Kochi, Aug 12 (PTI) At 98, when memory can often fade with age, eminent Malayalam literary critic and academic Dr M Leelavathy has returned to one of the world’s great epics with a work shaped by decades of reading and scholarship.
Her new book, ‘Bharatalokam’, which explores characters and episodes from the Mahabharata through her own perspective, was released by Chief Minister V D Satheesan at her residence in Thrikkakara near here on Wednesday.
The simple ceremony was attended by Fisheries Minister V E Abdul Gafoor, MLA Uma Thomas, Kalamassery Municipal Chairperson Jamal Manakkadan and literary critic N E Sudheer.
For Satheesan, the occasion was more than the release of another book. He recalled being part of a generation that grew up reading Leelavathy’s writings.
“As someone belonging to a generation that read and memorised the teacher’s writings from my student days, it is a great privilege for me to release this book,” Satheesan said.
The CM said producing such a work at the age of 98, while retaining in memory the characters and episodes of the Mahabharata and examining them from one’s own perspective, was a rare achievement.
He said several works based on the Mahabharata had been written in Indian languages, including Malayalam, but relatively few had closely examined its characters and episodes.
In Malayalam, writers P K Balakrishnan and Kuttikrishna Marar had produced such works, Satheesan said, adding that Leelavathy’s book would be different from theirs.
“That much, the teacher is someone who has studied it in great depth,” he said.
For Leelavathy, the book was the result of a long engagement with the Mahabharata that began well before she started writing ‘Bharatalokam’.
She said she had studied the epic closely while preparing for another book, which made writing the new work easier.
But the book is not simply a return to an ancient story. At its heart is a question that Leelavathy believes remains painfully relevant—what does war leave behind for those who never chose it? “The greatest sorrow expressed in the Mahabharata is Vedavyasa’s lament that he raises his hands and cries out, but there is no one to listen,” she said.
She believes that sorrow has survived through the centuries.
“Women and children have never been involved in wars. But it is women and children who suffer all the losses caused by wars. It is a great irony that war destroys everyone and everything,” she said.
Leelavathy said she was particularly happy to have been able to present, in a concise form, the sorrow expressed by Vedavyasa.
The book release also carried a personal note for the author. Acknowledging the CM’s demanding schedule, she said she felt guilty about taking up his time.
“At a time when tears are falling like rain, the CM of Kerala is very busy. I feel sad that I am taking up his valuable time, but I am very grateful to him for coming here to release this book,” she said. PTI TGB SSK
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