A book titled A Village in South India written by Adam Clapham, a retired television documentary producer for British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), will be released in London on January 28.
Mr. Adam has been living in Mangaluru for over one-and-half decade. After living on the beach side in Hosabettu in Mangaluru from 2002 to 2011, he shifted to a village about 3 km from Katpady in Udupi district in 2012 and has been living there on the river side. “Mr. Adam lives half the year in London and spends his winters in south India,” his new book states. It will be his second book on India after Beware Falling Coconuts.
Addressing presspersons here on Tuesday, he said Mangaluru-based artist Dinesh Holla has illustrated the work, which is his fourth to date. It will be released at Foyles book store in Central London.
Mr. Clapham, 78, said A Village in South India portrays the life in the village he lives in now. It is about how they live, work, celebrate, grieve, marry and die. It is an easy read travel book for tourists and first-time visitors to India. The characters include Prema, a farmer; Lizzy, his neighhour; Father Jerome; a river in the village; and snakes, kambala; kori katta (cockfighting); Yakshagana; Deepavali and Navratri; pets and vets, farming and the like.
The village also survives on the money sent from those of the community who have left for big cities, including to West Asia. They return to their village for marriage, for the birth of their children, to mourn the death of their relatives and eventually, may be, to die there themselves. Without those salaried young exiles sending money home, the village communities would be in a far worse condition.