Date:10/12/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/12/10/stories/2006121000860200.htm

Kerala

An artist, poet and novelist too

CREATIVE JOURNEY: Senior IPS officer B. Sandhya with artist Namboodiri at an exhibition of her paintings at the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery in Kozhikode on Saturday.

Kozhikode witnessed an unusual gathering of writers and artists on Saturday. And it was quite a different experience for many, as it was a release of a book authored by a senior IPS officer and the exhibition of her paintings.

Some of the audience at the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery had already read the serialised version of the maiden novel "Neelakkoduveliyude Kavalkkari " by the Inspector General of Police B. Sandhya published in a Malayalam weekly. The novel is published by Mathrubhumi Books.

Sandhya, quite familiar to the Malayali readers through her anthology of poems, said that the novel had some autobiographical elements. "I wanted to tell a story but it became a novel," she said modestly.

The background elucidates the beautiful locations of Meenachil and rustic people residing in the region. Sandhya hails from Palai town situated on the banks of Meenachil river. "Meenachil taluk has a culture of its own as well as a different language. My official travels might have polluted that language. But the language is still in me," she said.

About the feedbacks she received about the novel, Sandhya said some said that the ending was abrupt and was penned in a hurry. Many wrote letters and a few called her to tell that character such as "Paruamma " and "Panchaliashati" resembled them at Meenachil. Some also argued that the characters in the novel were not created but taken out of real life, she said.

Why even the reputed writer M.T. Vasudevan Nair, in the foreword of the novel, wondered whether the protagonist Sujatha was Sandhya herself. Artist Namboodiri had done the illustrations of the characters in the weekly and the novel.

Novelist P. Valsala released the novel by handing a copy to writer U.A. Khader. Namboodiri inaugurated the exhibition of paintings.

Most of Sandhya's paintings are simple works of flowers. Some of them are titled `Nattupookal.' And the medium watercolours on hand made paper.

She has also used oil and oil and acrylic for others works blue boom and a tree in the forest.

Concentration and peace are other esoteric forms displayed at the Art Gallery. Mohiniyattom and empowerment are the two titled works portraying woman in varied forms.

Biju Govind