MANJU (THE SNOW)- MALAYALAM

MANJU (THE SNOW)
-M.T.VASUDEVAN NAIR

M.T.Vasudevan Nair one of the most celebrated writers in Malayalam is best known for his indigenous themes in writing. This multi- faceted personality is a teacher, news editor, story writer, novelist, script writer and film director. He is the recipient of many prestigious awards. In 1996 he was awarded Jnanpith Award and in the same year he received the honorary D.Litt from Calicut University. In 2004 he was awarded the Padma Bhushan.

‘Manju’ is a novella by M.T. of a different genre. It is set in the hill- station of Nainital and maintains a musical note across its narration. With minimal characters and few conversations the novella narrates the story of Vimala, a school teacher. Despite having a family comprising father, mother, brother and sister, she is kept aloof from them. She spends her vacations in the loneliness of mist laden Nainital. She hates the company of her family and enjoys solitude.

The watchman of the school Amarsingh is her only company there. She often makes trips in the Naini Lake in her favourite boat Mayflower. Buddhu or Gora Sahib is the boatman who believes he is the son an Englishman. He is eagerly waiting for the return of his father. Here Vimala finds a company in Buddhu as she is also in a similar position waiting for her long lost friend, Sudhir Kumar Mishra. Another character which makes an appearance in the novella is a Punjabi man who is visitor to Nainital and stays at the school. He is a person who effortlessly comes in, makes his presence and moves out of the novella.

M.T. has wonderfully portrayed the picturesque beauty of the hills, mist, snow and the mountains. Silence and solitude play a very important role in the novella. The novelist remarks that silence does not mean the absence of sounds but the presence of even the minutest sound. Moreover, the solitude of Vimala is filled with memories of Sudhir and the unending wait for him.


The novella is a poetic piece of work with the use of imageries and the innocence of the nature. It is incomplete and ambiguous in itself, but traverses through the pat and the present. The snow seems to be melting away in the hearts of persons. The everlasting wait of people and nature is the essence of the novella.