'Marriage and mutton curry' will whet your curiosity

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5 (Bernama) – In the hands of a skilful storyteller, history comes alive and Datuk Dr M. Shanmughalingam seems to have accomplished this with his anthology of 15 short stories called Marriage and Mutton Curry.

Sultan Nazrin Shah of Perak, who has known the author since their Oxford University days, launched the book at Black Box in MAP@Publika yesterday.

In the foreword, the royal wrote: “… The individual lives and specific events that are described in these stories convey most effectively the growing pains and the joys of a young and developing Malaya, later Malaysia.

“The stories in this collection are set within the Jaffna Tamil community to which Datuk Dr Shan belongs.

“… While the stories appear on the surface to be about the Jaffna Tamil community – depicting the hopes, dreams and foibles of its members alongside its foods, cultural and religious practices, and even its names – the insights they provide on the human condition go well beyond the experiences of any one ethnic group.

“… It is this aspect that I value the most in this collection, along of course with its humour … Datuk Dr Shan laughs with, rather than at, his community, whose nuances, little jokes and colloquial terms he knows intimately.”

At the launch, the prolific writer and Trilogic Sdn Bhd managing director, told Bernama: “If you read history just focusing on the facts and figures, it won’t be interesting. In this book, I try to make readers view the past with a different perspective.

“It’s satirical, yet deeply empathetic. Readers will be able to dive into what the subject in the story feels, has in their head and went through.”

Marriage and Mutton Curry, now out in major bookstores, costs RM39.90. 

-- BERNAMA