Meeting Ajai has been a regular part of my life—this time, we met after 2.6 years.
He remains one of my top three in Malayalam, not just for his writing, but also for his reading. We talked about Proust, Han Kang’s We Do Not Part, and the contemporary Malayalam novel scene. I’ve been extremely busy these last three years—we last met at the Meet the Author function for Moonnu Kallukal. Since then, he’s published two more books. That’s how fast life moves. Still, meeting someone who has a more nuanced taste in reading than you is always a thrill.
2025, Week 26
Books
While debates rage in the Malayalam lit world about the value of popular fiction, I ended up finishing Parappurath’s Adyakiranangal. It reads like one of those classic “painkili” novels serialized in Malayalam weeklies—only here, the language is more refined and the worldview more sophisticated. That said, it might be the weakest of his works I’ve read so far.
Speaking of nuance, Andrea Bajani’s If You Kept a Record of Sins is a standout. It explores post-communist Romania through the story of an Italian woman who moves there for work, picks up a lover, and disrupts her quiet husband and child’s life. Years later, her son visits Romania after her death, walking through a country still reeling from the scars of fascist rule. One striking scene describes two lines of vehicles: Romanians leaving in search of better lives, while Italians arrive to set up businesses (drawn by cheap labor). A short but beautifully written novel.
I’m continuing with both Proust and Gaddis.
Meanwhile, I re-read Spring by Knausgaard—a bit of a guilty pleasure. But each time, you notice something new or something you’d forgotten. One moment stood out: a friend of his casually observes how Kyiv was a buzzing city, while Moscow, back then, was more of a village. “Russia has always been imperialistic,” he says, “expansion was always on their mind.” A sharp and timely observation, don’t you think?
Articles
Movies
Watched 28 Years Later. The opening and ending felt like afterthoughts. The rest of it was okay—not as grand or compelling as the first two films. The real surprise was Edvin Ryding and that hilarious scene where they discuss the internet. Genuinely funny.
Series
Started The Bear after seeing the famous mushroom scene on YouTube. Also began Kerala Crime Files Season 2—though I haven’t seen Season 1 yet.
Music
