Verukal

1966 novel by Malayattoor Ramakrishnan

81-7130-858-9

Verukal (English: Roots) is a Malayalam semi-autobiographical novel written by Malayattoor Ramakrishnan in 1966. It is widely credited as one of his best works.^[1]^[2] It won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1967.^[3]

Plot summary

Verukal tells the story of a family of Tamil speaking Iyers who settled in Kerala. Raghu is the protagonist of the story. The pivotal event on which the novel turns is the return of Raghu to his native village after a lapse of several years, to raise money to build a city mansion for himself by selling his ancestral home. He sets about this reluctantly, under pressure from his shrewish and domineering wife. In the village, as he meets his sisters and others among whom he grew up, a flood of memories overwhelms him, and he abruptly changes his mind about selling the property.

Main characters

Raghu - the protagonist
Ammulu - Raghu eldest sister
Lakshmi - Raghu's sister
Maniyan Athimbaar - Ammulu's husband
Yajneswarayyar (Ammaanchi) - Lakshmi's husband
Vishwanathan Iyer - Raghu's father
Amma - Raghu's mother
Aadi Narayana Swami (Patta) - Raghu's grandpa
Ganapathi Patta - Raghu's great grandpa
Geetha - Raghu's wife
Ajayan - Raghu's son
Suma -Raghu's daughter
Saraswathy - Raghu's younger sister
Bharathan - Saraswathy's husband
Rajappan - Raghu's Roommate
Raman Karthav - manakkale karyasthan
Periyappa (appu) - Raghu's uncle

References

^ Hari Sundar G. (28 December 2002). "In memory of Malayatoor". The Hindu. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
^ "The indescribable experience of Thani Illam". OnManorama. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
^ "Chemmeen to Aarachar: Ten Legendary Malayalam Novels You Must Read!". The Better India. 27 October 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2019.