காடோடி - நக்கீரன்

I came to know about this novel through Vikatan website. This book was in their list of best books of 2015. I have no idea of reading this book any time soon but everything changed when I went to library and found this book. The book cover itself made me to choose this book. Within a minute I started reading. It seems like a memoir as author worked in that industry. But how much is fiction and how is not , only he knows. The author in one interview says that this kind of writing as "narrative display text" and it makes sense to this novel.

மரம் என்றால் அது இலைகள் அல்ல .பூக்கள் அல்ல. காய்கள் அல்ல. கனிகளும் அல்ல.ஏன் அது மரமே அல்ல. மரம் என்றால் அது டாலர் ,டாலர் , டாலர் மட்டுமே .

This novel explores the corporate destruction of pristine forest of Borneo. How these corporations without any hint of tribal knowledge cuts thousands of tress killing innumerable wildlife along with it. Though I have read about deforestation in many articles this is the first time reading a full length Tamil novel with this subject as theme. Kudos to the author.

The author brings the essence of multi-racial logging camp environment alive with lively characters. The real life experience of the author is visible everywhere. All characters has their own story to tell specially the tribal ones. The author beautifully highlights the nature centred life of those tribal people. Though, very painful but these people do not have any other choice except to adopt to the modernity.The author handles two completely different view of forest - one by the corporate and another by the tribes .

பழி என்ற சொல் எல்லாம் இயற்கைக்குத் தெரியாது . அது ஒன்றும் மனிதர் அல்ல. அதன் ஒவ்வொரு செயலுக்கும் காரணம் இருக்கும் . அது நமக்குத் தெரியாது என்பதால்தான் இப்படியெல்லாம் ஊகித்துக் கொள்கிறோம் .

The two stand-out characters are Omar , the manager of the camp and Piliyav ,elderly tribal man. Omar , due to his family situation entered into this logging industry and could not go out of it.  He is a man of great knowledge of forest.  He understood the elderly man more than anyone else. The letter he wrote explain his decision to quit was something everyone should read.  Piliyav is the real hero of this story. A man who knows the forest inside out and keeps learning. He keeps his heart and mind open to the nature. He helps Omar and 'Dhuwan' to understand the forest. He respects them as they are , he did not hate them for helping the companies to cut the trees.  He knew that they cannot take decisions. Piliyav's character shows how one can live along with nature. The ingenious ways he do things without affecting the environment is something we all needs to learn.

எங்களுக்கு அன்பு செலுத்த மட்டுமே தெரியும் . அதையும் ஒவ்வொரு உயிருக்கும் ஒவ்வொரு வகையாக வேறுபட்டுச் செலுத்தத் தெரியாது .

Its fitting that in this story the company goes down with the forest but in reality all these big companies are reaping millions of dollars .The author also highlights the problem with capitalism - how the management of the camp goes from one hand to another for the sake of earning more without thinking even slightly about the environment , for these corporates everything is "Green Dollars."

Though voluminous, the author hold the reader's hand and lead to the beauty of the forest. The Tamil words used in describing the animals and forestry are very new to me. It would have been very helpful if the author attached some appendix for the names of the places, animals and trees in English.In the end I too cried with the characters. Tamil readers should welcome this theme. Very well written book.

White nest swiftlet
Black nest swiftlet
Layang-layang (Swift )
Kayu balak = timber
Masting year
Murut people
Dusun people
Tidung people
Ontoros Antanom
Story of Raja Tua Batulong
கூரன் பன்றி / சருகு மான்  =  Mouse Deer
தாடிப் பன்றி = Bornean Bearded Pig
சும்பித்தான் = sumpitan (blow gun)

List of primates in Borneo: (Needs to fill in the Tamil names)

No.	English Name	Tamil Name
1.	Orangutan
2.	Agile Gibbon
3.	Bornean Gibbon
4.	Banded Leaf Monkey
5.	Bornean Leaf Monkey
6.	White-fronted Leaf Monkey
7.	Maroon Leaf Monkey
8.	Proboscis Monkey	தும்பிக்கைக் குரங்கு
9.	Silvered Langur	வெள்ளி நிறக்  குரங்கு
10.	Pig-tailed Macaque	பன்றிவால்  குரங்கு
11.	Long-tailed Macaque
12.	Slow Loris
13.	Western Tarsier	பேய்க்  குரங்கு