An Ocean in a Well

Ten powerful stories that capture the essence of Tamil society through the prism of the personal and the political.

A stranger in a village is befriended by an itinerant salesman who shares his meal with him—only to be repaid in an unexpected manner. The opening story in this collection, ‘Thambi’, sets the tone for the stories that follow, where the characters remain nameless for the most part, yet give voice to the internal struggles of men and women caught in an increasingly divisive society where questions of trust, love, loss and loneliness have a profound effect on their lives.

In ‘Un-timely’, a young girl dies a mysterious death, and is reunited with the man who loves her—but just for a day. In the titular story, ‘An Ocean in a Well’, a man’s search for his mother draws him to the ocean, but leads him to a well where he hears her voice, and sees the waves rising from within, beckoning him.

‘Fact finding’ and ‘A Death and Some More’ portray a bleak picture of persistent caste-based violence in a modern world and the ineffectiveness of the political system. And in stories like ‘Zha, The Unique Letter’, ‘The Word’ and ‘A Theory Concerning Theft’, Ravikumar satirises the contemporary ideological and intellectual scene of Tamil Nadu, exposing the follies of a culture in transition.

Together, these diverse stories from the pen of a political activist and prolific writer, brilliantly explore themes ranging from the psychological struggles of individuals, to the ideological and societal conflicts of the Tamil people.