After the success of Shaji Madathil’s Malayalam publication Paathirapaatile Thennilapakshikal, the talented author has now released the English version of the book, The Soul of Truth, translated by Dr Jessy Skaria.
The book was released by eminent writer Shri C Radhakrishnan on a beautiful monsoon evening at Bharat Tourist Home (BTH) Ernakulam.
The Soul of Truth is the story about protagonist Uthaman, a family man and his soul’s tumultuous journey.
Uthaman died - suddenly, and without drama. 41 days of traditional prayer rituals are to follow - 41 days to prepare his soul for the final departure.
Uthaman's soul is pulled in all directions by the love, the grief and the unrequited longings of the living, as in these final days they hold him down to an earth that is no longer his.
And, it is this little known grey area between life and death, this intermedium - that is explored by Shaji Madathil in his novel.
The crucial 41 days, when the soul, separated from its earthly bondage, stands to watch over its former vessel – learning to untangle itself from it. It is a vivid, poignant and powerful story.
The event was a literary feast attended by many aficionados of the writing world. The special guests were renowned Malayalam writers Shri C Radhakrishnan and Professor MK Sanu.
Additionally, the event was also honoured by the presence of the Mother Superior Elizabeth Mark and Rev Sister Helen of the Carmel Old Age Home.
Madathil enticed the audience by reading small snippets of his novel. It was written in soulful poetic prose with the enchanting beauty of verdant Kerala as a backdrop, where the novel is set.
Author Shaji Madathil sharing his joy says, "Life and death are two inevitable truth of a man's life. There are many legends in which the dawn is personified as life and the dusk or darkness is equated to death."
"Anxiety about the future prevents us from enjoying our present life. As a result, we neither live today or tomorrow and in the end, we die without living a single day," the author added.
The evening progressed well with the audience immersed and deeply engrossed in the readings of the book.
Adding grace to the event was the eloquent speech of Shri Kunjikannan Vanimel, "Shaji Madathil is a writer self-inspired by the commitment to expatriate life."
"The Soul of Truth is manifested with an aptitude that is suddenly roused in the social awareness of expatriates. Thus he ensigns himself as a writer of the age. It is an extraordinary skill for an author to be able to draw like this especially the reality of our life," he added.
The event ended with the benevolent donation by author Shaji Madathil towards Carmel Old age home in Varapuzha.
Shaji Madathil is a self-effacing and instinctive writer and his book goes down rarely trodden paths.
His Malayalam novel's three-
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