"Rani" is a popular narrative poem in

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 ...

written by

Thirunalloor Karunakaran Thirunalloor Karunakaran (8 October 1924 – 5 July 2006) was a poet, scholar, teacher and leftist intellectual of Kerala, India. Biography Early life Thirunalloor (variously spelled in English as Thiru''nelloor'', Thiru''nellur'' and Thiru''n ...

(1924–2006). It was first published in 1955 in the

Onam Onam ( ) is an annual Indian harvest festival celebrated predominantly by the Hindus of Kerala. A major annual event for Keralites, it is the official festival of the state and includes a spectrum of cultural events. Onam commemorates Vamana ...

special number of ''

Kerala Kaumudi ''Kerala Kaumudi'' is a Malayalam language daily newspaper published from Kerala, India. It was founded in 1911 by C. V. Kunhiraman as a periodical. His son K. Sukumaran later served as the newspaper's editor. Kerala Kaumudi Daily is among th ...

''. Composed in the Dravida

metre The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...

in mellifluent language with a dramatic plot and true-to-life characters it was an instant hit with readers. It was brought out in book form in 1957 and was well received by readers. The theme of the poem is the struggle of two poor working class lovers – Rani and Nanu – living on the shores of the

Ashtamudi lake Ashtamudi Lake (''Ashtamudi Kayal''), in the Kollam District of the Indian state of Kerala, is the most visited backwater and lake in the state. It possesses a unique wetland ecosystem and a large palm-shaped (also described as octopus-shaped) ...

– for realising their dream of a better life. The popularity of the poem attracted

Kadhaprasangam Kadhaprasangam (''lyrical narrative'' or ''story telling performance'') is a performing art of Kerala, India. Performance It combines speaking, acting, and singing to present a story. Costumes, make-up, or settings are not used. The main ar ...

and Vilupattu artistes who presented it successfully on many stages. In 2005, the twenty fifth edition of the poem was brought out as the Golden jubilee edition.Kala Kaumudi Weekly; 16 July 2006, pp 8–10; Trivandrum

References

External links

An Idealistic Ordeal
{{Authority control Indian poems 1955 poems Malayalam-language poems