Hello beloved people! How are you all? I wish you a very happy new year first of all. I know that you are well aware than me, but if you are new to my blog, I want to notify you that my second book “Aval Oru Maram” is set to release this year. Akin to my first book “I Have An Interview Tomorrow“, which portrays a day in the life of a disabled graduate and was published in November 2020, this one is also a short fiction/story, which depicts deforestation in the Western Ghats of India.
If you had relished reading my first short story, you would have familiarised yourlself with my epigrammatic style. Like that, this book has also been written in the same succinct style. But in contrast to my first book, in which I have used informal, Indian English, this one, as its title says, has been written in formal Tamil. The photo I have posted below is the cover I designed for this book.
Wait! I can hear you ask when I will release this book. On November 4, 2020, I had tweeted that the book would be in your hands in just three months. But things were not as same as I thought they would be. The research I did on deforestation for this book alone polished off my five months, and then, I built this website for me and blogged articles for that while I tested positive for the ubiquitous coronavirus. Thanks to the virus! It left me only within two weeks, making me sick for two months.
But as always happens, my silly heart wasn’t ready to give up in half. Therefore, I resumed writing, refilling the stomach of my teacup. Soon after I started, it was found out that my eyes’ intraocular pressure had increased once again, and I was advised to take a few pills and apply still many bottles of eye drops, which unusually resulted in giving me a lot of awful side effects. Only one more eye exam to go to be apprised by my ophthalmologist that the fluid pressure in my eyes is as normal as before!
Believing all shall be well, I finished writing this book amidst all these ordeals. Even though it is ready to be published now, I must consider the current crisis. Experts have warned us, and we expect the third wave of the virus. After all, February is not far from us. Hence, I have redecided to release this book either in March or April. We must wait for a while to mellow out and celebrate. I will soon announce the date.
Are there any synonyms for the word ‘thanks‘? No. I am much obliged to all the doctors of Aravind Eye Hospital, Tirunelveli. And my dear friends, I love you and owe you a great debt of thanks. I couldn’t have been in this world without your kind words. Also, Abin and Pattu, thanks a million for being this foolish poet’s pets! Kavi, this poor girl will profoundly miss you forever! At last, thanks a lot, Notion Press and rational readers!
I have resolved to translate “Aval Oru Maram” into English and publish it as “She Is A Tree” this year. Tell me your resolution for the new year! And as sworn, I will release the trailer of this book on February 1.
