Embracing The Winds (Hardback)

Description

Embracing the Winds, the first part of a historical novel set against the backdrop of the First World War, follows the personal journey of a young Indian boy, Kesu, as he navigates a world of colonial upheaval, war, and human aspiration. Written in a lyrical stream-of-consciousness style, the novel captures the inner life of its protagonist as he moves from the familiar confines of his ancestral home into the wider world.
Kesu hails from the remote rustic hamlet of Ramasila in Palakkad, in the old Madras Province, where he experiences the fragility and turbulence of family life. His mother’s death from smallpox leaves the household fractured, and his sister’s education is abruptly curtailed to suit a prearranged marriage, intensifying Kesu’s restlessness.
When he is suspended from college for supporting a freedom fighter, he sets out from his ancestral home, Puturmadam, seeking a life beyond the limitations of his village. In his exploration he was assisted by many people- Muthu Rowther, the entrepreneur-visionary, Cyrus Irani, the pioneering Parsi superintendent in the work shop of Muthu Rowter who turned a worn-out imported Albion truck into a premium bus, linking Palakkad and the hill station of Ooty, and Jahanara, the refined daughter of Cyrus, who introduces Kesu to the wisdom and poetry of Saadi Shiraz’s Gulistan (The Rose Garden), nurturing in him compassion, human dignity, and resilience.
His journey takes him through the cross-section of early twentieth-century India: a cart ride to the Olavakkode railway station, and a train journey to Madras port. On the way he encounters merchants, racists, and officials from among the passengers.
Kesu boards a ship to Basra, where the voyage becomes a crucible of self-discovery and subtle awakening of love. On the deck, he shares quiet, profound moments with Aung, the daughter of a Burmese official stationed in Bahrain, creating a tender and unspoken bond that reflects the nuanced emotion

About The Author

Born in Ramasseri, Elappully, in the Palakkad district—then part of the old Madras State—the author’s early years were deeply influenced by the hills, forests, and rivers of Kerala’s lush landscape. These surroundings nurtured an imaginative spirit and a lasting love for storytelling.

Literary pursuit runs in the author’s lineage. Their ancestral maternal uncle, Chembatte Krishnan—the great-grand maternal uncle of the author’s maternal grandmother—undertook the remarkable task of translating the Sreemad Bhagavatham from Sanskrit to Malayalam in 1872, working painstakingly from palm-leaf manuscripts. This heritage of scholarship and dedication to literature has been a continuing source of inspiration.

The author’s own literary journey began early, with their first short story written in the 9th grade—a handwritten piece that remains preserved to this day. Since then, writing has been a lifelong passion. Among the author’s notable works is a book on the river Nila (Bharathappuzha), for which Dr. E. Sreedharan, the Metro Man of India, graciously contributed the foreword.

Professionally, the author began their career in the late 1970s in the vibrant city of Old Bombay, working at Kamala Mills in South Patel, an establishment that no longer exists. The experiences from that period—marked by the energy and diversity of urban life—profoundly shaped the author’s understanding of people, culture, and resilience.

As a novelist, the author has completed the first volume of a sweeping historical saga titled Embracing the Winds, which concludes with the protagonist setting sail from Madras port to Basra aboard the vessel MD Madura. The second volume, Song Birds Love to Sing, is set entirely in Mesopotamia, particularly the northern hilly region of Sinjar near Mosul, and is currently awaiting editorial refinement before publication.

Through their novels, the author masterfully weaves the personal with the historical—tracing how individual destinies are shaped by larger currents of time. Their works stand out for their humanism, narrative depth, and evocative prose, capturing the enduring spirit of people navigating extraordinary times.