Remembering Amma

A moment of insight is all it takes to topple a goddess form her pedestal. To Appu, a Vedic scholar, his mother is as pure and beautiful as the scriptures he has been studying. Yet when he discovers his idol’s feet of clay, he returns to the sanctuary of his padasalai, only to be drawn into a perilous relationship with the young widow, Indu. Thi Jaa weaves a lyrical story of a vedapadasalai by the Kaveri and an orthodox household in Madras with an array of vivid, lifelike characters. His portrayal of women who pursue their passions with calm self-assurance is bold and uncritical.