Prominent Malayali writer Subhash Chandran has received much acclaim in his home state; this month, we bring you his first published story in English, written in 2000 while Bill Clinton was still president of the USA.
FATHER APPEARED IN MY DREAM today during the usual ten minute siesta after lunch at the office. Quite a dream it was. He was mounting the head of a deer caught in game on the drawing room wall. He had then called out to mother: “Look, Devu, the entire wall should be covered like this with trophies from the forest. There should be a lion’s head for your kitchen.” Father then kissed the muzzle of his double-barreled gun, entered the house and ended the dream.
This was a scene my father, a primary school teacher at Eloor, was unlikely to have dreamed himself. Guns, game and forests were far more serious subjects than the primary school lessons which had filled his mind. But my habit of analyzing all dreams quickly spotted the link—my wife had persistently been after me to get a Kathakali mask to hang on the drawing room wall of our new house.
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