Reading Aadu Jeevitham is a painful experience to the reader across its 43 chapters, where the protagonist almost becomes a goat…
The novel, Aaadu Jeevitham, (The Goat life), which was written by the modern Malayalam writer Benyamin, is just not a witness to prove the existence of a ‘hell on earth’ but an attempt to bring out the hardships underwent by the protagonist Najeeb in his real life. The novel which has been made into a movie now, bagged the Kerala Sahitya Akademy award in 2010 and Youth India Award in 2011. The book was translated into Tamil by S Raman, a journalist working in the daily Malayala Manorama and published by Uyirmai Pathipagam.
Though Benyamin had no idea of writing the real story of Najeeb into a novel, when he listened to the lively narrations of Najeeb, the great Malayalam writer could not help himself penning it into a story.
Awaiting the arrival of their sponsor as soon as he and Hakkeem landed at the airport, the duo is forced into a lorry and taken to a vast stretch of a desert where they saw no patch of green. It is here Najeeb begins a life of hell looking after the goats and camels. The Farm supervisor Arbabu frequently beats him with a belt and denies him even water to wash. To the Arbabu, “Water in the Masra is more precious than any other thing, he has it only for the goats, and not to human beings like Najeeb”.
The novel provides a painful experience to the reader across its 43 chapters, where the protagonist almost becomes a goat in a period of three years gradually forgetting his pregnant wife and his mother in Kerala. However, luck knocks the door of the protagonist through Ibrahim a shepherd in another Masra. On an occasion, led by Ibrahim, Najeeb and Hakkeem escape from the Masra in the cover of night. Still, during their walk in the desert miles and miles for three successive days and nights, Ibrahim and Hakkeem die of thirst. With Najeeb being the only survivor from the clutches of the Arbabu and the vast Arabian sands, he later speaks to his wife on the phone. The dialogue reveals that a son was born to him and is now attending nursery school. However, Najeeb’s wife wept on the phone saying “Umma died last year “.
Though Benyamin had no idea of writing the real story of Najeeb into a novel, when he listened to the lively narrations of Najeeb, the great Malayalam writer could not help himself penning it into a story.
Awaiting the arrival of their sponsor as soon as he and Hakkeem landed at the airport, the duo is forced into a lorry and taken to a vast stretch of a desert where they saw no patch of green. It is here Najeeb begins a life of hell looking after the goats and camels. The Farm supervisor Arbabu frequently beats him with a belt and denies him even water to wash. To the Arbabu, “Water in the Masra is more precious than any other thing, he has it only for the goats, and not to human beings like Najeeb”.
The novel provides a painful experience to the reader across its 43 chapters, where the protagonist almost becomes a goat in a period of three years gradually forgetting his pregnant wife and his mother in Kerala. However, luck knocks the door of the protagonist through Ibrahim a shepherd in another Masra. On an occasion, led by Ibrahim, Najeeb and Hakkeem escape from the Masra in the cover of night. Still, during their walk in the desert miles and miles for three successive days and nights, Ibrahim and Hakkeem die of thirst. With Najeeb being the only survivor from the clutches of the Arbabu and the vast Arabian sands, he later speaks to his wife on the phone. The dialogue reveals that a son was born to him and is now attending nursery school. However, Najeeb’s wife wept on the phone saying “Umma died last year “.