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Book Name: Kanneerussm Kinavum

Author: V.T.Bhattathiripadc
 KANNEERUM KINAVUM

´Getting your nose broken never removes the foul smell. You
have to wipe the garbage causing itµ- it is saying by a ¶Namboothiri
Brahmin·, V.T.Bhattathiripad who was an Indian Social Critic, well-
known dramatist and a prominent freedom fighter. He was born to
Namboothiri Brahmin parents but did not like to follow their custom
and traditions. He tried to change superstitions and untouchability
among them.

¶Kanneerum Kinavum· is his autobiography written in

colloquial language which makes the readers to follow his ideology. V.T.
did not hide anything and he expressed his feelings very freely. The
content is about his horrible childhood, bachelor life, his activities and
ideologies etc.. He couldn·t live like an ordinary man because he was an
¶Aphan· (the second boy child of a Namboothiri woman) in that family.
He had to follow some rules and restrictions.

He was not allowed to mingle with others. If he did any

mistakes, all Brahmins would oppose him and he had to stand away
from their group. He should follow their rules blindly.

In this custom, that Namboothiri Brahmins should learn

¶Mantras·, ¶Pooja· from their childhood itself. They were not having a
happy life or any other enjoyments like other children. And also ¶Aphan·
should live alone dedicate to his duties.

We consider Brahmins had high standard of life, it may be in

early days, but now many of them are suffering a lot to move a day. They
get income by doing Poojas in temples. In most of the Nmboothiri
Brahmin families, we can see early marriages of girls with old men.
 Women have no right to speak against it. They always live
inside the house and served their family.

V.T. encouraged widow marriages in the society and tried to

reform the conservative practices of the ¶Namboothiri· community in
particular and the society at large. He conducted the first mixed race
marriage in the Brahmin society. Now the young generation started to
think and they coming forward against the superstitions and horrible
customs of Namboothiries.

V.T. Bhattathiripad criticized the Namboothiri life and he

tried to give message to youth to be active on it. He could have added
interesting and happy incidents which would bring relief in reader·s
mind. While reading we could understand what he pointed out about the
bad things among the Namboothiri families. His last sentence shows his
aggression on Namboothiri Brahmins.

Then he used Sanskrit words and some slogans confuse the

readers. But his feelings and attitudes will affect more the readers.
Readers can quickly capture the message what V.T.wanted to inform. His
words are much powerful and strong. He narrates his strong
sequentially, that contains his childhood, adolescence, middle age and
old age that will make the readers to understand what had happened in
hislife.

The degenerated Brahminical ideology and its social

structure had its first powerful assault from within for the first time and
the most fervent slogan of the period was for the transformation of
Brahmins in to humanbeings.