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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Indian literature stands as the mirror of Indian culture. Regarded as one of

the oldest body of literary works, Indian literature goes back to even those times,

when copious written literature was still not in vogue and oral form was very much

prevalent. And regional literature in India is an integral and inseparable body of

writings, which was the precursor of this enriched past, laced with the potential

orators (in case of oral literary tradition) and writers (in case of written literature).

A strong characteristic of Indian regional literature is the sublime influence of

regional kathas, fables, stories and myths, which later developed as a distinct genre

and were termed as the `regional literature`. Indian literature, thus, as the cradle of

the art of narration, gave birth to an important and independent genre of literature,

the regional literature of India.

Local color or regional literature is fiction and poetry that focuses on the

characters, dialect, customs, topography, and other features particular to a specific

region. According to the Oxford Companion to American Literature, "In local-

color literature one finds the dual influence of romanticism and realism, since the

author frequently looks away from ordinary life to distant lands, strange customs,

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or exotic scenes, but retains through minute detail a sense of fidelity and accuracy

of description" (439). Its weaknesses may include nostalgia or sentimentality.

Regional literature in South India comprises the south Indian states and their

distinctive cultural divergence comprising literature that was basically based upon

the quintessential world of any village in the south by the sea. Tamil literature,

Telugu literature, Kannada literature and Malayalam literature are the most

primary and stellar instances of Dravidian literature, besides its various other

counterparts, from the remaining of the 73 more inert languages. Apart from these

mainstream regional south Indian literatures the presence of Lakshadweep

literature needs to be mentioned. This project attempts to explore the role of

literature in Lakshadweep. But before entering the topic a glance at the

geographical, historical, social, and cultural contexts of the islands will be

appropriate to understand the literature better.

Early history of Lakshadweep is unwritten. What is now passes for history is

based on various legends. Lakshadweep is one of the smallest union territories of

the India, situated 200 to 300 km off the coast from Kerala. Lakshadweep is an

archipelago of 36 islands, covering a total land area of not more than 32sqkm.

Lakshadweep has a pleasant tropical climate with an average temperature between

20 0 C to 32 0 C. The major islands include Kavaratti, Agatti, Minicoy, and Amini,

of which Kavaratti is where the capital of Lakshadweep is located. Most of the

other islands in Lakshadweep are very small and not inhabited. Generally, people

in Lakshadweep belong to the ethnic group, Malayali, and hence speak a local

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dialect of Malayalam. Mahal is also spoken in some parts of the territory.

One of the legends associated with Lakshadweep is that it has its early

reference as a part of ancient Tamil country, Tamilakam. There is also a reference

from Sangam literature saying Cheras controlled the islands. In a Pallava

inscription dated back to the 7th century, Lakshadweep is referred as Dveepa

Laksham and said to be a part of Pallava territory. Some believe that the people of

Lakshadweep were Hindus originally, but they converted into Islam in 14th

century. Another popular belief states that Islam was brought in Lakshadweep by

an Arab named Ubaidulla. During the British colonial days, Lakshadweep

remained as a part of Malabar district of Madras Presidency. There are stories

telling us of the influence of Buddhism in these islands. The statues of Sri Budha

and other relics found in the islands of Andrott, Minicoy and Kavaratti also speak

of an earlier settlement.

Anyway the early settlers carried with them the art forms and music

prevailing in Kerala in those days of migration. With the passage of time, changes

occurred in them due to the social and environmental changes in the territory. New

art forms and music have come up in this background. The islanders embraced

Islam.

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CHAPTER 2

LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE OF LAKSHADWEEP

The script that is in use in Lakshadweep islands other than Minicoy is the

modern Malayalam script Grandha and Jasari is the spoken form. The oldest script

that was current in the islands was vattezhuttu. With the advent of Islam the Arabic

script became popular among the people, especially for the study of Quran. Mahal

is the language spoken by the people of Minicoy. It is the language of Maladives

also and has a script of its own written from right to left as in the case of Arabic.

As part of the activities of Lakshadweep Sahitya Kala Academy some books

and journals were published thus bringing light to at least some of the literary

ventures of the people of Lakshadweep. Sagara Kathakal, Sagara kala, Kadalintey

Muthukal, Lakshadweepile Nadanpattukal, Lakshadweepile Rakathakal,

Lakshadweepile Nadodikathakal are to name a few.

One may naturally think that life in the remote and isolated islands were

lonely and monotonous. But it was not so. The presence of several art forms,

literature and music breathed vitality and spirit into the island society. Every social

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activity was accompanied by the performance of art forms and music. It sounded

the beginning of a social activity and the closure of it. People were part and parcel

of art forms of one kind or the other. Some were interested in Sufi art forms like

Dikir while others in Dravidian and indigenous art forms like Kolkali, Parichakali

etc. The former were lead by a succession of learned Shaiks in the religious line

and the latter by a succession of Kurikals in the traditional line. Music called

Dolipat was the pastime for some men. Oppana dances and Mylachi were for the

women. In the evenings, families would sit together and pass time telling stories, to

each other or read new literary works and explain the contents in a rhapsody’s style

i.e. in the changing tune of prose and poetry called Padiparayal. The launching and

hauling of vessels, embarkation and disembarkation of passengers and cargoes and

fishing were all marked with music and dances. It was this music, art and literature

that have kept alive and active the life in the isolated islands.

The above tradition came to a halt three or four decades ago with the advent

of modern life. The new generation is not taken to that much of their traditions.

The old generation who practiced it is fast disappearing. At this predicament,

efforts are on from the side of the Administration to safely recapture and keep alive

the music, art and literary traditions for the sake of the posterity. If we watch or

listen carefully or closely to the performance of these cultural items, on any

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occasion, we can certainly feel the heart- beat and pulse of the people who lived in

this bank and shoal of time.

We have been blessed by some of the Lakshadweep writers who contributed a lot

in the field of the island literature. I wish to list a few of them.

Lakshadweep Noottndukalilude – Dr. N.Muthukoya

Dweepolpathi- P.I. Pookoya

Kilthandweepile Kavya Prabhanjam- K.Bahir.

Arbikadalile Kathaganagal- Chamayam Hajahussain

Mullum Munayum-T.T.Ismail

Thekkan Dweepukal- Haja Hussain

Marjan (Navigation)- Kunhi

Kultiyum Maravum-Irfan

One of the important books which is released by Lakshadweep Sahithya Kala

Academy is “SAGARA KADHAKAL “(stories of the sea). This book tells us

about the development, the culture and basically about the people of Lakshadweep.

These short stories from the book “Sagara Kadhakal” form the text for my project.

The project attempts to analyze the stories to find out the major thematic concerns.

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SAGARA KADHAKAL (Stories of the sea.)

This was the maiden venture of Lakshadweep Sahithya Kala Academy to

provide expression to the literary talents of the people. This book was published by

Lakshadweep Sahithya Kala Academy in December 1987. Sagara Kadhakal is a

collection of short stories. These stories are written by several writers of

Lakshadweep. The stories of the people of the tiny coral atolls of Arabian Sea are

vividly sketched in this book. This project will attempt to analyze some of these

stories.

ATTAIKA (NAME OF A PERSON)

This story has written by Dr. C.G.Pookoya. He is one of the medical officers

in Lakshadweep. In this story the writer tells about the quickness, transformation

and civilization of development in Lakshadweep. The story “Attaika” describes the

movement caused by them in the Dweep society. Dr.C.G Pookoya views this story

through the perspective of the forefathers of Lakshadweep. The generation gap

prevailing among the people of Lakshadweep finds words in the story.

The speaker of the story is an aged old man of Lakshadweep and the story is in

the form as it gets revealed through the memories of the old man. Original name of

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the man is not mentioned in the story. From the very beginning onwards he is

called by the name Attaika and that name gets popular. He doesn’t even know from

how he got this name, when and why. The development and modernization

occurred in Lakshadweep and its impact happened in the society is stated as the

theme of the story. By presenting it through the views of an old man, the author

could make experience the reader the difference of opinion, dissagrement and

small clashes between the past and present generation. He vividly portraits the

generation gap.

The narrative style also suits to present this idea successfully. Even though

the story mainly reveals through the past memories of Attaikka, but it often

returns to the present where the differences between him and his son is showed as

the common differences due to the generation gap. This oscillating narration

presents the difference not only between the son and the father in the story but also

the two generations in question in the larger context. Thus the story gives the

reader the experience of the small common difficulties of the old generation with

the present generation by adopting a suitable narrative style. The problems due to

generation gap are common phenomena and here the author makes Lakshadweep

society and its development as the background for the universal theme.

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MALEHA (NAME OF A WOMAN)

The story “Melaha” is written by V.M Shamsudheen. The writer is an

Agricultural Director in Lakshadweep. Melaha is a humble girl. Her friends are

very truthful. In this story the protagonist is a grown up and educated girl. She

lives in her own home. The Author describes with her long descries there come

like an important decision, flame of sadness……… the air and light of modern

educatory.

Melaha is the story of two girl friends Melaha and Kunjibi and how they

grow up to their adolescence. Melaha and Kunjibi are very good friends from the

childhood and both were good at studies though there were much restrictions from

her father. The society is also orthodox which prevented girls from pursuing

education and development. But Kunjibi darely face and could break all these

bariers towards her education and she becomes a gynecologist in the Kavarathi

Government hospital. In the plot Melaha the old friend is admitted for her delivery

and her situation is very critical and she faces death closely. Through the hard

efforts of Kunjibi and the mercy of the god she returns to life. But Melaha is

envious and she conspires against Kunjibi. But the story ends hopefully where

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Melaha understands the value and importance of education and wishes to make her

younger daughter a doctor.

Through this story the author could clearly pictures the anarchical irrational,

attitude of the old Lakshadweep society due to the lack of education. Through this

the author could emphasize the importance of women education and Melaha

understands that it could be bring progressive change in the society. The Kunjar

Musliyar episode and the attack towards Kunjibi by the women gang and

involvement of her dear friend in it make experiences a deeper one showing the

depth of danger of an uneducated society. The story also shows the pains of the

past, present changes and a hopeful future.

KOZHINJA NIMISHANGALUDAI KALPERUMATTOM SHRAVICHU

(LISTENING TO THE TREADS…)

This story is written by P.M.Mohammed Iqbal, is a college lecturer. The

author views this story through the perspective of his forefathers. The hurried

nature of youth, the fulfilled and unfulfilled wishes of present is laughing like a

striking wave. In this story the writer talks about the helplessness of human being.

P.M Mohammed Iqbal has written in a style and idiom which is very strong and

very powerful.

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As the title hints the speaker of this story Ayoob recollects his days

at campus. The readers could see an untold loose but strong love of his dear friend

Sreekumar with his junior beautiful girl Merlin. After the graduation, many years

later the speaker of this story Ayoob feels some kind of solitude among the crowd

of people, shouting at television news etc. He becomes more upset when he sees

the wedding news of Merlin his dear friend Sreekumar’s lover with an U.S. settled

electronic engineer. He goes to sea shore for a relief and recollects the past campus

memories, in the hope that it may give him some kind of relief from the present

mental disposition. Sreekumar was not so talkative but a bookish type of charater.

He was not at all interested in love, till the entrance of Merlin. Then he starts to

listening Hindi romantic songs. Even though his desire was strong the burden of

the heavy desire prevented him from sharing it to the desired girl and ultimately it

remained as untold and unknown love expect for himself and Ayoob. In the story

Ayoob wishes to go back to the campus, he fondly wishes the meeting of

Sreekumar and Merlin and to disclose the love.

Even though the story appears an ordinary love story, the images

and figures of speech used is splendid. The author gives a poetic quality to the

ordinary story. The title of the story itself gives a beautiful image and it absolutely

suits to the theme of the story. The tide and sea become important characters in the

story as we can see in other Lakshadweep stories. This story makes use of beautiful

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images and through these images of the sea and movements of the waves the

feelings of Ayoob is wonderfully reflected. In short the beautiful image in the

narration gives extra ordinary feelings to the ordinary story.

PARANNUPOYA KILIKAL (THE FLOWN AWAY BIRDS)

This story is written by a famous writer M.I.Hamzakoya, a school

teacher in Lakshadweep. This story tells that the language of love is spiral beyond

the time and nation. The author tells about the reflection of the delicate pain of two

minds, two souls.

The protagonist of this story is an innocent young Dweep girl named

Jameela. The story gives voice to innocent loves and the heavy charges she needs

to pay for her love by the fate that is her death. Or we can say that she fulfills her

desires through her death. Jameela and Shaji are the two important characters of

this story who were very good friends from the childhood and their friendship turns

love with their turning to teenage. Shaji and Jameela were good at studies, but in

the final school examination due to fever Jameela could not attend class properly

and she fails in the exam. Whereas Shaji passes with a final class mark and his

father send him to Kochi for higher studies. The departure of Shaji is intolerable

for Jameela and the author describes the victory of Shaji as first effort in parroting

the two eyes. When Shaji leaves, Jameela feels heavy solitude and mental anguish.

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Shaji goes against the promises given to Jameela and she hears that Shaji has fallen

in love with his class mate. She doesn’t believe it at all and waits eagerly for his

letters even though nothing comes. This anguish scrolls her to a worst health

condition but she continues her strong position. But when she hears that Shaji was

killed in a scooter accident it was more than anything to endure for her little heart

and she goes unconscious and her closed blue eyes never opened again.

For us the people who live in a fast world may feel Jameela as an alien

character and her love remains an undigested one but in the case of uneducated

innocent girls of Lakshadweep it is true. There are lots of Jameelas in the past

Lakshadweep whom I know from my elders.

The title “flown away birds” very much suits and acts to the theme of the

story. The image of birds is often used in the story. When Shaji goes to Kochi by

ship, it seems to Jameela as a bird flying away. The solitude waiting of Jameela for

Shaji is also compared to the awaiting of horn able for rain. The story starts with

the flying away of one bird and it is followed by another. By reading the story we

could understand that it is the state of the heroine of the story. In the climax Shaji

is killed and Jameela dies in the shock soon which also remembers the first plot

where mail birds flies away first and the lady bird afterwards. Through such

beautiful suited images the author gives poetic feeling to the reader.

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BAPPA VARILLA (FATHER WILL NOT COME)

The story of Bappa Varilla is written by M.P.Basheeer, who is a student.

M.P.Basheeer tells us the story of the life of the people of the islands. This story

glances at the social situation hold in Lakshadweep during ancient times. It

emotionally presents the story of a neglected child and the repentances of humanity

and the memories of past.

The story pictures the cruel anarchies existed in the Lakshadweep Society. It

is bitterness presented through two of the bites of the system so that its impact of

the irrational system becomes more obvious to the reader. The author reveals us

the power of noble revenge that is to help your enemy in his critical situation

instead of ridiculing or leaving him. And the story shows how it could make a

positive change in your enemy. Alikutty maser is the central character of this story

that comes to the primary school of his own Dweep as a teacher, years after his

leaving from the Dweep. Alikutty master asks a young girl Naseema to bring her

father next day as a punishment for a mischief done by her. Listening with a

gloomy face, full of tears she informs the teacher that her father is remarried and

now he is not at all taking care of them. Divorcing one’s wife by thalaq and getting

remarried was a custom existed in the Dweep society. From the girl’s description

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Aalikutty master could understand that her father is none other than his old enemy

Hamsakoya.

Alikutty master is born to a family where the people of his cast are

considered as low reptiles; they even don’t have the freedom to wear good clothes.

They are treated as slaves and put to heavy work by the upper class people.

Alikutty master’s Father is a coconut climber, in the orchard of Hamsakoya’s

father. He lost his job for giving tender coconut water for his son Aalikutty. Now

Alikutty master knows that Hamsakoya is following the tradition of his father.

Once Alikutty master comes to know that Hamzakoya is hospitalized and he is in

need of blood. But no one comes forward to give blood since he was notorious for

his cruelty. Aalikutty is ready to give blood for his enemy and saves his student’s

father. When Hamzakoya returns to life he apologizes. But Alikutty asks him to

ask pardon from his daughter Naseema for not looking after her or her family.

Hamzakoya confesses for all his sins and is ready to remarry Naseema’s mother

and to stay with them.

Simple language and narrative style is the main specialty of this story But

through simple language the author exposes serious harsh realities of the society.

He is able to show us the devil face of class discrimination through Aalikutty’s

memories and he brings light to the sufferings of polygamy. Through Aalikutty’s

noble revenge towards his enemy the author indicates us the power of love and

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humanity and shows us how this simple story pictures complicated social realities

and its message for a social change through the way of love and humanity.

CHAPTER 3

CONCLUSION

Literature in Lakshadweep is an emerging area and needs to be fostered and

nurtured in a comprehensive manner. For preserving and enriching the not so

known literature of these islands an Academy was constituted in 1983. It is quite

interesting to note that such an academy came into being only in 1983 and such a

notion came as recommended by a group of writers from different states and union

territories who participated in the seminar on National Integration through

Literature. Unlike the academies in the states, which handle one or two areas in

fine arts, this Academy has to implement programmers for the development of all

the fine arts, ranging from music to literature, folk dances to drama, drawing and

paintings to sculpture etc. In this context it is it is a surprising fact that a separate

department for languages and culture was till then absent. Thus the role of the

Academy becomes all the more important.

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In the beginning years, the Academy was very active. The veteran novelist

and Jnanpeed laureate Shri Takazhi Siva Sankara Pillai was brought to Kavaratti to

interact with literary persons in the island. Audio-cassettes depicting old folk songs

and new lyrics were produced A journal by name Sagara Kala was published.

Thus, the activities were to take a good shape. But unfortunately, it did not happen.

The office building and the conference hall were sold to All India Radio Station in

1989. The Academy was relegated to inconvenient private buildings one after the

other. Activities suffered a setback and nothing worth mentioning took place for

more than a decade.

Against such a background, former Administrator Shri Rajeev Talwar gave

an awakening touch to the Academy in the Golden Jubilee year of India’s

Independence. He created one post of full time Secretary and streamlined the

activities. The Academy was brought under the purview of the South Zone Cultural

Centre and the national academies. Fund allocations, as share of the Union

Territory began to flow into the Academy from these outside agencies, which act

as primary sources for literary and cultural activities. Grant from the administration

to meet the establishment charges and to organize the renewed activities has shot

up in geometric progression. In this favorable circumstance, the Academy was able

to organize a lot of programmers’ in all the islands likes Writers’ meet at Agatti,

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Literary awards to S/Shri U.C.K.Thangal and R.Govindarajan, Book of the

folktales of Lakshadweep was published etc.

All the stories that are analyzed in this project present to us the social and

cultural history of Lakshadweep along with all its nuances and problems.

Geographically speaking Lakshadweep remains in the margins so does its

literature. Its concerns and worries find a space in the literature. Being a mode of

regional literature it unravels the life of the people of Lakshadweep with their

dreams, aspirations and pains. All the stories that this project has analyzed expose

the delicate nature of human existence in the islands and the beauty of these stories

lie in their simple diction and style. But it is high time that Government came

forward to promote their literature. Though at present Lakshadweep Kala Academy

(LKA) is organizing different programmes to improve the rich tradition, culture

and literature in these islands Government has to undertake some activities to

introduce the people of Lakshadweep to different genres of world literature which

require services of gifted and highly educated persons. Only by sincere, dedicated

and continued efforts, it will be possible to successfully nurture and rejuvenate the

invaluable quintessential in literature of this islands most of, which are washed into

the shores of obscurity, by now. A united movement for Lakshadweep literature

was our longtime dream kept in the corner of heart which remained undreamed for

many years.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Brown, Keith and Sarah Ogilvie. Concise Encyclopedia of Languages of the

World. Elsevier. 2008.

Kalatharangam.Lakshadweep Kala Sahitya Academy,2008.

Lakshadweep and its People. Department of Information and Public

Relations,2010.

Sagarakathakal. Kavaratti:Lakshadweep Sahityakala Academy,1987.

.