''Verukal'' ( en, Roots) is a
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...
semi-autobiographical novel written by
Malayattoor Ramakrishnan in 1966. It is widely credited as one of his best works. It won the
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award is given each year, since 1958, by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy), to Malayalam writers for their outstanding books of literary merit. The awards are given in various categories. in 1967.
Plot summary
''Verukal'' tells the story of a family of Tamil speaking
Iyers
Iyers (also spelt as Ayyar, Aiyar, Ayer, or Aiyer) are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Hindu Brahmins. Most Iyers are followers of the ''Advaita'' philosophy propounded by Adi Shankara and adhere to the Smarta tradition. This is ...
who settled in
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 Ca ...
. 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
1966 novels
Malayalam novels
Indian autobiographical novels
Novels by Malayattoor Ramakrishnan
Novels set in Kerala
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award-winning works
DC Books books
1966 Indian novels
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