Paris ku
Po (Go
Back to Paris)
JAYA KANDHAN
Incredible footsteps
JAYA kandhan
(JK) has left in Tamil literature. He took the road which is less travelled and
carved a niche for him. He significally enriched tamil literature by
portraying the life of those on the fringes
society, he portrayed the life of prostitutes ,rickshaw men, the one who lives
in platforms etc... He shocked the society by questioning long-held view on women ,chastity and
wises.He expressed his gall in questioning
the principles men have built
around them in the name of
culture and tradition. These are the reasons Jk has considered a Colossus in
Tamil lit. Sahitya Akademi, Jnanapith, Padma Bhusan awardee JK is a mixture of
Bharathiar and Pudumai Piththan, the fire brand writers in (of) tamil
literature who spoke their mind undaunted by anyone or anything.
Every Epilogue of his books
either shatters or enlights the readers. Many consider his Epilogues are gospel
from him. His epilogues are famous than his works. His charcters are famous
than him among the tamil society.
“ I cannot write for your
satisfaction or mine alone.I should not write to fool you or myself.Neither
your praise nor my arrogance the mark of victory for my literature. A good work
should go beyond you ,beyond your time. Praise me or curse me I don’t
care’’ JK writes these words in the
Epilogue of Paris ku po.The novel was written about 1960s.
The novel begins with the
arrival of Sarangan to Chennai from Paris.The novel focuses on music and
culture of an indian family.
Seshayah’s family is a rich
and traditional carnatic music family, where everyone in the family follows
unwritten ethics of him. Seshayah sends his younger son Sarangan to Paris along
with his college friend Mudhaliyar when he was young. Sarangan learns music
there and develops his potential for music, specially western music. when he
comes back to India in his late twenties everything seems to be different from
Paris,the land of Arts. Even his own father is not ready to accept the music
which is within him. Seshayah thinks only carnatic music is rich. He considers all the other music is zero when
comparing to Carnatic music. Sarangan, he never agrees with his father and
challenges him, ‘Music does not belong to any particular place and people but it is the
language of the world which connects people of different region and community’,
and he flies back to Paris eventhough his father ordered him not to go. He
starts writing letters to his father for which he never replies and never even
reads.He just passes the letters to his friends Mahalingam and Lalitha and they
both discusses about evolutionary
thoughts and ideas of Sarangan whom they have never seen even once. Lalitha finds
Sarangan an eccentric. Sarangan returns
to India again after 20 years. Things seems even more worse than before. He
realises the death of his elder brother which he was never informed of. Seshayah
is not ready to talk to him.when Sarangan explains his father western music
have achieved everything in the 18th century itself, which is the Cosmopolitan
age for world music\music world in
Europe he says he is a desperado musician. Both of their view is different.
Sarangan realises his helplessness in India he plans to be back to
Paris.This is the Skeleton image of
Paris ku Po.
Ganga the nurse maid of Narasaiyah , Murali’s
wife, Madhavi and every single characters and element of the story play an
important role. Sarangan and Seshayah symbolise the face of traditional Indian
society. Balamma(Sarangan’s sister) detests her husband Narasaiyah and never
reveals anything about him to her son Murali . She just says he has gone as a
saint. Later, when we come to about ‘the
real’ Narasaiah, JK slaps at the face of what is so called ‘cultured’ society.
JK’s all the women characters are really
strong, credible and existentialists. Ganga of SILA NERANGALIL SILA
MANITHARGAL, Kokila of KOKILA ENNA SEIDHUVITTAL, Kalyani of ORU NADIGAI
NAADAGAM PAARKIRAL and of course Lalitha of PARIS KU PO are the real life
characters whom we can find around us. Sentimentality and Emotionalism are free
in JK’s works.He takes a situation it’s his characters develops the story and
not him.
Some times Sarangan causes
exasperation, that is the success of the novel. He seems to be wise when he
gets divorce from his French wife. He himself realises ‘Marriage is not only
commitment but covenant’. When Seshyah says his only wish is to see her son get
married he honestly rejects it saying he has no hope in marriage but ultimately
falls in love with Lalitha who is the wife of Mahalingam. He wallows in self
piety and insists Lalitha to get divorced. Where Lalitha asks him for the
perfect time. The irony here is she herself says Sarangan that her husband is
more than God to her who helped her to come out of hard times in her life.
Whether Lalitha goes with Sarangan to Paris
and what happens to Sarangan in the end are the twists in the novel.
Sarangan discusses many
things in the novel. This particular dialogue really moved me “ many Indians
thinks that fashion and modernity comes when they imitate European style
,through that they gain nothing but lose individuality”.
This very story is the mirror
of JK’s writings. His themes are avant-garde which are parable which never
gives any moral but makes us to realise our own selves.
If we look the novel through
the eyes of DARWIN, it talks about theory of evolution ‘Survival of the
Fittest’. To conclude in R.W. Emerson’s words “To be yourself in a world that
is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment”
“Oru desaththin, oru Naagarigaththin, oru
Kaalaththin, oru Valarchiyin, Oru vaazhkayin URAIKAL ilakkiyam. Oru eluththalan
aathma suththiyodu eludhugiraaney, adu kevalam pilaipo Tholilo alla. Adu oru
Thavam! Neengal kadhai endru Ninaiththu kondirukireergaley adhu kaalaththin, oru
vaalkayin Saasanam” - JK
- Saleena, S
