Dear Harikumar,
From that handsome snap (Kalaakaumudi 1978, August 04, 2013) I
presume you are not older than my son and hence an informal salutation,
to start this intrusion!
Though not a regular reader of Kalaakaumudi, I did enjoy reading
your 'Aksharajaalakam' which apparently is a regular column. While
going through your observations, I can very well see sparks of a
brilliant critic keen to follow global trends and engaged in wide
reading, emerging in Malayalam literary horizon. Obviously, this is not
very common in our language and let me compliment you on that score.
In this context, the purpose of this note is to draw your
attention to certain relevant facts related to your introducing
Kawabata's 'Sound of the Mountain', perhaps the only literary work
translated directly from Japanese into Malayalam, back in the eighties
as 'MALAYUTE SHABDAM' and serialized in 'Katha Vaarika' a sister
publication of Kalaakaumudi during 1986-87 period! It was the result of
my decade old hard work, subsequently published as a book by Current
Books Trissur.
If you read Malayute shabdam, you may get a different view of the
old man Shinko's thoughts focusing NOT on eternal love but on the
reverberations of the insurmountable Death! Unfortunately, as it
normally happens in Kerala, our great critics have not bothered to
review my translation despite readers liking it as seen from its sale
reports.
Should you like to get a copy, please let me know (Mob:98470 31309).
Best wishes
Kppnambiar
