Aatujeevitham and Reification of Memories: Diaspora Experiences in Malayalam Cinema
Authors :Shyamprasad R
Abstract
Abstract: The Gulf was the ultimate destination for many Indian migrants during the last decades of the 20th century, where their past experiences in the home country significantly impacted their quality of life, regardless of whether these experiences were favourable or adverse. Najeeb, the protagonist of Benyamin’s novel Aatujeevitham (Goat Days) and its film adaptation, accidentally ends up in a sheep-rearing centre in the Arabian desert, seeks solace in memories by clinging to specific objects in order to survive and adapt to the harsh environment and tolerate his master’s cruelties. As a vulnerable expatriate yearning to return home and enduring physical abuse and isolation, memories serve Najeeb not only as a nostalgic reminder but also as a vital force in maintaining the coherence of his past, present, and future in the unfamiliar desert. The entities, such as a pickle bottle, bag, and button, become Lieux de Mémoire, by which Najeeb preserves and mediates his past and overcomes the atrocities of the present. This study examines the portrayal of the reification of memories in Aatujeevitham, both the novel (2007) and the film (2024), using the framework of memory studies to comprehend how preserving memories aids in Najeeb’s survival in the desert.
Keywords: Diaspora, Gulf dream, memory, migration, nostalgia, subjectivity, prosthetic memory
