https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=PremalekhanamPremalekhanam - Revision history2026-10-27T06:27:22ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Premalekhanam&diff=139976&oldid=previmported>Kashmorwiki: Sd2021-03-06T17:39:52Z<p>Sd</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{short description|Story by Vaikom Muhammed Basheer}}<br />
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'''''Premalekhanam''''' (The Love Letter) is [[Vaikom Muhammad Basheer]]'s first work (1943) to be published as a book. The novel is a humorous story of love. Through the hilarious dialogs, Basheer attacks religious [[Conservatism]] and [[Dowry|the dowry system]].<br />
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==Plot summary==<br />
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A young bank employee, Keshavan Nair, [[Hindu]] by religion, ''[[Nair]]'' by [[caste]] lodges on the upper floor of the house belonging to Saramma's father.<!-- i don't like this sentence (about tenant).i am not able to suggest a better one now--> Saraamma is a Christian by religion, beautiful, young, unmarried, unemployed, happy-go-lucky with a sting on the tip of her tongue. Keshavan Nair is an honest simpleton hopelessly in love with her. The book gets its title from the letter that Keshavan Nair composes to reveal to Saramma his love for her. The setting is 1940s [[Kerala]]. <!--The time setting is not especially relevant, because the story has almost nothing to do with political happenings of the time. What is important is the social setting of the story.--><!--Yes!the story is woven in such a way that the period of timing doesn't have much hold (constraint)on the story. The only exception I could find was "mattu pala raajyangalilum jolikku apekshichu."here, seems the reference is not to another country, but to other princely states--> The story is a sarcastic commentary on the dowry system and is in favour of [[Interreligious marriage|inter-religious marriage]]. But this is disguised in a funny love story. Basheer was not a ''Nair'' or a Christian, he was a lover of humanity. <!--the comments are ideas for later development, remove them as you go on editing--><br />
Saramma is an educated woman, and she is trying to get a job, and she has applied for jobs in many countries( because the story is set in Travancore, which was a country, or princely state). At last she gets a job. The job provider was Keshavan Nair, and the only job assigned to Saramma was to love him!He pays for that too in a monthly basis.<br />
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Now the serious questions arise. They belong to different religions, then which religion will their children follow? They decides to teach their children every religion and it is up to the children to choose their religion. They plan to grow their children "Religion less". Then comes the other serious issue, How will they name the child? They cannot choose a Hindu name or Christian name, Keshavan Nair asks "Shall we go for Russian names?"Saramma asks "How will it be?" "Anything ending with 'Visky'is a Russian name" Saramma was not happy with it. Keshavan Nair asks "Shall we go for Chinese names like Kwang" Saramma is still not happy. Finally they decides to go with names over objects like sky, sand, Air, toffee, balloon. They finally decide to take a lot of these objects, The result of the lot will be two chits which say "Sky" and "Toffee". They name their child as "Skytoffee". Keshavan Nair shouts saying "Mr.Skytoffee","Skytoffee","Comrade:Skytoffee". Saramma interrupts "Do you want our child to become a communist" Keshavan Nair says "Let him decide on that".<br />
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The story ends happily.<br />
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==The love letter==<br />
[[File:premalekhanam.jpg|The love letter]]<br />
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===Translation===<br />
My dearest Saraamma, When life is at its most intense state of youth, and one's heart has reached its most beautiful state of love, how does my dearest friend spend her time during this rare and short-lived beautiful period of life? As for me, I am living each moment of my life with my mind stirring hopelessly in love with my Saaraama. What about Saaraamaa? I request you to think deeply and kindly bless me with a sweetly generous reply,<br />
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Saaraama's own,<br />
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Keshavan Nair....<br />
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==Writing and publication==<br />
''Premalekhanam'' was written in 1943 when Basheer was under imprisonment at Thiruvananthapuram Central Jail, Poojappura as a political prisoner on charges of ''raajadroham'' (treason), for writing articles against Dewan [[Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer|C. P. Ramaswami Iyer]]. Basheer mentions the writing of ''Premalekhanam'' in his later work ''[[Mathilukal]]''. The love-story that forms the plot of ''Mathilukal'' happened during the same prison term. At jail, he wrote many stories to entertain fellow prisoners, especially people sentenced for life. But at the time of leaving prison, the only work that he could get hold of was ''Premalekhanam''. (Some of the other stories he later rewrote from memory). After his release, he got ''Premalekhanam'' published in 1943. By 1944, the book was banned in [[Travancore|Thiruvithankoor]], although there was nothing political in it. The main reason for banning this book in Travancore is that, Travancore was a Hindu country(princely state)where interreligious and intercaste marriages were strictly opposed, and the book indirectly favoured interreligious marriages.<br />
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==Film adaptation==<br />
{{Main|Premalekhanam (film)}}<br />
[[P. A. Backer]] adapted the novel for his film of the same name in 1985. The cast includes [[M. G. Soman|Soman]] (Kesavan Nair), Swapna (Saramma Thomas), Meena (Aliyama), [[Captain Raju]] (Babu), Vincent (Joykutty) and [[Mala Aravindan]] (Kunchan).<br />
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{{Basheer}}<br />
{{Malayalam Literature |state=collapsed}}<br />
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[[Category:1943 novels]]<br />
[[Category:Novels by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer]]<br />
[[Category:Indian novels adapted into films]]<br />
[[Category:Malayalam-language books]]<br />
[[Category:Novels set in Kerala]]</div>imported>Kashmorwiki