On a River's Bank

On a River’s Bank by A Madhavan, translated from Tamil by M Vijayalakshmi, explores environmental degradation as a result of over exploitation of nature. Published in 1974 as Punalum Manalum, it’s an early, notable instance of what is now termed as ‘eco-fiction’. 

The novella is set in Vallamedu (a place near Trivandrum as hinted by the mention of Marudan Kuzhi dam), the site of confluence of two rivers - Kottaiyaru and Perumanaiyaru. Sand harvesting is the most important commercial activity for the inhabitants on the riverfront. 

Angusami, a well respected 50 yr old man who knows the river like the back of his hand, a star employee of the sand contractor for several years; Damodaran, a diligent and well-mannered young man who’s like a son to Angusami; Panki, a young woman & Angusami’s step daughter who’s an object of revulsion for her ugly looks are the three principal characters. 

Panki labours hard at the riverfront and at home yet elicits nothing but extreme hatred from Angusami. Damodaran, her only friend, serves as a bridge between her and Angusami. Over time, sand dredging alters the river's course and its banks shrink. Swelling menacingly under torrential rain, the river threatens to take away the life it nurtures.

The river, a primary force in steering the narrative forward, described in vivid detail is a character too. It is interesting to note how its vagaries match Angusami’s moods - its bountiful flow mirroring the content and blissful life he spent with his beloved wife Tangammai until she died of smallpox, its eddies reflect the emotional abyss he falls into when incapacitated by a shoulder dislocation injury. The Madan Sami (the river God) festival, flora and fauna terms enhance the local flavor. That the women characters here only embody a man’s love and hatred, the excessive stress on women's looks, a whole village fretting about ugly-faced Panki’s marriage may feel annoying and dated.

For the way nature’s vagaries, its wrath are explored dwelling on human relationships, On a River’s Bank by A Madhavan reminded me strongly of Dweepa by Na D’Souza, translated from Kannada by Susheela Punitha. The setting (the river) is just as important (maybe even more) as the principal human characters and for this reason, the book reminded me of Neela Padmanabhan’s Where the Lord Sleeps. Interestingly, both A Madhavan and Neela Padmanabhan are from the same region, the former born in Trivandrum, his parents hailed from Kanyakumari and the latter was born in Nagercoil, both the authors were known for their literary prowess in Malayalam and Tamil.

That continuous sand dredging alters a river’s course and degrades it beyond repair is something I have witnessed in the case of Bharathapuzha river that flows through my maternal grandmother’s town in Kerala. That the book written back in 1974 focused on this important environmental issue is pretty impressive. Lovers of Amitav Ghosh’s fiction on climate change/ecological issues now have a work to turn attention to from the arena of Indian translated literature in On a River’s Bank by A Madhavan, thanks to Ratna Books. 

With an end that leaves room for contemplation, On a River’s Bank clearly indicates that when man begins to plunder, nature can get ruthless.