Monday 19 November 2007

Balakumaran...some thoughts...

Recently I read "Thanga Churul", a novel by balakumaran. Vasu has given this book.This is a story about a person who is a railway employee. He is very good at creating Tanjore paintings. The story tells about his life in terms of his painting profession and marriage life and about his masterpiece work.

As a reader what kind of book is this? What it conveys? What is the 'karu' or theme of this story? Nothing. It says about a life in a pleasant way.The life has nothing to do with common man's day to day challenge or nothing to do on an extraordinary man.

I am seeing balakumaran is cheating himself. He tries to copy thi.janakiraman in an ugly way. Bala's these kind of novel reduces the quality of novel.Again I am not comparing balakumaran against somebody like ramani chandran or pattukottai prabhakar.I am comparing balakumaran against prabanchan,thi.janakiraman, sundara ramasamy etc.

Since bala is writing many books, his books contains many redundant incidents.He should reduce his frequency.

I am seeing the following context in many of the balakumaran's novels, including this novel.

After marriage bride and groom goes for honey moon. The honeymoon spot is kumbakonam/thanjavur and surrounding places. Peculiar is both bride and groom's parents will be accompanying the couple. All will be happy,there wont be any difference in opinion.Everything is harmonious.Bala shows a symmetrical world.But this is very far from the real world.

I dont know how bala kind of person falls under this trap every time. This redundancy makes the novel very weak.

Again there is nothing in this story to oppose or support strongly.This makes the novel a simple fairy tale.This dwarfs the regular readers. Normal conversation will be interesting only in new base (kadhai kalam), otherwise it creates boredom. These kind of novels dwarfs bala himself, there is a potential danger of these novels becoming a 'Gnanabhoomi or kumudam bhakthi'.

Because theism and literature are separate entities. You can blend them, but one should not dissolve into another, especially at this 2007.

Here one more question arises. Can a non-hindu or atheist read balakumaran's novel? What will be the perception of balakumaran novels in non-hindus mind. I am not insisting that he should encompass non-hindus also, but just eager!

One more question, is the 'vivid description' from balakumaran dilutes the novels of balakumaran? I suspect. Is he concentrating more on 'vivid description' than the story?. I think he is getting lost in his own words. This is another form of "narcissism”. Narcissism of the novel over the novel itself. There may be better ways to describe this. But I am writing this as far as I know. I am seeing the strong vividness and characterization engulfs his novels.

Here we can compare the vividness and characterization and description of sundara ramaswamy against balakumaran.
Vasu, as you have read in 'oru puliyamarathin kadhai', the description or varnanai or characterization helps the story acts as a pleasant support to the course of the story. It is like mundhiri in payasam.We cannot more mundhiri than payasam in payasam, am i correct?


When reading balakumaran's book or novel, I am seeing letters from readers by praising balakumaran. Those letters are always praising the novels. No review or vimarsanam at all. Is it possible? I dont think, any product will have its merits and demerits. If no letters are displayed for public means something wrong in it. No vimarsanam or no suya vimarsanam.Balakumaran is becoming like kamal I think, he is becoming a great deaf.

Another bad thing about bala is giving a single strong but inaccurate and inadequate answer to questions. For e.g. I read the following question in one of the novels,

Q: What is the worst thing in Chennai?

Ans: "Parking vans and cars of travel agencies in the pedestrian way". Then he justifies how it affects the traffic and so on.

Yes indeed it is a problem. But it definitely is not the most worst thing in Chennai. There are more stronger problems. But bala never says "There are many things, one of the problems is .....". He directly says one single answer. There by he stops other possibilities.

Question2:

Q: I heard you have gone to Hyderabad. What is very interesting about the city?
Ans: "Bangles. Hyderabad is having a very big bangle bazaar.” Then he describes about the structure of bangles and how Indian women are feeling by wearing bangles.

For any question related to society especially Indian society he has single answer. That is the most worrying part about balakumaran. Because, Indian society is the second most complex society (after Africa) in the world. This is the result of sociologists around the globe. So bala's single reply makes naive readers think that he is correct and hides and reduces the complexity of the problem.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gokul,excellent comments. To post this kind of comment requires deep analysis of Bala's writings and your comments show that you have done it. But somehow i feel most of the authors have this kind of hangover across their novels/dialogues they write for movies but bala definitely is doing a lot of it.

Dheva. S said...

Gokul,

Referred to you comment about Ezhuthu Sidhar Balakumaran, i can say some commnet about you...

1) You never read all Balakumaran's Novels

2)If you need entertainment you can read lots of stories which are selling in the market only for time pass...

3)hope you never read Irumbukkuthiraikal & Merkkuri Pookal (only for example but there are lot....to read )

4)First of all you should understand one thing he is teaching the eternal truth, how to mainatin the relations, self dicipilene, and etc...but you can find some story karu and platform in comix books, i will suggest you to read those not Bala's

Sorry my friend my intension is not hurt you ...but you please don't hurt the fans of bala, and his writings has given the light to noto only my life...Billion more people


Thanks
Dheva.S

Gokul said...

Hi Dheva,

Thanks for the comments,if you noticed this blog, I have praised balakumaran for his advises for youth in my previous post.

At the same time, we should understand that balakumaran is not beyond 'vimarsanam' and he has his own weakness.

Still my accusals remains true.

Thanks
gokul

R Kamal said...

Earlier Balakumaran used to write good stories.but oflate, that is for the past 5 - 8 years he is just selling the spiritual nonsense...selling invisible goodies.(like most of the godman in india)

Now to read him is just waste of time.By reading these kind of books only, his so called fans think they attain enlightment...what nonsense...and what kind of a foolishness and stupidity.

Once i read in his book about yatchinis and other mayajhal stuff...come on Mr.Balakumaran..we ware in 2008...

Anonymous said...

Hi Kamal,

You born and you are here.... before that where where where you...if you think that is mayajal....all bala's things are mayajal.....!

It's very difficult to explain to the blind about the nature of light...

carry on.. good luck

Dheva.S

Unknown said...

Hi, this only means that there is no use of singing lovely songs to a deaf man. If you think mom is just another flesh and blood, not a mom, then it resembles your comments here.

Gokul said...

Hi Dhivya,

I am surprised to see people's (like you or dheva) attitude towards balakumaran.

I definetely say you are still in mentality of "Rajini Rasigan" instead of Rajini for them , its balakumaran for you.

Please come out of this attitude and give some work to your mind.

Read bala's book as a any other book and dont fall into the pitfall called bala's "Ezhutthu nadai"

-Gokul

Unknown said...

Boss,
I don’t know who you are. It was just an accident I landed up in this page. A piece of advise. Why do things which don’t come naturally to you? Stop blogging and go pick up some comic books, if at all you read, or watch some latest movies, not the NAN KADAVUL kind. BALAKUMARAN is a far fetching thing for you.

Good Luck.

Justin

vijayabhaskar said...

hi gokul . u wrote . wat i tried
to wrote in a balakumaran community. because of my vimarsanam, i am thrown ourt of that community

dr_senthil said...

those who read should have tolerance..thats wat he teaches...
accepting things as wat it is...
tolerance to other life and thoughts...pls hear wat other say or feel abt him.. need not to be true rite?

Gokul said...

//those who read should have tolerance..thats wat he teaches...
accepting things as wat it is...
tolerance to other life and thoughts...pls hear wat other say or feel abt him.. need not to be true rite?//

I couldn't completely understand what you are saying, but I infer that you are against my view.

Again and again I am telling to the people who oppose this post, please do not see balakumaran like Rajinikanth. If you see him like rajinikanth and if you are like rajini rasigan, then there is no point in arguing. Only people with open mind can understand thia post.

dr_senthil said...

hai gokul.. i dont understand why u r so against Rajini or his rasigans...pls accept the world for what it is.. thats real open mind.. bala's words do have some magic neither u nor me can deny it.. millions of his fans are the witness!! may be he would lost the charm u expect from him but as u grow, u tend to be more repetitive also...anyway he had made a mark in tamil short literature and he acn proud of himself to come with masterpiece or milestone in his novels with UDAYAR... that needed enormous research and patience and imaginative skills... what do u say?

Vasu. said...

அன்புள்ள செந்தில்,

நான் பாலகுமாரனின் தீவிர விசிறி. கிட்டத்தட்ட அவரை தந்தை ஸ்தானத்தில் வைத்து பார்ப்பவன். ஆனால், நான் கோகுல் கருத்தை ஒப்புக்கொள்ளவே செய்வேன். பாலகுமாரன் அவர்களின் உழைப்பை பற்றியோ அல்லது அவரது திறன் பற்றியோ கோகுல் எதுவுமே கூறவில்லை. நிறைய எழுதுவதால் ஒரே விஷயம் திருப்பி சொல்லப்படுகிறது என்கிறார். உண்மையிலேயே, நாம் ரசிகர் மனநிலையில் தான் உள்ளோம். இங்குள்ள பின்னூட்டங்களில் பல நமது முதிர்ச்சியின்மையையே காட்டுகிறது. "பாலகுமாரனை பத்தி உனக்கு என்னடா தெரியும்?" என்கிற தொனியே மேலோங்கி நிற்கிறது. இத்தகைய சூழ்நிலையில் இதை பற்றி விவாதிப்பது வீண் என்பதே என் எண்ணம்.

Gokul said...

//i dont understand why u r so against Rajini or his rasigans...pls accept the world for what it is.. thats real open mind//

Ha ha.. I am not against Rajini rasigan :-). Whenever you tell any of the rajini film is flop to a rajini theevira rasigan, he wont accept (though its really a flop)but he will argue that it is a super hit. That mentality only i am comparing wity you all people.

//may be he would lost the charm// thanks for accepting.
//anyway he had made a mark in tamil short literature//
Thats why I wrote in my post as
**Again I am not comparing balakumaran against somebody like ramani chandran or pattukottai prabhakar.I am comparing balakumaran against prabanchan,thi.janakiraman, sundara ramasamy etc**

Hope you got it.

I didnt read udayar, so I cant comment on it.

But

//but as u grow, u tend to be more repetitive also.//

He should have reduced his novels long back to avoid this redudancy and lack of quality.

Vasu. said...

http://jeyamohan.in/?p=3417

babygirl said...

Hi Gokul,

I endorse your view about Balakumaran's novels. It's a healthy attitude to acknowledge a writer's strengths and criticize his/her work. Even the best art work is thoroughly scrutinized before being universally accepted.

This encourages the writers/artists to produce a better work. Else, we would end up having mediocre work and never achieve anything better than that.

I appreciate your devil's advocate attitude.

-Nita