Poonachi

Poonachi is the story of a small and weak black goat gifted by a mysterious man to an old farmer. The farmer and his wife, though poor and struggling themselves, raise her with care. The old woman names her Poonachi, after a kitten she once loved.

What follows is Poonachi’s journey of survival against the odds—her struggle as a goat who is different from the rest, her place within the herd, and her relationships with her owners and other goats. Told largely through Poonachi’s perspective, it is a life story that begins with birth and ends with death. In between, Murugan captures village life, human behaviour and the everyday struggle for survival with remarkable simplicity.

But Poonachi is much more than a goat’s tale. Murugan uses her life to reflect on human society, particularly the condition of women—the restrictions placed upon them, the discrimination they face and their struggle to survive within systems over which they have little control. There is also sharp political and social commentary woven into the story, often delivered with understated humour.

Speak softly, sir. The regime has ears on all sides. There’s an old saying that the regime is deaf. It’s deaf only when we speak about our problems. When we talk about the regime, its ears are quite sharp.

The life of an animal gradually becomes a metaphor for the lives of ordinary people. Questions of freedom, surveillance, authority, gender and survival emerge without turning the novel into an overt political lecture. That, for me, is one of the strengths of the book.