Balakumaran
Tools
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times
பாலகுமாரன்Ullam Kavar Kalvan (The thief who stole my heart)… a nice word to describe the one in love, can be one of the most romantic phrases, but this Balakumaran's novel is not only romantic but simply practical too. The message is "Love doesn’t end in eloping or marriage, but one have to cross all the hardship and be practical to maintain love throughout the life". I liked the main protagonist Nandhini very much in this novel than Sampath.

Page 1

The storyline is simple, something in the lines of Alaipayuthey…. Nandhini, from a well off family falls in love with Sampath, a middle class journalist. Once Nandhini’s parents comes to know about her love, fearing of a tragic marriage, Sampath & Nandhini marry in a hush-hush registered marriage and continue in their respective homes. Sampath gets bedridden due to stone in urinary bladder and Nandhini finds out ways to be with him and serve him as his wife. Finally she decides to make their marriage public to take part in his joys and sorrows and does the same.

I am sorry that what I had written sounds run-of-the mill stuff, but what makes it special is the treatment and how the incidents unfold. The poems of "Mahakavi Bharathiyar" and old song "Atthai magane poi varavaa…?" find their references more often making the reading a full experience replete with situational songs and sequences. Who told songs are for visual medium only? Balakumaran breaks the norm and makes the songs an integral part of story telling.

There is this interesting situation, where Sampath lets Nandhini know his love for the second time. He sings the song "Atthai magale poi varavaa? Ammaan magale poi varava?" and not only Nandhini got the kick, but me too. I don't know which is the situation the original song was written for but it suited to "T" here.

Same goes for the song "Thannilavu neer iraikka…" when Nandhini relates with the physical changes when she also feels in love. This is an another interesting segment to read.

Somewhere like Sampath, I too believe in love happening by itself rather than forced time frames. He lets her know his mind and leaves the matter till Nandhini decides on it, without banking so much on it. This touched my chord.

The novel starts like a routine stuff in the starting where Nandhini tells it in a flashback format on how she got married. It picks up speed with the incidents that make Nandhini falling in love with some breezy romance scenes, then gains momentum when Sampath falls ill with stone in urinary bladder.

The beauty of this novel is all the characters have a definite and valid reason for what they are. So you could empathise with everyone. It can be an arrogant father of Nandhini & affluent Nadhini's mother or clear headed Sampath's father, emotional Sampath's mother or ever young and inspiring Ramesh - Sampath's friend, everyone leaves a mark. But as a Balakumaran's mark, a small character that leaves an impact on you is Ramesh's wife, with her confident and kind nature. She says that she knows her husband's crush towards the lady vegetable vendor and a postwoman. Nandhini asks "How he will react if you do the same thing". For that she says "I too would say that guy on scooter is cute. He'll overtake him and ask me Nalla sight adichiyaa? Illai innoru thadavai thaandi kaattattuma?". She continues "Purushan pondattikkulle poi illama vaazharathu thaan sugam". She mouthes the best of the dialogue "Thaaliyai thazhaiya thazhaiya thaane kattikkirom, moocchu muttura maathiri illaiye..?", indicating the clear need of offering security and space to the spouse.

They say a love can be tested only in trying times. As Ramesh, Sampath's friend says "This is the testing time for your marriage and I wish it hadn't happened it. If you are unable to serve him at this situation, either he may start developing a feeling that you were not with him in the critical time or you may be guilty all your life that you hadn't performed your duty as a dutiful wife".