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INDULEKHA
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INDULEKHA
A Novel from Malabar
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O O.CHANDU MENON
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INDULEKHA
(Novel)
Written by
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O. Chandu Menon
Translated by
N.Gopalakrishnan
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Nevertheless the fact remains that they have found access to only a
limited readership.
Tarjuma is an organization that we have started with the purpose of
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publishing English translations of some of the selected works in
Malayalam so that they may reach a wider readership than what is
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TRANSLATORS PREFACE
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other object in view must remember the sense of weariness and disap-
pointment with which they rose from the task.
The popular literature, with all its unnatural and supernatural para-
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phernalia, belongs to an age when the human mind was still in a go-cart,
its language is as obsolete as the language of Piers the Plowman, and
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if this descent into a valley of bones which are very dry, is followed by
their revival the author deserves well of all who, from birth, inclination
or necessity are interested in a regeneration of oriental literature.
So far as Europeans are concerned, the value of a book like
Indulekha can hardly be overestimated. Few amongst us have oppor-
tunities of learning the coloquial and idiomatic language of the country,
which, so far as I am competent to express an opinion, is far more
important for the ends of administration than all the monuments of ar-
chaic ingenuity which we read and mark and leave undigested under
the present Rules for the encouragement of the study of Oriental Lan-
guages. In this respect, therefore, a novel supplies a distinct want, and
I would respectfully commend this point to the consideration of the
powers who regulate such matters.
Of all the recognized Vernaculars in South India, Malayalam, being
confined to one district in the Madras Presidency, and the Native States
of Cochin and Travancore, is least known to the world in general, and
the influence of the new departure made by Mr. Chandu Menon would,
therefore, in itself be limited to a narrow sphere. Hence, apart from the
interest with which lndulekha inspired me, and the linguistic profit I
derived from its perusal, I thought it desirable, with Mr. Chandu Menons
permission, to assist him in his declared object by translating the work
into the lingua franca of the East. At the end of the volume will be
found a few notes in which I have endeavoured to explain certain pas-
sages relating to the social and family system peculiar to Malabar.
With regard to the translation itself, no one can be more painfully
aware than I am myself of its many shortcomings, and I would beg
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those who honour me by reading it to remember, in criticising the book
itself, that the original must have suffered from the faults of the transla-
tion. In accepting, however, my due share of responsibility, I must ex-
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press regret that, owing to a mistake by which an imperfectly corrected
proof was used as the final revise, there have occurred, in the first
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half of the work, errors and misprints which would have disappeared on
actual revision.
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PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION
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members without in any degree foregoing my novels. With this object in
view, I attempted at first to convey to them in Malayalam the gist of the
story contained in some of the novels I had read, but my hearers did not
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seem particularly interested in the versions which I gave them of two or
three of these books. At last it happened that one of these individuals
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saying, There again, you are reading a novel to yourself. I must have it
translated orally. Thus in one way and another, it appeared to me that
by trying not to give umbrage to my associates, I had succeeded in
giving considerable inconvenience at any rate to myself.
Finally, I was urged to produce a written translation of the novel by
Beaconsfield which I have mentioned, and I consented. But when I had
made some little progress in the work, I, thought the matter over, and
decided that a translation thus made would be absolutely without value.
I find no great difficulty in communicating to my friends who are igno-
rant of English, a fairly accurate idea of an English novel by means of
an oral rendering, but I think it is wholly impossible to transmit a correct
impression of the story through a written translation. The reason of this
is that, when the translation is written, a mere string of words is pre-
sented to the mind, and this alone is insufficient for the purpose. In
translating orally, the true force of English expressions is, at times, main-
tained, but the narrative, as a whole, can be rendered intelligible only by
elucidating, with the help of much commentary, the details appropriate
to each incident as it is related, by supplementing the pronunciation of
words and by gesture and expression. If a professedly literal translation
were interpolated with such details, explanation and commentary, then
there is no doubt that the work, as a translation, would be completely
ruined. Moreover, another obstacle is that any attempt to reproduce
literally in a written translation into Malayalam, the love passages with
which English novels abound must necessarily be far from happy. Tak-
ing, therefore, all these circumstances into consideration, I determined
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to write a Malayalam novel more or less after the English fashion and
gave my persecutor a promise to this effect. The compact was entered
into in January last, but on one pretext and another I delayed its fulfill-
ment until June. Then I was no longer able to withstand the pressure
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brought to bear on me but, commencing to write this volume on the l7th
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June, finished it on the 17th August, and thus it is that this book came
into existence.
I do not know how my countrymen will be disposed to regard a
work of this description. Those who do not understand English have
had no opportunity of reading stories cast in this mould; and I doubt if
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been borrowed directly from real life. Many a grave and reverend man
of learning, as he passes from one stage to another in a work of fiction,
admires the dexterity of the author in the construction of the plot, not-
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withstanding his convictions that the whole of what he reads is merely
the creation of an inventive mind, and many a man of calm and temper-
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I consider it a mistake to say that a story which is not wholly and strictly
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made up of facts serves no good purpose, and I think that the points
which should receive particular care, are style and beauty of composi-
tion.
One day while I was correcting the proofs of this book another
friend also asked me what the subject was. The only answer I gave him
was that if the book was ever published, I would send him a copy and
he could then see for himself. The reply he made was as follows: It is
a good thing if the book which you are preparing treats of that branch of
English learning which is called Science, but Malabar has no need of
any book dealing with any other subjects, and these words astonished
me not a little.
Others again asked me, while I was employed on this novel, how I
expected to make it a success if I described only the ordinary affairs of
the modern life without introducing any element of the supernatural.
My answer was this: Before the European style of oil-painting began to
be known and appreciated in this country, we had, painted in defiance
of all possible existence-pictures of Vishnu as half man and half lion,
pictures of the deity of the chase, pictures of bruteheaded monsters,
pictures of the god Krishna, with his legs twisted and twined into pos-
tures in which no biped could stand and blowing a cowherds horn,
pictures of Ananthan wearing a thousand cobra-hoods, pictures of gi-
gantic demons, and all these executed with a touch and colouring so
coarse as to banish all idea of chiaroscuro, perspective and proportion.
Such productions used to be highly thought of, and those who produced
them used to be highly remunerated, but now they are looked upon by
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many with aversion. A taste has set in for pictures, whether in oil or
water colours, in which shall be delineated men, beasts, and things ac-
cording to their true appearance, and the closer that a picture is to
nature the greater is the honour paid to the artist. Just in the same way,
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if stories composed of incidents true to natural life, and attractively and
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gracefully written, are once introduced, then by degrees the old order
of books, filled with the impossible and the supernatural, will change,
yielding place to the new.
I cannot, however, claim for this book of mine any such artistic merit
as I have indicated, and I shall be much distressed if my readers think
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from what I have said that I have put forward such a claim. All that I
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mean is that if competent persons would take the subject up and pro-
duce artistic novels, the public would find pleasure in reading them.
The language I have used in this book is the language I would ordi-
narily speak at home. Although I have some knowledge of Sanskrit, I
have as a rule employed Sanskrit words only in the manner and to the
extent in which they are employed colloquially by us Malayalis. For
instance, the Sanskrit word for etymology or critical knowledge is
Vyulpaththi, in the proper Sanskrit pronunciation, but in common use it
became Vilpaththi, and I have adhered to the popular form. Many
similar examples will be found, but in the case of certain words and
compounds which have been absorbed into Malayalam, neither is the
original pronunciation nor is the original meaning preserved, and I there-
fore warn my readers before hand that I have employed such phrases
only in the usual acceptation. I may also here remark that I have used
the active and passive voice and transitive and intransitive verbs in the
mode in which they are used in ordinary conversation, and I have made
no attempt to abandon, in favour of a style modelled on pure Sanskrit
prose, the diction of Malayalis conversing in Malayalam. Of my English
readers I would beg the favour of their perusing a letter which I have
addressed to Mr. W. Dumergue, C.S., and have had printed as an ac-
companiment to this volume, before they read the book itself. In that
letter, I have met, so far as I was able to anticipate them, some of the
objections, which will be raised to certain innovations in this narrative.
In the printing of this book, Mr. Kochchu Kunjen, the Superinten-
dent of the Spectator Press, has afforded me great assistance, and I
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have much pleasure in acknowledging the intelligence and promptitude
with which he brought to my notice from time to time, as the pages
passed through the press, errors which had crept in owing to the haste
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in which my task was accomplished.
O. CHANDU MENON
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Parapanangadi,
9th December 1889.
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To
W. DUMERGUE, Esq., M. C. S.,
&c., &c., &c.,
Hosur.
Sir,
I respectfully beg to submit herewith a copy of my Malayalam novel
for your kind acceptance and perusal.
The reasons that induced me to write a novel in Malayalam are fully
set forth in the Preface.
Briefly stated, they are as follows:-
First, my wifes oft-expressed desire to read in her own language a
novel written after the English fashion, and secondly, a desire on my
own part to try whether I should be able to create a taste amongst my
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Malayalee readers, not conversant with English, for that class of litera-
ture represented in the English language by novels, of which at present
they (accustomed as they are to read and admire works of fiction in
Malayalam abounding in events and incidents foreign to nature and of-
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ten absurd and impossible) have no idea, and to see whether they could
appreciate a story that contains only such facts and incidents as may
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11. Do. daughter Lakshmi Kutty Amma.
12. Panchu Menons son Govindan Kutty Menon.
13. Lakshmi Kutty Ammas daughter and Panchu Menons grand-
daughter Indulekha.
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14. Kesavan Nambudiri, the second husband of Lakshmi Kutty Amma
who was first married to Kilimanur Rajah (since deceased) the father
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of Indulekha.
15. Madhavans father Govinda Panikkar.
Chapter 1 opens, as stated above, with a. conversation between
Chather Menon and Madhavan. Chather Menon, though ignorant of
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brother, did not approve of what Madhavan said to his Karanavan. The
cause of the quarrel was this:-
Madhavan wished that his Karanavan, Panchu Menon, should edu-
cate the little boy Shinnan, but Panchu Menon, who was a narrow-
minded old man of 70 years of age, did not agree with Madhavans
views and refused to pay for the boys schooling, whereupon harsh
words passed between the old Karanavan and the young graduate. The
Karanavan was exceedingly wrath with what he considered Madhavans
impertinence. Madhavan, too, was exasperated at Panchu Menons
conduct, for that honest, brave young man detested his Karanavans
partiality for his direct Anandaravans. Panchu Menon would have spent
any amount of money in educating Shinnan if the boy had been a direct
Anandaravan of his like Madhavan, but the boy (though in truth he had
as good a right to be educated at Tarwad expense as Madhavan or any
other member of the Tarwad) happened to be a distant relation of
Panchu Menon, and, as not unfrequently is the case in Malabar Tarwads,
the old, ignorant, self-willed Karanavans educate only their direct neph-
ews and bring up their distant Anandaravers as agriculturists or as ser-
vant boys in the Tarwad house. The high-spirited and honest young
Madhavan considered such conduct on the part of his Karanavan ex-
tremely reprehensible and shameful, and consequently spoke to his
Karanavan on the subject strongly, with no great reverence for the high
position of the latter in the Tarwad. The chapter concludes with a fur-
ther conversation on the same subject between Madhavan and his jun-
ior uncle Sankara Menon and his mother Parvathi Amma. This chapter
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also contains a detailed description of Madhavan both as to his physical
appearance and intellectual attainments. Madhavan is a graduate both
in Arts and Law. He is extremely handsome in appearance and ex-
traordinarily intelligent, and a good Sanskrit scholar. He excelled in sports
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and English games, such as cricket and lawn tennis.
The second chapter (Indulekha) is devoted to the heroine. The chapter
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with the richest language of the world.
It will be seen that I have related the circumstances under which
lndulekha happened to acquire a knowledge of the English language
and various other accomplishments found in her, and I shall leave it to
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my readers to decide whether there is any improbability suggesting it-
self in the narrative in connection with her education.
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ladies in Malabar who would talk like Indulekha to their lovers, and as
for the way the engagement was brought about, I think there is nothing
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is my earnest desire that this should be the way in which the Nair ladies,
who already enjoy much greater freedom in respect of matrimony than
other Hindu women, should take their husbands.
The chapter concludes with an observation that though Panchu Menon
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knew enough to suspect lndulekhas inclination to marry Madhavan, he
did not at the time actually wish to prevent such a marriage. It will be
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observed that the quarrel between Panchu Menon arid Madhavan took
place a few months after their engagement. It was after the quarrel
that Panchu Menon resolved to break off the match.
Of course it will be impossible to give even a concise summary of
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the story contained in the twenty chapters (498 pages of closely printed
matter) within the limits of an ordinary letter.
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Nambudiripad fails shamefully in his attempt, but Panchu Menon, in
order to please the Nambudiripad, gives a niece of his (an ignorant
helpless girl) in marriage to the licentious, unprincipled man, who, while
he was making love to Indulekha was doing the same thing towards
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some other ladies also in Panchu Menons house, including Indulekhas
own mother. After the marriage with Panchu Menons niece, the
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Madras (where he had been residing ever since he left his Tarwad
house after the quarrel with his uncle) to marry Indulekha, openly disre-
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garding the old mans opposition, is informed on his way that his Indulekha
has become the wife or concubine of the Nambudiripad. Various rea-
sons, all false but apparently plausible, unfortunately compel Madhavan
to believe in the story and, having believed it, he of course feels so
miserable and so aggrieved that he leaves the country as an exile, with-
out making further enquiries, or even visiting his home in Malabar.
Madhavan goes to Northern India. Various incidents that happened during
Madhavans sojourn there are related. Indulekha, true to her lover, fi-
nally succeeds in her endeavors to find the whereabouts of Madhavan.
Madhavan learns the real state of things, and at once returns to Malabar
and marries Indulekha, The old Karanavan Panchu Menon (who, though
narrow-minded, was not altogether a bad-hearted man, and was exces-
sively fond of his granddaughter, Indulekha, yielding to the pressure of
circumstances, and retracting his oath by a penance prescribed by the
avaricious Brahmin priests for their own good, and the story concludes.
Chapter 18 was written at the special request of some of my
Malayalee friends. One half of it is devoted to a consideration .of athe-
ism, or the modern religion, as it prevails among the educated Malayalees,
and the other half to a discussion as to the merits and demerits of the
National Congress. This is brought in as a conversation between
Madhavan, his father and a cousin of Madhavan, who is also a gradu-
ate, but anti-Congress and atheistic. Madhavan is a moderate Con-
gressman and not an atheist. Madhavans father is a bigoted Hindu, and
the conversation ofcourse shows how each of the three thought of re-
ligion, and how Govinda Kutti despised the Congress, while Madhavan
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was a moderate supporter of it, though he finds various faults in the
present constitution and activities of the Congress which he would ad-
vise the Congress to remove.
I am afraid I have already transgressed the limits of an ordinary
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letter, and would beg to conclude with a hope that, whatever may be the
merits of the book I have written, you will readily recognize that in
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Parapanangadi,
19th December 1889.
Chapter I
immediately started for his uncles apartment. We may take this oppor-
tunity of understanding Madhavans position before we proceed further
with the story.
I have already given earlier some particulars of Madhavans age, of
his relationship to Panchu Menon, and of the examinations he had passed;
and I will now tell my readers something of his character and person.
Madhavan was a young man gifted with great abilities and a re-
markably handsome appearance. The fame which he had acquired by
an uninterrupted series of triumphs in the schools from the time he
began to learn English until he graduated in arts, clearly and fully pro-
claimed the rare talents with which he was endowed. He had never
failed in an examination, be it what it might. He passed the First in Arts
22 INDULEKHA
in the first class; in the B.A. examination his optional language was
Sanskrit; his critical knowledge of Sanskrit literature was profound; and
in the B. L. examination he passed first in the first class. Besides these,
his pre-eminence in various school examinations had obtained for him
many prizes and scholarships founded for the encouragement of learn-
ing, and all his tutors firmly declared that none of their pupils ever sur-
passed Madhavan in mental power and aptitude. With regard to his
external appearance, all who knew Madhavan were of opinion that
nature had indeed provided in his form and features a fitting habitation
for an intelligence so exceptional. In analysing a mans mental qualities
it is not, as a rule, necessary to dilate on the comeliness of his person,
but it is sufficient to consider his intellectual powers and capacity, his
manliness and modesty. In the present case, however, lest my readers
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should consider that the details of my story are incomplete without some
description of Madhavans bodily grace and symmetry, I think it is in-
cumbent on me to devote a few words to this subject. His complexion
was like refined gold, and as he had daily attended to his physical devel-
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opment by taking gymnastic exercises, his appearance, in all the glory
of youth, was most attractive and elegant. His well-proportioned limbs
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looked as if they had been fashioned in gold. His flowing locks, when
loosened from the knot in which they were usually tied according to the
Malayalee custom, hung down to his knees. In a word, his handsome
face, his straightforward expression, and independent bearing combined
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with the symmetry of his form in giving him a splendid presence. All
Europeans who made Madhavans acquaintance were fascinated by
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