Poonachi: Or the Story of a Black Goat - Perumal Murugan

Author: Perumal Murugan

Translator: N. Kalyan Raman

Genre: Indian Cultural Fiction.

Rating: 3.75 stars.

“Once, in a village, there was a goat. No one knew where she was born. The birth of an ordinary life never leaves a trace, does it?”

This start hints at what you will get from this book. It is the story of an ordinary goat, or is it?

Poonachi is a little black goat who lands up at the house of a poor old couple. Her life isn’t a cakewalk, but Poonachi seems to win against the struggles that routinely come her way. Can life ever be straightforward though? With a hegemonic government, poor rains, and lack of resources, life begins revealing its darker shades. Only time will tell if Poonachi will thrive or wither with the change of circumstances.

Murugan shows us that great storytelling doesn’t need to be jazzy storytelling. The language in the book is simple and straightforward, yet used to great effect. There is a subtle hint of magical realism, but most of the content is socio-cultural fiction. The book is short and quick-paced, so you can complete it within 2-3 hours.

The content isn’t as direct as the language. Allegorical in its essence, the book is a medley of political satire and social commentary, while being a reflection on how simple minds also have corrupted thinking. It is somewhat reminiscent of ‘Animal Farm’, though, in this case, it is the humans who are “beings more equal than others.”

The book also spotlights how humans treat animals utterly selfishly. As one line in the book goes, 

“No matter how much you give to this heart, it will never be enough.” 

We grab and we grab and we grab, until there’s nothing left for anyone, including ourselves. Some of these scenes hit hard and make for very uncomfortable reading; go into the book with a strong heart and stomach.

I liked the first half more that the second half, possibly because it appealed more to my personal taste and my current mood, with Poonachi’s innocence and resilience shining through. The second half is more despondent and depressing, and doesn’t stop the sense of impending doom right till the end, which is exactly as you would assume but not what you would want.

The book was originally written in Tamil. The English translation by N. Kalyan Raman seems to capture the spirit of the book well. It doesn’t make the writing flowery, nor does it wash out the essence of the original language, with a few Tamil colloquialisms retained even in the translation.

Poonachi’s story is a metaphorical ode to greed and this is something common to most people and all governments. Thus it ought to work well with anyone looking for a quirky tale with unusual characters but facing realistic problems. Let me quote a line from the translator’s note:

“Through a feat of storytelling that is both masterly and nuanced, Murugan makes us reflect on our own responses to hegemony and enslavement, selflessness and appetite, resistance and resignation, living and dying.”

Recommended for sure,  though it is not for everyone. Given a choice between reading the likes of Alka Joshi/Thrity Umrigar and Perumal Murugan, I would go for the latter without even blinking my eyes.