#TeamEnglish@CMS_Kottayam: The learner in me, hand in hand with the teacher in you!

The Legends of Khasak (Khasakkinte Ithihaasam) Synopsis (Ravi’s arrival to Khasak and the incidents that follow are given in present tense; past tense indicates incidents that happened before.) In Search of the Sarai: Ravi arrives at Koomankavu by bus. His purpose is to start, under the direction of the District Board, a single-teacher school at Khasak. Sivaraman Nair had arranged his shed that stored seedlings ( njaattupura ) to form the school and dwelling of Ravi. Ravi reaches the school; children and some parents flock around with curiosity. The kids introduce Appu-kili, the cretan, to Ravi. While on his way to Khasak, Ravi’s memories go to his childhood, his mother (who lost her life when Ravi was still a boy), his father and his step-mother. The Second Coming: Allah-pitcha speaks to the children in his school (madrassa) about the legends of Khasak: stories of Sayed Mian Sheikh and his one thousand soldiers who settle in Khasak.   The Sheikh is now buried in the neig...

  The Legends of Khasak (Khasakkinte Ithihaasam) The Writer: Author and cartoonist. Authored six novels, nine short-story collections, and nine collections of essays, memoirs and reflections. His works have range widely from the comic to the philosophical, and show diversity in situations, tones and styles. An incisive writer in English as well, Vijayan translated most of his own works from Malayalam to English. He was also an editorial cartoonist and political observer and worked for news publications including   The Statesman   and The Hindu . First short story: Parayu, Father Gonsalves . Khasakkinte Ithihaasam : Vijayan’s first novel (1969). It took 12 years for Vijayan to compose it. One of the best sellers in South Asia. Translated into English (by the author himself), French and German. It was a revolution in Malayalam literature, powerful enough to cause a divide as Pre Khasak and Post Khasak eras. Influences from his life upon the book: Born in Palakka...