Moondram Ulaga Por

In Indian literature, there is a belief in the presence of heaven and hell. Yama is the god who decides whether a person goes to heaven or hell according to their past deeds. 

'Yama was concerned one day because there was an enormous surge of individuals into hell, and he was having trouble finding a place. He was therefore searching for other choices. Naradhar asked him about the issue while he was passing him at that moment. Upon hearing about Yama's pitiful circumstances, Naradhar proposed a remedy. "Hey Yama, don't worry, there is a country named India. Send those who you wish to send to hell to India and train them to be farmers." Yama was overjoyed. He gave Naradhar a hug and thanked him.'

The above story aims to portray reality rather than criticise Indian farmers.

There have already been two world wars. The globe's population is always afraid of a third-world war. The third world war, according to author Vairamuthu, has already begun. It's not a conflict between nations or people. It’s a war between humans and nature. A war declared by global warming and globalisation against agriculture. Climate change is affecting precipitation patterns, leading to changes in rainfall distribution and intensity. This resulted in more prolonged droughts in some regions and increased rainfall in others, impacting agriculture and water resources.

Many regions are experiencing record-breaking high temperatures. Heatwaves are becoming more frequent and severe, impacting human health, agriculture, and energy demand. There are various proofs one can find about climate change. The book 'Moondram Ulaga Por' by Vairamuthu addresses this issue through a village-based story.

In the Theni district's Attanampatti village, there lives an elderly and poor farmer named Karuthamayie. He resides with his two kids, Muthumani and Chinnapandi, his wife Chittamma, and his daughter. For the previous three generations, the Karuthamayie family has been farmers. However, the seasons are not as they should be because of climate change, and agriculture is struggling. He eventually suffers a significant loss on any crops that he grows. His father committed suicide earlier, feeling humiliated about his failure to make loan repayments on time. Since then, Karuthamayie has been restoring his farm.

Karuthamayie’s sons not only had a huge impact on his family but also on the entire village. While Muthumani brought all the problems, Chinnapandi was incredibly supportive. Muthumani caused the situation, but Chinnapandi served as its cure. Karuthamayie made it clear that his family's sole chance for improvement is through education. In order to survive and live better lives than he did, he made sure his sons had a good education. Chinnapandi was pursuing his studies at the university. 

After graduating, Muthumani was jobless. Muthumani was a sly man. He betrayed his friend and parents, acquired huge money, and secured a government position through bribing a local politician. Muthumani was an additional fuel for the villainous role that climate change was playing in Karuthamayie's life. He was the source of Karuthamayie's extreme misery. He received extra money as a dowry from his father-in-law after marrying a wealthy widow. His greed for money didn't go away, though. He quarrelled and split the property with his father. This made Karuthamayie's circumstances worse. 

Muthumani was a villain to his entire village, in addition to his family. He was involved in the trafficking of mineral resources. He illegally exported every precious plant, animal, and herb. It may be said that he used up half the resources found in the surrounding mountains. On the mountainside, he was secretly growing cannabis as well. Muthumani was also heavily involved in the land mafia in addition to these illegal businesses. He forced many of the villagers to sell their farmlands to a corporate entity by instilling in them the belief that there was no future for agriculture.

Conversely, Chinnapandi was doing all the positive things for his village and family. After college, he assisted his father on the farm and shared in his suffering. Chinnapandi received support and guidance from Emily and Ishimura, two foreign guests, to establish his village as a model village for India and the rest of the world. Environmental activists Emily from the United States and Ishimura from Japan aimed to raise awareness of climate change and encourage others to make a good environmental impact.

Together with Chinnapandi, they went to Attanampatti and devised a plan for reestablishing their village. The children in the village served as Chinnapandi's main weaponry in order to successfully lead the movement. He was able to eliminate plastic from his village as a result. The author did a good job of portraying the difficulties that Chinnapandi experienced and how he overcame them.

This book is among Vairamuthu's masterworks. The importance of agriculture, the effects of climate change, the politics surrounding the trafficking of natural resources, and the potential for human greed to damage the environment were all expertly shown by him. Along with criticising the issues, he also discusses the fixes and what each person can do to lessen the negative effects of climate change. He portrayed the story in a way that made the listeners follow his beat. The language used was really clear and concise. An added benefit to his plot was the introduction of the foreign characters, Emily and Ishimura. The author also touched on the varied customs and cultures of the villages. All the characters were given equal importance in the book.

The author made us to realize that there exist a Muthumani inside all of us and how one could eliminate it. The unspoken love between Chittamma and Karuthamayie also make and sometimes breaks our heart. Through this book, one can have a virtual journey into a farmer’s life.

Do give it a read!