is his first novel written since his dramatic declaration, marking his resurrection from self-imposed literary exile.
In circumvention and defiance of censorship, he writes in his preface to this book that fearful of writing about humans and gods, he has chosen to write about animals instead. Of them, dogs and cats are meant for poetry. It is forbidden to write about cows or pigs. That leaves only goats and sheep. Goats are problem-free, harmless, and, above all, energetic. A story needs narrative pace. Her status as a miraculously fertile, high milk-yielding, seven-kid birthing mother further victimises her.
Accepting multiple sexual partners here is not sinful, but neutering a highly sexed buck is suffused with a tragic air and followed by repentance. Her attainment of puberty, her menstruation and irrepressible sexual longing and first dissatisfying sexual experience, the exhilarating and draining experience of motherhood—all serve to build an unusual bildungsroman and a biography, of a female animal.
All of this is, in true Perumal Murugan style, unsentimental and earthily matter- of-fact, drawing attention to the helplessness of the female body and the multiple and violent demands on it, whether by nature, or the community. However, despite some similarities between the conditions of goats and humans discernible in the story, Poonachi is not primarily allegorical, but accords animalkind the dignity and depth of feelings that they are rarely manifested with in literature.
The reader also catches glimpses of such hierarchies that are an integral part of human society.
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