Verukal is a Malayalam semi-autobiographical novel written by Malayattoor Ramakrishnan

Malayattoor Ramakrishnan

Malayattoor Ramakrishnan was a prominent Malayali novelist of the 20th century from Kerala state, South India. He is credited with having authored several important works in Malayalam literature, including novels, short stories and biographical sketches...

 in 1966. It is widely credited as one of his best works. It won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1967.

Plot summary

Verukal tells the story of a family of Tamil speaking Iyers who settled in Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

. Raghu is the protagonist of the story. The pivotal event on which the novel turns is the return of Raghu to his native village after a lapse of several years, to raise money to build a city mansion for himself by selling his ancestral home. He sets about this reluctantly, under pressure from his shrewish and domineering wife. In the village, as he meets his sisters and others among whom he grew up, a flood of memories overwhelms him, and he abruptly changes his mind about selling the property.

Main characters

• Raghu - the protagonist
• Ammulu - Raghu's eldest sister
• Lakshmi - Raghu's sister
• Maniyan Athimbaar - Ammulu's husband
• Yajneswarayyar (Ammanchi) - Lakshmi's husband
• Vishwanathan - Raghu's father
• Amma - Raghu's mother
• Aadi Narayana Swami (Patta) - Raghu's grandpa
• Ganapathi Patta - Raghu's great grandpa
• Geetha - Raghu's wife
• Ajayan - Raghu's son
• Suma - Raghu's daughter
• Saraswathy - Raghu's younger sister