The cock is the culprit / Unni R., translated from the Malayalam by J. Devika

In a small village in Kerala, people begin to feel threatened by an invisible rooster that crows at odd hours. It is heard interrupting the morning and night prayers at the temple, the mass at the church, the azaan at the mosque and the Martyrs’ Day ceremony. When it hoots in the middle of the national anthem being sung at the local school, it is instantly labelled as a threat to national security.
It offends the sentiments of all those who are religious, political, patriarchal, exploitative, fanatical and homophobic. Naturally, there are many baying for its blood. The witch-hunt that ensues fuels suspicions that the invisible cock might even be a human, an anarchist who is trying to destabilize the nation with help from outside. Incisive and hilarious by turns, The Cock Is the Culprit does an astute job of exposing the dark underbelly of Kerala society.