MOUSTACHE Paperback

Winner of the JCB Prize for Literature 2020, S. Hareesh's Moustache (originally Meesha in Malayalam) is a captivating novel that blends magic, myth, and social commentary. It centers on Vavachan, a Pulayan man who, while playing a policeman with an enormous moustache in a musical drama, inadvertently terrifies an upper-caste audience, evoking ancient fears of Dalit power. When Vavachan, whose community was historically forbidden from growing facial hair, refuses to shave it off, he sets off a chain of events that transforms him into a mythical figure. As endless tales are woven around his "magic moustache," which grows to impossible sizes and grants him supernatural abilities, Vavachan becomes "Moustache," a legend whispered across the Kuttanad region of Kerala. The narrative explores themes of caste hierarchy, environmental changes, and the power of storytelling itself, with the land and its people forming an integral part of this epic and often fantastical journey.