Chennithala’s debut novel released – The Hindu

Although he had travelled to Chicago on several occasions, he had never been able to set a novel in the U.S. city, writer T. Padmanabhan has said.

Mr. Padmanabhan was speaking about Chicago at the release of Niyogam, a novel by senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala set against the backdrop of the ‘Windy City’, here on Monday.

Mr. Padmanabhan who expressed the hope that the book would reach a large number of readers and formally handed over the book to film director Blessy.

Receiving the book, Mr. Blessy said he felt admiration and affection for Mr. Chennithala and even a sense of envy as although he had written screenplays for several films, he had not yet managed to write a novel himself.

Mr. Blessy also congratulated Chennithala for finding the time to write a novel despite his demanding political schedule.

In his address, Mr. Chennithala said the idea of writing the novel emerged from reflecting on the individuals one met in life, the events witnessed and the situations confronted, along with experiences of love, conflict, and emotional anxieties.

Critic P.K. Rajasekharan introduced the book at the event, presided over by writer George Onakkoor.

Niyogam is the first novel written by Mr. Chennithala, who has earlier authored a number of other books.