ILMU Hasanah: Marriage and Mutton Curry

 ILMU Hasanah: Marriage and Mutton Curry [Registration Form]

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Join us for an unforgettable literary experience!  Come sample deliciously amazing spices through an exuberant collection of short stories, which draw back the curtains on life in British Malaya. Be delighted by the flavours and intrigues of the Jaffna Tamil community in Malaysia in all its gently revealed quirkiness, a unique recipe of wit and humour – as we explore what it means for traditions and identities in a changing world.  Don't miss this exclusive opportunity to meet the esteemed author, Dato’ Dr. M Shanmughalingam, renowned for his bestselling work "Marriage and Mutton Curry ”, a collection of internationally acclaimed short stories. His literary prowess has graced the pages of 37 national and international anthologies and literary journals , including one featuring contributions from three Nobel Prize winners in London. Experience the magic firsthand with a captivating dramatized performance reading by Dato' Dr. Shan himself, bringing the stories to life.  Register now and secure your spot. Link here - http://bit.ly/ILMUHasanah35  24 October 2023  2:30 - 4:30 PM  Yayasan Hasanah

 

Atiqah Ghazali-alKashif

  · 

Last Sunday, we had a savoury sweet arrangement to spend our Sunday with Dato' Shanmughalingam Shan and The Classics Challengers' members at the quaint Riwayat, for the Marriage and Mutton Curry book.

As I have read the book when it came out in 2018, I vividly remember how fuming I was when I read one of the stories which is Flowers for KK. Dato' Shan has this ability to write from different characters' persona and their effervescentness, thus it surely would charm any good readers.

Here are some notes I've taken down on last evening...

• The book shows Malaysia from three eras - British-Malaya, Japanese Occupation and Malaysia after 1957. As the collonial divides us by race, political wings has categorize us by religion and now by genders etc.

• The sectional loyalty which was cunningly done by the politicians on the sheepishly followers, it is so they can be the defender of the race by manipulating the emotion of fear and they use the religion as tool. The 1969 began this.

• The title is an allegory as it talks about many relationships and food. Not marriage per se or intrinsically, it can be married to work, and the mutton curry because mostly everyone eats the protein as traditional Hindus don't eat beef and Muslims/Jews don't eat pork. Surely, it can be an enjoyable entrapment.

• Genre of this book is historical fiction, as it happened within historical timeline but narrated in fictional way.

• The stories number 3, 7 & 10 talk about the Jaffna Tamil community which hailed from Sri Lanka but it still very much relatable to every other communities. The Jaffna came from the north of Sri Lanka and they are dubbed as 'work horses' as they were diligent at work. Came here as educational clerk, railway maker, etc, they emphasized on the education of the children as the ladder to increase their social status. Within one generation, their children would become professional. They are also very status conscious and doctors were looked up higher than a Prime Minister.

• The Barefoot Man from Malaya, Dato' Shan's father's inspired him to write it. Victoria and Her Kimono, the characters' names were taken from the British monarchy.

• Flowers for KK, "The world's best (dark) secret are usually kept within families." The dices were thrown to women even before they were born in some of the communities as with the men's non-chivalrousness.

• Out of all 15 stories, from which perspective you written it all from? It is from different perspectives for each, so we can learn from it and it wouldn't fall into "The Danger of One Story" by Chimamanda Aditchie.

Thank you again to Ms Naz Ghazali for organising and moderating this discussion, to Engku Roestam Alias for the place and to everyone who was a part of the unforgettable evening.

#MalaysiaMembaca