Poonachi: Or the Story of a Black Goat

by Perumal Murugan

‘It’s deaf only when we speak about our problems. When we talk about the regime, its ears are quite sharp.’

Can you call it living when you live without looking at anything but the ground?

Goats always tried to break free of their shackles. Sheep had none, so they didn’t need to make the effort. If it was in your nature to bow down, why would anyone shackle you? And yet, they were fortunate, these sheep. They had no inkling that to bow was to be shackled.

‘The difficulties of the dead leave along with them, those of the living are here to stay,’

‘No matter how much you give to this heart, it will never be enough,’