Karmelin :Sahitya Akademi Award Winning Konkani Novel

It is a moving saga of a young orphaned girl's trials and tribulations and of her attempt to break free from the shackles of poverty and as she grows older to bring up her daugther in a small gossip-ridden village in South Goa with dignity and self-respect.About Book

Karmelin is the moving saga of a young orphaned girl's trials and tribulations and of her attempt to break free from the shackles of poverty, and as she grows older, to bring up her daughter in a small gossip-ridden village in South Goa with dignity and self-respect. The novel follows the fortunes of Karmelin, the protagonist who, let down by a drunken wastrel of a husband and pursued by poverty, bravely maps her own destiny. She is eventually compelled to work as a maid in Kuwait to ensure a better future for her family and to repay old debts.

Leading Konkani writer Damodar Mauzo weaves a moving tale of sexual exploitation, machinations within the family, caste conflicts in the Christian community, sexist Arab bosses, and above all, the bitter-sweet triumphs of Karmelin-all set in the metropolitan location of modern day Kuwait and the lush, verdant landscape of Goa.

By Damodar Mauzo
Translated by Vidya Pai

Damodar Mauzo presents a sensitive character study in his much acclaimed Konkani novel Karmelin (1981), aptly named after its protagonist. The novel chronicles the life the protagonist, a lower middle class Goan from childhood to womanhood, tracing her relationships with the various men in her life –Joao Philip, the loving uncle who brings her up after the death of her family; Agnel, the cousin she loves who leaves her to marry the rich girl of his mother’s liking; Jose, her drunkard abusive husband; and Nissar, her Arab boss who sexually exploits her when she is forced to work as an aayah in Kuwait to support her family.

Mauzo subtly interweaves explorations of the grey areas of sexuality, femininity, and patriarchy in the narrative. Karmelin rises from the ashes time and again in the hopes to provide her daughter with a secure future and higher education. Her struggles can probably be best described by this line from the book – “Whoever bears sorrow with fortitude manages to survive in the world…”

When published, Mauzo’s novel was a breath of fresh air in a culture that suppressed liberating discourse and treated sex as taboo. While society has progressed, patriarchy has remained constant to a certain degree. Thus, in the character of Karmelin, we find a microcosm of the experiences of women across the country.

Karmelin won the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award for Konkani literature in 1983. Since then, it has been translated to English and multiple Indian languages such as Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Sindhi and Gujarati. The last three translations were awarded the Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize.

Its English translation by Vidya Pai and published in 2004 by Sahitya Akademi.
Karmelin Is The Moving Saga Of A Young Orphaned GirlýS Trials And Tribulations And Of Her Attempt To Break Free From The Shackles Of Poverty, And As She Grows Older, To Bring Up Her Daughter In A Small Gossip-Ridden Village In South Goa With Dignity And Self-Respect. The Novel Follows The Fortunes Of Karmelin, The Protagonist Who, Let Down By A Drunken Wastrel Of A Husband And Pursued By Poverty, Bravely Maps Her Own Destiny. She Is Eventually Compelled To Work As A Maid In Kuwait To Ensure A Better Future For Her Family And To Repay Old Debts.

English