More than a book....

Reading a book and wishing with all your heart that it was a work of fiction; hoping that the protagonist had no resemblance with anyone dead or alive... Such a feeling was a first time for me. Yesterday, after my regular dose of net and facebook, when I settled down with the book, I was pulled into a world which I never thought would exist. By 2 30 in the morning, though I was done with the book, I was still haunted by that world. And I was searching; searching for a clue which would tell me that it was a not real. What I got was a confirmation that author never felt the need to exaggerate the incidents to make it readable.


Najib, the protagonist, was a young man from north Kerala, who was struggling to make both ends meet. Married and expecting his first kid, Najib found it hard to resist the temptation of the 'Gulf dream', when an opportunity came his way. Like any typical to be 'Gulf Malayalee', he too saw the middle east as a land of opportunities; a land that would help him provide a better life to his mother, wife and kid. But the reality was starkly different. 

'Aadujeevitham' (Goat days) is a malayalam novel by Benyamin which takes us thru the life of Najib while he is in Saudi Arabia. He gets trapped there and is forced to lead the life of a slave. For three years, nine months and three days he spend as a slave, he never even once took bath, all he ate was khoboos soaked in water, only shade he had from the desert sun was that of an old cot and the goats he had to look after were his only company. All thru this period he was forced to do back breaking work and was promptly beaten up when ever his master felt him breaking any rules(using water to wash up, talking with anyone-there were hardly anyone in the first place etc) or not working hard enough. Slowly Najib identifies himself with the goats and consider himself one of them. Najib's goat days are full of harshness, suffering, humiliation and pain. But the goodness of the book lies in the way it portrays divinity.

Despite the hardships he went thru, Najib never lost faith in his God. He believed that there was a divine hand that was leading him through. And he was right!! It was proved not just once, not twice, but four times!! He realized that Allah at times even travelled inside expensive cars!!! It is the essence of the book, the message that whatever hardship you may face in your life, if you believe with all your heart that some divine force will take you through, you will be proved right!! Books like The Secret and Alchemist convey the same message, but it is only now I am convinced that it has some merit!! Aadujeevitham-a must read for anyone who loves life...


P.S:
Priyappetta Ibrahim Qadiri, ningal oru satyamanengil-satyamavatte ennu njan aadmarthamai praarthikkunnu- ningaliloode njan ente daivathine kaanunnu..!!!
(Dear Ibrahim Qadiri, if you are real (and I wish you be real), I see my god in you)

Manja Veyil Maranangal (Not a book review)

How often have you read a book and thought, 'can it all be really true'? I am sure anyone who read Da vinchi Code would have. And that in itself adds to the beauty of the book. Taking reader to a world where facts and fiction are clobbed together in such a way that the reader finally ends up becoming a researcher to see if what he read was really true or not! Such books not only provide you with satisfaction of reading a good story, but an awareness of the history behind the plot. I just found one such book! 

The name of the book is 'Manjaveyil Maranangal', a malayalam book by Benyamin. On the surface the book is about circumstances leading to the death of two people (I dont want to name the characters who die, coz even it could be a spoiler!) The gripping investigation story leads us to even more fascinating historical facts. Once you start reading it, like a true page-turner, the book will haunt you till you have read the last page and beyond.

More than the story, I was fascinated by the history behind the plot. It talks about the rites and rituals followed by an old christian family in Kerala. It is said to have striking similarity with Hindu practices. Early Christians in kerala, also known as Christians of St. Thomas, used to follow many of the Hindu customs. Hindu beliefs on transmigration, fate etc were taken up by them. It is said that they even had caste system and followed untouchability!! Another fascinating fact that I came across in the book was that in Kerala, during the period between 9th and 13th century, there was a Christian King, by the name Raja Thoma. The kingdom,Villarvattom, was close to Kochi and its capital was a town called Udayamperoor. This town also has huge significance in the history of Christianity in Kerala, and India.

So how did Christianity begin in Kerala? It began much before spread of the religion in other parts of the country. It is said that in 52 AD, ST.Thomas the Apostle came to Kerala. As he visited many parts of Kerala, local inhabitants including namboothiri brahmins converted to Christianity. Later in 4th century, the visit of Thomas of Kana also helped in spreading the religion further. These early Christians are today called Saint Thomas Christians. They were part of Church of East that was centered in Persia. 

Now church of East has a history of its own. It is based out of Nestorius's doctrine, which believes that the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ were separate. Hence Virgin Mary was not 'bearer of God' but 'Bearer of Christ'. That in effect removed divinity from Virgin Mary. The Roman Churches condemned Nestorius's doctrine and the religious practices of the church of East. Hence the animosity of Portuguese, when they found that St.Thomas Christians aligned with Church of East, can be understood. 

Even though initial relation between the early Christians and the Portugues were cordial, within a century's time things turned upside down. The Roman church patriarchs wanted to bring St.Thomas christians under their control. Aggressive measures were adopted for the same and finally in 1599 through Synod of Diamper(Udayamperur) ancient Christian Church of Malabar was brought under the Roman Catholic Church. 

However many of St Thomas Christians resisted the Synod. The growing resentment agaist the Synod lead to, in 1653, what is known as Coonan Cross Oath(Koonan Kurishu Satyam). It was the swearing of a large gathering of St.Thomas Christians not to accept the faith of the Pope of Rome. The group gathered at a church in Mattanchery and read aloud the oath touching a stone cross. Ropes were tied to the cross and those who could not touch the cross held to the rope while saying the oath. The stone cross is said to have bent because of the weight and hence the name 'koonan kurishe' (bent cross). 

Even though St. Thomas Christians stayed together during Coonan Cross Oath, with in a decade, they were split into Syrian Catholic and Malankara church factions. Syro-Malabar Catholics, Chaldean Syrian, Jacobites, Syrian Orthodox, Syro-Malankara and Mar Thoma Church factions emerged from further splits that happened with time. Thus along with Roman Catholics, Latin Catholics, CSI and Protestants, we can see that the Christian community of modern Kerala is rich and diverse, both in terms of faith and factions. 

The origin of Christianity is only a part of the interesting facts that the book presents before us. The place called Diego Garcia might not be familiar to many of us. The fact that Diego is a collection of diverse Indian culture may come as a surprise and that many of the Indian languages are spoken there will be a shocker. There is no doubt that the author did his homework well. All his research works are well reflected in the book. Benyamin's ability to present them as a plot for an exciting investigative story make the book a special read...