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THE PLIGHT OF NAMBOODIRI WOMEN IN COLONIAL KERALA – READING THROUGH LALITHAMBIKA ANTHARJANAM’S CAST ME OUT IF YOU WILL
Lalithambika Antharjanam, the First Woman of Malayalam Letters and the lone voice from the elite Namboodiri community of Kerala, played an important role in the social transformation of the community and of Kerala society in general. This paper intends to study an anthology of her short stories and...
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| Formato: | Printed Book |
| Publicado em: |
Research Scholar
2014
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| Acesso em linha: | http://10.26.1.76/ks/006163.pdf |
| Resumo: | Lalithambika Antharjanam, the First Woman of Malayalam Letters and
the lone voice from the elite Namboodiri community of Kerala, played an
important role in the social transformation of the community and of Kerala
society in general. This paper intends to study an anthology of her short
stories and memoirs, Cast Me Out If You Will, translated by Geetha
Krishnankutty. These stories are not totally fictional; rather they are the
true historical representation of the life of Namboodiri women who were
condemned to lead a cloistered life beset with tormenting taboos. During
the colonial era, Namboodiris were at the top of Kerala’s traditional social
hierarchy. But the community degenerated due to the indulgence of
Namboodiri men in multi marriages and uninhibited lifestyles, while their
wives lived in seclusion being away from the outside world.
Antharjanam’s writings captured the spirit of the period and the struggle
of the then young generation. Her famous short stories explicit the
suffocation of Namboodiri women, their struggle in a hostile world, their
loneliness and their search for an identity of their own. These stories
unfold the turbulent life of these Protagonists, and the brutal suppression
suffered by them and how they are excommunicated or incarcerated from
their community due to their rebellious reactions to the patriarchal society |
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| Descrição Física: | Vol. 2 Issue III August, 2014 |