உப்பு நாய்கள் (Uppu Naigal) - லஷ்மி சரவணக்குமார்

One "Tour de force " novel by hugely talented Lakshmi Saravanakumar. This is the second book I read by this author. Uppu Naigal is undoubtedly the better of the two.  I felt like watching a movie and the one movie kept on coming to my mind was "Aranya kandam". The series of events and the way the author explains it  made it look like a movie.

யாருக்கும் சொல்லாத ரகசியமென்று ஒன்றுமிருக்க முடியாது. ஒருவனின் ரகசியங்களை அவனறியாமலேயே பார்ப்பதில்தான் சகமனிதனின் உச்சபட்சமான சந்தோசங்களிருக்கின்றன .

I have to say this is the story of the people whom we meet everyday in the crowded city.  The city in this story is Madras. People from different parts of the country keep coming to Madras. This story tells life of these people. Some readers will feel awkward when they read the same sex scenes , relationship between Mani and Sampath's mother and the sexual act between Selvi and Muthulakshmi. And some other readers will find it shocking about the Armenian Church priest's sexual fantasies ,dog butchering  and the children kidnapping.

ஒரு மனிதன் நிழலை மறைத்துக்கொள்ள முடிந்தால் எல்லா இடங்களும் அவனுக்கு உடமையாகிவிடுகின்றன .

Most of the story moves around Sambath, Selvi and Athamma. All three start their life in a very different way, the only thing that connects them all is poverty. Part one of the book is a breeze, pacy and thrilling. The Main Protagonist is Sampath, a very unique character. Whatever he do , he did it better than others. No one knows how he does and his whereabouts. His sexual exploits are unbelievable , at least for me. A nun trust him like she trust her God. A Marwadi girl ignore his husband and full-fill her sexual desires with him. Sampath is a typical example of man's boundless desire.The politics of north chennai is played out through Sampath and gangs.

குழந்தைகளுக்கு பயப்பட எதுவுமில்லை . பெரியவர்களிடமிருந்து  கற்றுக்கொள்கிற ஆபாசமான விசயங்களில் இந்த பயமும் ஒன்று.

Athamma and her family left Kadappa to Chennai in search of better life. Athamma is a wild girl - unafraid of anything . She was fascinated by the city lifestyle. Through Athamma , the author tells the story of a immigrant workers. Her father slowly leaves her and her mother and at one point he gave her mother to his Oriya friend. No one except Arti, an IT girl who works in one of the building they built, love her in this big city. She sort of adopted Athamma and her mother. The introduction of Arti looks cinematic and did not bring credibility to this part for the story.

ஒரு மனிதன் தான் ரகசியங்களை அளவுக்கு அதிகமாகப் பாதுகாக்க நினைக்கும் பொழுது அவன் தனக்கான முடிவுகளை எளிதில் தேடிக்கொள்கிறான் .

The story of Selvi and Thavudu is even more pathetic. From pickpocket to drug smuggling , their life is full of tragedy but that's reality. The  life of women in prison is shocking .Here too , the author highlights the atrocities of the police. The episode of sham travels and prostitution are real - many times we read these kind of things in newspapers.Another cinematic end to Thavudu , she started selling food items and leaves all the dirty works. I thought that Sampath , Athamma adn Selvi will come together at some point of time specially when Sampath starts kidnapping but author had other thoughts and it was good.

Another important story is Shivani and Mahesh's sexual escapades. Their sexual relation starts in a theatre -for Shivani its sort of necessity and freedom, . One can understand Shivani's position and feeling but how she overcome her traditional family values and lives her sexual life is something 'dark' ,again its believable.The author also tells the scary story of how SIM card can be dangerous through Mahesh. All characters make sense. Gopal - who left smuggling and start selling dog meat , Muthulakshmi - a bogus doctor with her cunning schemes, Babu- the smuggling boy who introduces Selvi to smuggling are all important characters which give continuity and credibility.

The author did not comprise the language and the details when he explained different crimes (should I say crime?!) and the lives of these people.  Felt like the author wrote from his own experiences,  One can also feel the familiarity of some characters. The life in darkness which we  everyday passes through.

To know the  real face of the city. Read it. A minor classic!