LALITHAMBIKA ANTHARJANAM’S REACTION AGAINST THE CONCEPT OF “ANTHARJANAM” IN AGNISAKSHI: LIFE OF THETHI
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61841/r5tt7x77Keywords:
Antharjanam, Patriarchy, Thethi, Unni Namboothiri, Namboothiri Illom, Renunciation, Freedom fightAbstract
Agnisakshi (Fire, My Witness), the only novel of Kerala’s eminent women writers, Lalithambika Antharjanam which tells an account of a Namboothiri woman called Thethikutty, who got liberated from the confines of her homes and left her family for the eternal fulfilment. Lalithambika Antharjanam encountered almost all the incidents from her own life experiences, especially the way she treated in her Illom. The story of Agnisakshi centers the deep and blind caste system and the practice of patriarchy of a Namboothiri household, which reveals the world of Namboothiri men and their rules and rituals which always avoided women from everywhere near their works. Thethikutty, the heroine of the novel tries to battle with these traditional norms which she prohibited from all the pleasures and happiness of her life, especially after she got married off to Unni Namboothiri the one who’s not a typical orthodox husband, but the one who grown up in those old systems.Thethi encountered with many obstacles to find out the real freedom, and she received the path of renunciation, the way she wanted to really live. There she found freedom and relief in every aspect especially breaking away all the rules and regulations of a typical Namboothiri women who’s basically called ‘Antharjanam’ the one who is inside or ‘Akathullol.’ In sum, the whole paper is going to scrutinize the system of ‘Antharajanam’ and how it is established in the novel Agnisakshi which is written by Lalithambika Antharjanam by looking deeply into the life of Thethikutty.
Downloads
References
1. Antarjanaṃ, Laḷitambika, and Vasanthi Sankaranarayanan. In the Darkness of the Nalukettu. Agnisakshi, Oxford University Press, 2015, pp. 23–27.
2. Krishnankutty, Gita. “The Only Novel.” Makers of Indian Literature – Lalithambika Antharjanam, Sahitya Academy, 2006, pp. 55–64.
3. Devi, Gayatri. “Lalithambika Antharjanam: The Writer Who Helped Shape Kerala’s Feminist Literature | #IndianWomenInHistory.” Feminism in India, 29 Mar. 2019. https://feminisminindia.com/2019/03/30/lalithambika-antharjanam-kerala-writer/
4. M. M., Sabitha. “The Plight of Namboodiri Women in Colonial Kerala – Reading through Lalithambika Antharjanam’s Cast Me Out If You Will.” Research Scholar: An International Refereed E-Journal of Literary Explorations, vol. 2, no. III, 2014, pp. 784–85.
5. Rajashree, R. The Female Phase in the Selected Novels of Anita Nair, Lalithambika Antharjanam, and Arundhati Roy. PhD Dissertation, Mahatma Gandhi University, 2012.
6. Sabu, Shinu, and Garnet P. T. “Dual Subjugation of Namboodiri Women Before 1950s: An Analysis of Agnisakshi and Antharjanam.” Literary Herald, vol. 2, no. 3, 2016, pp. 370–73.http://tlhjournal.com/uploads/products/45.shinugarnet-article.pdf
7. Sarasa, Suri. “AGNISAKSHI.” Malayalaulagam, 2015. https://malayalaulagam.wordpress.com/2015/09/28/chithiracholai-15/
8. “Witnessing History.” The Book Review, The Book Review Literary Trust, 17 Apr. 2017.https://thebookreviewindia.org/witnessing-history/
9. Chapter 3 PDF (Shodhganga source): https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/217548/10/8chapter3.pdf
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation .
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
