• Novel : Poonachi: Or the Story of a Black Goat
• Author : Perumal Murugan
• Genre : Allegorical/ political satire
• Language : Tamil
• Publication : Kalachuvadu Pathipagam, 2016
• Pages : 143
• Price :158 (originally 175)

Blogpost by Dhanu

Content 4🌟/5
Cover design 4🌟/5

I decided to read this book a long back. During that time, the English version of the novel was popular among the readers and the bloggers. But I knew that this novel is originally written in my mother tongue and I wanted to read this in the same language. After my fellow blogger’s amazing view on this novel (and her bookstagram pictures), it tickles me to buy the book. Soon after, I happened to go to a book exhibition in my town. But no other doubt I bought this book and began to read this novel in its original version in Tamil.

The plot begins in the twilight with the introduction of the heroine lamp of the novel, none other than a day old goat. A strange man assures about the gift of the goat which can give birth to the seven goats in each labour of the goat in its mature state. This attracts the unnamed old man and he takes the custody of the goat. She is an undernourished goat and the story revolves around her. She is unusual pitch-black colour which is rare in the case of the goats’ herd around the particular region. After the deceased pet cat, the wife of the old man named the tiny goat as Poonachi.

The goat is pampered by an old couple, and they meet many challenges to keep the life of the goat. The goat frequently gets into trouble from the day it gets in the hands of the old man, which helps to grow more aware of the world and its danger. Poonachi understands that every beautiful object resides before the unpredictable reactions.

The changes in the view of life even it’s a goat, particularly a female goat will remain same with all the struggles and trouble that she has to face in her life. The missing of the goat in the mallangkadu brings the new turns in the life of Poonachi. How she suddenly understands the horror of the world which changes her thought process from a playful goat into a matured lady goat. After the incident, Poonachi starts to fight against her own destiny who eventually falls in love with another goat, Poovan.

Whether Poonachi succeed her destiny as well as her love or not, is the story which leaves you with an awestricken end.

Because, lot of facts are residing in this book and every inches of reading helps you to relate the incidents with our life especially people in India. And the book comments about the politics in many places and also about the destitutions and wrought in the life of farmers. The naughtiness of the goat makes the characters of the novel as well as the readers to forget the miseries that happening around the region. If one indulge into a deep reading, can easily understand the intense meaning that the author intended to convey to his readers.

The setting of the story is not mentioned in particular. But in some places, the author mentions the place as asuralogam, an imaginary world. From the beginning of the novel itself, the readers can witness the drought of the particular landscape. In one scene, when the old man gets some money, he happily buys gold ornaments for his wife and his married daughter. It shows the dream in the life of poors to gift their loved and dear ones with some valuable ornaments amidst their poverty.

The descriptions about the every minute details and incidents amuse me about the observation capacity of the author without leaving any details of the goat. The life of the innocent goat is magnificently presented with the humanic resemblance. The colloquial language used by the characters make the novel more domestic and lifts up the spirit of the characters. Although I read this in Tamil, I came across many new and unfamiliar matters of facts about the goats as well as the humans.

Poonachi, a pitch-black wonder. A must read one. Highly highly recommended in whatever the language you can be read this novel.

வாயிருப்பது மூடிக்கொள்ளதான். கையிருப்பது கும்பிடு போடத்தான். காலிப்பது மண்டியிடத்தான். முதுகிருப்பது குனியத்தான். உடலிருப்பது ஒடுங்கத்தான். ராசாங்கததிடம் எப்படி நடந்துகொள்ள வேண்டும் என்பதை எல்லாரும் நன்றாகவே கற்றிருந்தார்கள். (37)