Upon reading Kaviperarasu Vairamuthu’s Short Stories by Vairamuthu, which was conceptualised some time ago, the late Jayakanthan remarked, “There is no field that can stay away from your charm.” Of course, the testimonial is all the more significant, considering that Jayakanthan is revered for his short stories.
5,000 copies in each of the nine editions released initially were sold. The eleventh edition of short stories is now being printed — a popular Kerala-based daily has come up with the Malayalam version titled, A Human for a While.
“Though I have written a set of 40 short stories, each one has stayed with me for over 50-55 years, and they have found an outlet now. Like with any other short story collection, these narrate 40 different lessons about life. Most of the stories are intended for a middle-aged audience, and according to the feedback I have received, readers have felt as though different personalities have been infused in their body,” starts off the great poet in his conversation with DC.
What elated Vairamuthu is the fact that the book has found favour with even school and college students. “I’ve always wanted to reach out to the younger generation, and I am happy I was able to do that through these tales, dispelling myths about short stories not being the youth’s cup of tea,” he says.
He also makes an interesting comparison vis-a-vis short stories and novels, the latter in the veteran poet’s kitty include Kalvettugal, Karuvachi Kaviyam, Moondram Ulaga Por, Kallikaattu Ithikasam and more. “You can say that a novel is like looking at life through a street, while short stories are doing the same through the eyes of a window,” he says, making us spellbound with his observations.
We couldn’t help but prod Vairamuthu about what really spurs him to pen his thoughts and find inspiration. “There is no one-size-fits-all way of doing things when it comes to writing. What happens with me, is that a lot of my thoughts and observations stay with me. Like roots waiting to branch out into a tree, you can say that I reach a saturation point and I am wildly possessed and obsessed to transform these thoughts into writing,” he says.
Besides his film assignments, Vairamuthu will soon go public with a one-of-a-kind project that he is planning. “But, it’s too early to talk about it,” he says, winding up the conversation.
