The Sandal Trees - Kamala Das

I've read almost all the works of Madhavikutty written in Malayalam. It's totally a new experience to read them in English. The Sandal Trees is an assorted collection of her 23 short stories. Hats off to the editors and translators , they've done a good job. The 'valluvanadan' slang which is the only thing I loath in her works , is lost in transit -  a huge relief.

As usual , the first and the title story is the best one. So, what are sandal trees? According to Kamala Das they are the silences that grow between a husband and wife. Oh ! only silences? What about kids , hatred , jealousy , indifference and  O yes, a flikr of love?


Kamala Das aka Madhavikutty aka Kmala Suraiyya has left this world to join.....Krishna or Allah ? Ooops !