Ram C/O Anandi – Akhil P. Dharmajan – Book Review
Title: Ram C/O Anandhi
Author: Akhil P. Dharmajan
Translated into English By: Haritha C. K.
Publisher: Harper Fiction
Genre: Fiction
Link To Purchase: Amazon
Price: INR 399
Synopsis:
Ram a young man, who has ambitions of becoming a director/actor travels from Kerala to Tamil Nadu to study at a film institute. There he meets Anandhi, Vetri, Reshma and Patti. The book is all about the adventures of the friends in Tamil Nadu.
My Take:
Ram c/o Anandhi begins and continues as a breezy read till around three-fourths of the book and then it gets into a serious mode. The early part of the book is extremely enjoyable and a fun riot. Ram’s friendship with a thirunangai or a transgender comes across as something enjoyably different from other books.
Men befriending a transgender are a rare phenomenon even in a book. The book is revolutionary in that sense. The book brings to us the stark reality of the status of transgenders and the way they are treated in our society. The book brings home to us the stark poverty and the cruelty they have to endure.
The strong bond of friendship between Paati, Vetri, Reshma, Anandhi and Ram is brought out well by the author. The tender moments of affection and love between Ram and Anandhi were something I cherished as a reader.
There is also quite a bit of humour in the book. The transformation of Anandhi from a grouchy, ill-tempered young woman to someone who is forced to show her true warm-hearted self is again a deft touch.
There are several misunderstandings between the friends, but things get sorted out as we read on. The clever usage of vehicles like Paati’s premier Padmini which is a very old model of a car, and Anandhi’s Luna to invoke profound feelings is again refreshing.
The book does not try to maintain an even tempo. As I mentioned before it starts off as light and breezy and starts to get serious halfway and draws the reader in slowly. It is like a movie that is pure fun till the interval and then the latter half is totally serious.
The characters are well drawn and remain etched in the memory. The story is set in Tamil Nadu, and the locations are depicted accurately. I liked the descriptions of the various locations. The transition of the book from a light breezy read to a serious mode is so subtle that the reader does not see it coming. The rug was pulled out from under me so quickly that I did not realize when I hit the floor.
The translation from Malayalam to English is good. I am not familiar with Malayalam, but I am aware of how difficult it is to bring out the essence of a book while translating it from another language. The author has done this job commendably well. I felt like I was reading a book that had been originally written in English.
The ending is good but slightly theatrical. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it thoroughly. All in all Ram C/O Anandhi is a combination of a light-hearted tale which at the same time is serious and emotional. It is elegantly written. Kudos to the author.
Conclusion: Ram C/O Anandhi is a book that grabs your attention and holds it. It keeps you engrossed in the pages throughout. It is a good book. Do pick it up!
Rating: I am going with a 5/5 for Ram C/O Anandhi. I thought I would cut off half a point for the slightly theatrical though good ending but on reflection, I felt that would be nitpicking.
Rating Scale:
1 Poor
2 Fair
3 Good
4 Excellent
5 Outstanding
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Thank you, Tom.