Enmakaje is a

Malayalam language Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

novel written by

Ambikasuthan Mangad Ambikasuthan Mangad is an Indian Malayalam language writer. He was a professor of Malayalam at Nehru Arts and Science College, Kanhangad. His literary contributions range from short stories to novels in Malayalam. He has written more than 40 bo ...

based on the life of the people in

Enmakaje Enmakaje is a village in Kasaragod district in the state of Kerala, India. The administrative capital of the village is Perla, Kasaragod. Demographics India census, Enmakaje had a population of 11773 with 5932 males and 5841 females. Tran ...

, a village in Kasargod affected by the

Endosulfan Endosulfan is an off-patent organochlorine insecticide and acaricide that is being phased out globally. It became a highly controversial agrichemical due to its acute toxicity, potential for bioaccumulation, and role as an endocrine disruptor. ...

disaster in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. Ambikasuthan Mangad, a professor of Malayalam at Nehru Arts and Science College, wrote the novel after directly visiting the areas affected by Endosulfan. This is his debut novel. The novel is used as a textbook in seven universities. The book brought attention to the plight of the pesticide victims. The novel has been published in 17 editions in Malayalam and has been translated into English, Tamil and Kannada. An upcoming Hindi translation is being published by the Hindi Prachar Sabha on the organization's 100th anniversary.

Background

The novel depicts the challenges faced by the people of Enmakaje, a village at

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

border in Kasargod district of

, due to the lethal chemical Endosulfan used by a plantation corporation in 5,000-hectare cashew plantation in the village.

Plot

A couple named Neelakantan and Devayani live on a hill inside a forest. After living in self-induced isolation for six years, They are coming to the place named ''Swarga'' which literally means heaven. There they see an unusual environment with children and calves with deformed bodies, ponds with no fish and a sky with no birds, and realize that Swarga is no heaven at all. Devayani decides to bring home a child named Pareekshit, who has never walked in his 7 years of life, who has grey hair and sores all over his body due to pesticide poisoning. Through this child, which the couple later adopts, the horror of endosulfan poisoning unfolds before readers. The couple later joins the struggle against the pesticide.

Translations

J. Devika translated novel Enmakaje into English with the name ''Swarga''. The novel is named after Swarga, the name of a place in Enmakaje village affected by the pesticide. The Tamil translation was done by Sirpi Palasupramaniyam.

References

{{reflist Malayalam novels 2009 novels Novels set in Kerala