THE INDIAN COMMENTATOR

Readings on Kerala (1A02ENG) 1. What is the nature of "histories" according to Poykayil Appachan?                According to Poykayil Appachan, numerous versions of history exist in which the downtrodden people of the land are not mentioned. On the contrary, historical narratives about other prominent races or castes are many. In the poem, "About my Race: A Song", Poykayil Appachan problematizes the conspicuous absence of the references to first nation people in the history of our country. It is important to note that the way downtrodden people are portrayed in mainstream history is still a point of debate. Appachan uses the plural term "histories" to denote the existence of parallel narratives. According to him, none of those narratives does justice to the first nation population, the earliest inhabitants of the land. 2. Why was there no one in the ancient world to write the story of the poet's race? ...

1. Based on the events described in “Parting from the Path of Life” give a brief description of Kunjammaman’s character and his role in the narrator’s life. & 2. What salient features of Kerala’s past can be identified in the autobiographical sketch of Cherukad? Parting from the Path of Life (Jeevitapata) is written by Cherukad Govinda Pisharodi. He is popularly known as Cherukad. He was a committed writer and a communist from youth. His novels, short stories, and dramas, written in the manner of social realism, are significant for the insight they provide into the life of the downtrodden in pre-independence Malabar. His major novels are  Manninte Maaril  (1954),  Muthassi  (1959),  Shanidasha  (1959), etc.  Mudramotiram  (1954),  Chekuthante Koodu  (1958) and  Cherukatinte Cherukathakal: Sampoorna Samaharam  (1995) are his major short story collections. His play  Nammalonnu  (1948) is regarded as an impor...

Paragraph Questions Readings on Kerala (1A02ENG) 1. What were the explanations given by Kunjammaman for not sending his nephew to school? Are those the real reasons behind his decision? Justify.  Parting from the Path of Life (Jeevitapata) is written by Cherukad Govinda Pisharodi. The narrator, during his childhood, lives with his uncle known as Kunjammaman. He does not send the child to school. The explanations given by Kunjammaman are many. He would say that the child knows reading and writing, as well as astrological calculations. According to Kunjammaman, this much study is enough. On another occasion, when Paruthiyil Krishnan Nair inquires about little Govindan’s education, Kunjammaman says that Nair has a monthly salary. There is no such provision for Kunjammaman. Therefore, it would be impossible to give expensive education to Govindan as Kunjammaman has a wealth of Nieces and Nephews. This was the real reason behind Kunjammaman’s reluctance in sending Govindan t...

Essay Questions: (Answer in not more than 200-250 words) 1. Critically comment on the different attitudes towards Art that the conversation between Kelu  and the Poet reveals.  &  2. The “mirror scene” in the play brings together reality, representations, visions, and  constructed images. Explain.  &  3. Attempt a critical analysis of the play Kelu.   The play Kelu dramatises the life of Vidwan P Kelu Nair, a nationalist leader who also became popular as a dramatist in Malabar under the British Raj in the early twentieth century. The play Kelu deals with many nuances of the art of writing. The centre of the play is the dilemma faced by a writer who faces a writer’s block. The play brings together the present and past generations of writers in one frame. Through the interaction with the past generation of writers, Balakrishnan overcomes the limitations that clutch the process of his writing. The beginning of the play is a meeting where...

Paragraph Questions   Readings on Kerala (1A02ENG) 1. What are K Madhavan’s reasons for suggesting that a play on Vidwan P Kelu Nair be written and enacted? According to K Madhavan, Vidwan P Kelu Nair Memorial Trust should celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of independence appropriately. He was speaking in the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Trust. When one of the members suggested that they could enact one of the plays written by Vidwan P Kelu Nair, K Madhavan responded that more significant than his plays is the playwright himself. It is Kelu master that the new generation must know about. K Madhavan acknowledges that the present generation does not know the depth or breadth of the life of Vidwan P Kelu Nair. One of the members pointed out that the biography of Vidwan P Kelu Nair is published, so they can use it to learn about his life. However, Madhavan is of the view that a biography cannot capture fully the many sides of a person’s life. That is when he suggests...

The date of starting of the examination is on 6 November 2019.

Readings on Kerala Readings on Kerala (1A02ENG) I Semester UG Common Course Essay Questions: Updated 1. How does Eri question mainstream notions of scholarship and knowledge? & 2. Why is the narrator doubtful about finding sources for writing the history of Eri? Is it because mainstream histories do not document the lives of lower caste communities? Explain. Eri is a novel written by Pradeepan Pampirikkunnu and published posthumously in 2017. Eri, the character represents the historically downtrodden people in the Parayan community in Kerala. Pradeepan Pampirikkunnu uses the medium of the novel to establish the prehistory of the Parayan Caste. The narrator of the story is a research scholar, who uses memories, memoirs, oral histories, ritualistic performances, gossips, books, and other oral/literary sources. The novel attempts to historicize the making of a Paraya community in its transit to modernity and retells the renaissance of Kerala from a Paraya male per...

Readings on Kerala (1A02ENG) I Semester UG Common Course Paragraph questions 1. Why is the recovery of the history of Eri important to the narrator?    Eri, the character represents the historically downtrodden people in the Parayan community in Kerala. However, the history of Eri is unwritten. Pradeepan Pampirikkunnu uses the medium of the novel to establish the prehistory of the Parayan Caste. The recovery of the history of Eri is important to the narrator because he was impressed as a subaltern linguist by the legend of Eri. The narrator had heard stories of Eri from his father. Eri lived during the time of his father’s father. The narrator’s father had also seen Eri. According to the narrator’s father, Eri appeared clean and was always dressed in white. A rudraksha chain was around his neck. The house in which he lived was a hut, clean and mud-plastered. It was situated on the slope of the Kannambath temple. The narrator is confronted by some conflicting questions s...