VERUKAL
MALAYATTOOR RAMAKRISHNAN
Verukal is a Malayalam semi-autobiographical novel written by Malayattoor Ramakrishnan in 1996. It is widely credited as one of his best works. It won the Kerala Sahitya Academy Award in 1967.
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.
The novel gives us a beautiful picture of village life in Kerala, its innocence and simplicity. It shows the importance of family relationships and also gives us a clear distinction between life in a city and that of a village. It reminds us not to forget the roots of our life as it is upon this base that everything else in our life is built on. Verukal by Malayattoor is a must read.
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