Manju (novel)

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Manju (Mist) is a Malayalam novel by M. T. Vasudevan Nair, published in 1964 by DC Books. The story follows Vimala Devi, a boarding-school teacher, told with few conversations and a small cast of characters. Set in the hills around Nainital, Vimala waits for the winter of her discontent to pass. Although she has a family, she stays emotionally distant from them and loves solitude.

The book explores eco-feminist ideas, showing how patriarchal power can control and exploit women. It is MT’s only novel with a female lead. Unlike many of his other novels, which are set in Valluvanadan, Manju takes place in a different environment in the mountains.

There has been debate about whether the plot resembles Nirmal Verma’s Hindi story Parinde (Birds, 1956); both authors have denied plagiarism. MT said he wrote Manju after visiting Nainital.

In 1983, MT directed and wrote a film adaptation of Manju, starring Sangeeta Naik, Sankar Mohan, Sankara Pillai, and Nanditha Bose. A Hindi adaptation titled Sharad Sandhya was also made but did not gain attention.