''Ponni'' is a

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

novel written by

Malayattoor Ramakrishnan K. V. Ramakrishna Iyer, better known by his pen name, Malayattoor Ramakrishnan (27 May 1927 – 27 December 1997), was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature, cartoonist, lawyer, judicial magistrate, and Indian Administrative Service (IAS) of ...

in 1967. It is based on the lifestyle of

Adivasi The Adivasi refers to inhabitants of Indian subcontinent, generally tribal people. The term is a Sanskrit word coined in the 1930s by political activists to give the tribal people an indigenous identity by claiming an indigenous origin. The term ...

s of Attappady at Malleswaram Hills of Mannarkkad.

Plot summary

The novel portrays the life of the Adivasis of Attappadi, a region in Malabar, to the south of the

Nilgiris The Nilgiri Mountains form part of the Western Ghats in northwestern Tamil Nadu, Southern Karnataka, and eastern Kerala in India. They are located at the trijunction of three states and connect the Western Ghats with the Eastern Ghats. At le ...

and to the east of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. Slash and burn cultivation practised by the Adivasis is suddenly stopped by the Government, forcing them to search for new jobs. The hero changes his hair style to suit the times. The courtship dance and traditional songs were depicted in a realistic way. ''Ponnis characters talked and sang a mixture of Tamil and Malayalam with a tinge of Kannada.

Writing

The novel was inspired by true stories. In his partial autobiography ''Service Story Ente IAS Dinangal'',

says that the novel was inspired by true stories narrated by his friend Pareeth. Pareeth was working as a ''gramasevak'' in Attappady when Malayattoor was the sub-collector of

Ottappalam Ottapalam, (also spelled Ottappalam) is a town, taluk and municipality in the Palakkad District, Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ottapalam taluk. Ottapalam is located about 36 km from district headquarters Palakkad. ...

sub-division (from 1959 to 1961). Several characters of the novel are based on real-life characters. The character of sub-collector (which was inspired by Malayattoor himself) and Adhikari (which was inspired by Basavayyan Chettiyar) are examples.

Film adaptation

A 1976 film adaptation titled '' Ponni'' starred Kamal Haasan and

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...

. The film was shot in forest areas of

Palakkad Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated municipal ...

and at Satya, Gemini, AVM, and Karpakam Studios.

References

1967 novels Malayalam novels Indian autobiographical novels Novels by Malayattoor Ramakrishnan Novels set in Kerala Culture of Palakkad district DC Books books 1967 Indian novels {{1960s-autobio-novel-stub