That year at Manikoil

“I would never want to destroy your innocence, but what are we if we do not think?”

Raji spent most of her life being in her sisters’ shadows. Her elder sisters excelled in studies, particularly Mathematics. Raji finds solace in the form of her brother’s letters and music amidst constant comparison between her and her sisters. It is the year 1944 when the Japanese army was advancing to the southern region through the Bay of Bengal. A pall of gloom descends on her family when Gopu Anna (Gopal) decides to enlist in the army against everyone’s wish. A mutual decision of their parents led them to separate from their father and stay in Manikoil, their grandfather’s place due to the impending war. Ilavarasi, a girl from Malaya and Raaji strike an unlikely friendship.

The book was narrated from the POV of Raji and is centred around her and her rambling family. The year is 1944 when World War 2 was inching towards its end. The significant historical events depicted in this book were the invasion of Japan in Malaya and the Allied armies landing on Normandy. The war had displaced Raaji and her siblings in unfamiliar surroundings. The vivid description of the rural area transported me to the village. How the war affected both sides was depicted through Ilavarasi and Raji’s friendship. The prose was a bit verbose to my liking, but I revelled in the setting created by the author. I accompanied Raaji in her walks to the orchard, sat beside her during her Sanskrit lessons and music lessons, inhaled the scent of myriad flowers and sat on the truck to have a glimpse of Gandhi Thatha. There was a constant tussle between refugees and IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons). The author has successfully created an atmosphere that will make you root for the main character.

‘That year at Manikoil’ is an engrossing tale of the freedom struggle movement and inner turmoil of a nine-year-old. Set in the blistering village of Manikoil, this book raises lots of questions about the meaning of freedom, refugee crisis and colonialism.