Govardhante Yathrakal

By Anand

The novel revolves around Govardhan, a character taken from the story ‘Prahasanam’, written by Bharathendu Harichandra. Govardhante Yathrakal provides a terrifying portrait of the cruelty and irrationality of the world which we contend as civilized. The author concerned with the irrationality of all systems of penal law, sends Govardhan, a fictional character liberated from a play by Bharathendu Harischandra, on a journey through Indian history where he encounters some of the more outrageous violations of justice. It won the Sahitya Akademi Novel in 1997.

About the Author
P. Sachidanandan (born 1936), uses the pseudonym Anand, is an Indian writer, writing primarily in Malayalam. His works are noted for their philosophical flavor, historical context and their humanism. He followed Alkkoottam (Crowd) his first novel with three more equally abstract novels: Maranacertificate (Death Certificate), Abhayarthikal (Refugees) and Utharayanam. These books made Anand a writer with considerable standing in Malayalam. But it was in the late eighties and early nineties that Anand came up with two more novels, Marubhoomikal Undakunnathu and Govardhanante Yathrakal, which made him an icon in Malayalam literature. Anand has also written many short stories and articles, most of which deal with plight of the ordinary people who are exploited by the people in power. His characters are not necessarily a Malayali, and often weaves in historical elements into his stories. More often they are also located outside Kerala. He is also a prolific essayist. He occasionally writes poems also.