V.N.Giritharan's Kindle (Amazon e-book) 'An Immigrant' (Novel)

The latest Kindle (Amazon e-book) edition of V. N. Giritharan’s acclaimed novel An Immigrant is now available! Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/43SNbhI
 

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V.N.Giritharan's Kindle (Amazon e-book) 'America'

The latest Kindle (Amazon e-book) edition of V. N. Giritharan’s acclaimed novella  America  is now available! Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/3XrY5at
 

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Abridged Tamil Translations of the Best Works in World Literature — Now on Amazon Kindle

The abridged Tamil translations of the best works in world literature are now available as Amazon Kindle eBooks Fydor Dostoevsky' s Crime And Punishment  https://amzn.to/4nJZ0Oc

The abridged Tamil translations of the best works in world literature are now available as Amazon Kindle eBooks. Loe Tolstoy's War And Peace  https://amzn.to/3WJiesz

The abridged Tamil translations of the best works in world literature are now available as Amazon Kindle eBooks. Loe Tolstoy's  Anna Karenina - https://amzn.to/4oT59IU 

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Diasporic Short Story: "Mice" by V.N. Giritharan (English translation by Google AI Studio, edited by V.N. Giritharan)

- This English translation of the Tamil story by Google AI Studio was edited by V.N. Giritharan. The original Tamil version of the story follows the translation.-

[Digiat Art (Google Nano Banana) help: VNG ]

[A short story first published in Thayagam magazine (Canada). Later also published in Pathivukal  online Tamil magazine. It was also included in the 'America' collection published by Sneha (Tamil Nadu) - Mangai Pathippagam (Canada) from Tamil Nadu. Regarding this, writer Se. Ganesalinging stated in his foreword to the collection, 'He has tried to convey the philosophical significance of the human foundational existence of survival through a mouse.']

Couldn't bear the cockroach problem. Tried every possible method. From the Chinese 'chalk' onwards, there was no untried method. Victory belonged to the cockroaches. If I simply admitted defeat and moved from one 'apartment' to another, it would be like the story of digging a well and a ghost appearing. Instead of cockroaches, it would be the problem of mice. In Canada, only the buildings are tall, not the rats. These mice seemed new to me, who had seen fat, rolling village rats. From country to country, from land to land, living beings transform and live in various forms.

Diaspora Tamil Short Story: "A Co(w)untry Problem" by V.N. Giritharan (English translation by Google AI Studio, edited by V.N. Giritharan)

[ This English translation of the Tamil story is by Google AI Studio was edited by V.N.Giritharan  The original Tamil version of the story follows the translation.]

[Digiat Art (Google Nano Banana) help: VNG ]

[This short story, published in 'Thayagam' (Canada) newspaper, is included in the 'America' collection published by Sneha Pathippagam. It is also featured in the short story collection 'Panaiyum Paniyum' compiled and published by ES.Po and Indira Parthasarathy.]

Being Sunday, there wasn't much pedestrian traffic on the routine roads. No vehicle congestion either. Ponnaiya's Honda Accord was slowly cruising west on St. Clair. Ponnaiya loved driving on Sundays or holidays. Without any tension, and without worrying about horns honking behind him, he could enjoy the city at a leisurely pace, couldn't he? However, lately, even on Sundays, people had started honking. The city was expanding. "As the city expands, people seem to lose their patience," Ponnaiya would tell himself on such occasions. "The quality of life for people should rise at the same pace as the city's growth. Otherwise, it's a problem," he would sometimes ponder with a serious expression.

The car sped past Old Weston Road and the Keele Intersection. To the left, Canada Packers' slaughterhouse sprawled over a large area. A massive abattoir where hundreds of cattle were cut up daily.

Ponnaiya was naturally a little compassionate. He wanted to show love to other living beings. As long as he was in his hometown, he was a pure vegetarian. After coming here, he gradually changed. "With this climate here, if you don't eat this, a person will just die." Suddenly, the moving traffic stopped. Ponnaiya looked at his watch. It was past eleven. The Punjabi guy had asked him to come at ten.

The Punjabi's garage was the only reasonably honest one Ponnaiya knew. There had been a slight tremor in the steering wheel since yesterday. Ponnaiya was rushing to get it checked. "What's this traffic block at an odd time..." Thinking this, he looked ahead to see what was causing the traffic jam.

Short Story: A CO(W)UNTRY ISSUE By V.N.Giritharan | English Translation From Tamil By Latha Ramakrishnan | Edited by Betsy Harrell (USA)

[Digiat Art (Google Nano Banana) help: VNG ]

As it was Sunday the road looked less crowded than usual. No traffic jam, either. Ponnaiya’s Honda Accord was creeping smoothly along St.Clair West. Driving a car during Sundays or holidays was Ponnaiya’s passion, so to speak. With no tension and no worry about some one honking the horn behind, he could drive leisurely, indulging in sight-seeing and so enjoying the city. A pleasure, indeed. Alas, the point arrived where Sundays were no longer a day without the honking horns. The city was growing day by day. As it swelled, the people, too, were starting to lose their patience, so at times like this Ponnaiya would tell himself , “As fast as the growth of the city, people’s standard of living should also grow. Otherwise, problems are bound to multiply”.

Going past Old Weston road and also Keele’s intersection, the car meandered along. On the left side, the Beef Packers slaughterhouse has spread, occupying a vast space. A great, grand butcher house stood there where hundreds of cows were put to death and cut to pieces every day. By nature, Ponnaiya was kind -hearted. He would prefer to love one and all living beings. As long as he was in his native place he had remained a strict Vegetarian. But after coming here, he gradually changed. Yet for the kind of climate prevailing here, if man is not to eat meat he would be gone in no time!

Suddenly, the creeping traffic was disrupted. Ponnaiya looked at his watch. It was well past eleven o’clock. The Punjabiwallah had asked him to come by ten. The one garage that Ponnaiya knew to be fair was the Punjabiwala’s. There was a slight jerk in the steering of the car and ever since yesterday Ponnaiya had been anxious to take it in. But What is this untimely traffic jam? Wondering, he looked in front to find out what was the matter.

A crowd had gathered as if for a carnival. Ponnaiya reflected how in their bent for curiosity all men are one and the same. As there stood a huge Beef Packers’ truck blocking his view, he couldn’t see clearly. Looking at a chinese man who was standing at the road side watching what was happening, Ponnaiya called out. “Hi man, what is the matter? What’s going on?”

The Chinese with the help of the little English that he knew , said, “Beef..escape…slaughter.” A White man who was standing next to him laughed at his broken English. Ponnaiya also felt like laughing. Both had understood though. A cow had escaped from the slaughterhouse.

Zohran Mamdani — the elected mayor of New York.

Zohran Mamdani — the elected mayor of New York. 

A moment of pride for Americans. A moment when the world looks at Americans with admiration and wonder. 

 [Digiat Art (Google Nano Banana) help: VNG ]

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.