Indulekha (novel)
| Author | O Chandu Menon |
|---|---|
| Language | Malayalam |
| Genre | Novel |
Publication date | 1889 |
| Publication place | India |
| ISBN | NA Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
Indulekha (Malayalam:ഇന്ദുലേഖ), a novel by O Chandu Menon. This work initiated the novel genre in Malayalam and is therefore considered to be a landmark in the history of Malayalam literature although it is credited as the second malayalam novel (first being Kundalatha published in 1888). Indulekha, Chandumenon's first novel, was published in 1889. It was followed by his second and unfinished work, Sarada. The novel exposes the strange cultural practices, like sambandham and marumakkatayam, that prevailed among Nairs.
Title
Indulekha, refers to the main character in the novel, a beautiful, well educated lady in her twenties.
Plot summary
Indulekha is a young and educated, knowledgeable young woman, who is in love with another young man, Madhavan. The story details how the matrilineal society of those times, encourages an old foolish Namboothiri to start a relationship with Indulekha. Indulekha promptly snubs the old man, but Madhavan in haste runs away from the household, to Bengal. There he makes a lot of good friends. In the end, he arrives back and is united with Indulekha. They then leave to Madras, present day Chennai Namboothiri represents the decadence of feudalism, its caste oppression and polygamy. Indulekha, the novel's educated heroine, dramatises the resistance of a progressive woman. She refuses to succumb to the oppression of the Namboothiri and marries Madhavan, who stands up to the social evils of the period.
Characters
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External links
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