EVOLUTION

Malayalam is probably the only language whose name, when spelled in English, is a palindrome. Malayalam, the mother tongue of nearly thirty million Malayalis, belongs to the Dravidian family of languages. Both the language and its writing system are closely related to Tamil, although Malayalam has a significantly larger phoneme inventory. Malayalam has a script of its own. Malayalam literature reflects the spirit of accommodation and has over the centuries developed a tradition, which, even while rooted in the locality, is truly universal in taste. It is remarkably free from the provincialism and parochial prejudices that have bedeviled the literature of certain other areas.

To its basic Dravidian stock have been added elements borrowed or adopted from non-Dravidian literature such as Sanskrit, Arabic, French, Portuguese and English. The earliest of these associations was inevitably with Tamil. Sanskrit, however, accounts for the largest of the 'foreign' influences, followed closely in recent times by English. This broad based cosmopolitanism has indeed become a distinctive feature of Malayalam literature.

According to the most dependable evidence now available to us, Malayalam literature is at least a thousand years old. The language must certainly be older, but linguistic research has yet to discover unmistakable evidence to prove its antiquity. Historical accuracy has often been a problem since the records in most cases show no reference to the exact date of their composition. Legends and folklore have often taken the place of historical facts and chronology has been consciously or unconsciously tampered with. Modern research on scientific lines, however, has gone a long way to explain the origin and early development of the language. 

BACKGROUND

Malayalam is extraordinarily rich in every genre of literature. Every year numerous books and publications are produced in Malayalam. In Kerala alone 170 daily papers, 235 weekly and 560 monthly periodicals are published in Malayalam. The most circulated daily paper in India is in Malayalam. This language is presently taught in many Universities outside Kerala including some in the United States.

Malayalam literature reflects the spirit of accommodation and has over the centuries developed a tradition, which, even while rooted in the locality, is truly universal in taste. It is remarkably free from the provincialism and parochial prejudices. To its basic Dravidian stock have been added elements borrowed or adopted from non-Dravidian literature such as Sanskrit, Arabic, French, Portuguese and English. The earliest of these associations was inevitably with Tamil. Sanskrit, however, accounts for the largest of the "foreign" influences, followed closely in recent times by English. This broad based cosmopolitanism has indeed become a distinctive feature of Malayalam literature.

The history of Malayalam literature dates to the 13th century. Indigenous ballads and folk songs belong to the earliest times. Later literature was long influenced by Sanskrit, the language of scholarship, and by Tamil, the language of administration

Thunchath Ramanujan Ezhuthassan, is considered as the father of Malayalam literature. Thunchan Parambu is highly venerated and its sand is believed to be sacred. Ezhuthachan's work is a fine expression in Malayalam, of the Bhakti tradition. His version of the Ramayana, is read aloud in hundreds of Hindu homes in Kerala. The influence of the west began with the arrival of the Portuguese. In the second half of the 18th century, Clement Patiri published the Samkshepa Vedartham, the first printed book in Malayalam. Herman Gundert, the renowned German missionary and Malayalam scholar par excellence, is best remembered for his Malayalam-English dictionary, published in 1872.

POETRY

The 19th century saw the flowering of Malayalam poetry, in the courts of Swati Thirunal. The period also produced the grammar works of 'Kerala Panini' A. R. Raja Raja Varma. His popular poem, Malayala Vilasam, marks the beginning of the modern era of Malayalam poetry, according to scholars. But the Golden Age undoubtedly, revolves around the famous trinity of Kumaran Asan, Ulloor S. Parameshwar Iyer and Vallathol Narayana Menon. Several other poets followed - Nalappat Narayana Menon and Balamani Amma, to name a few.

Contemporary Malayalam poetry is diverse and prolific, though critics say, it has lost the vibrancy and eclectic passion of the 70's, when progressive radicalism swept in influences from Soviet socialist realism to Latin American voices. But Malayalam poetry is alive and kicking. Contemporary poets include O. N. V. Kurup, Ayyappa Panikkar, Kadamanitta Ramakrishnan, Madhavikutty, Sugatha Kumari, Kavalam Narayana Panikkar and Sachidananthan.

PROSE

The earliest Malayalam novel was Kundalata, by T. M. Appu Nedungadi, published in 1887. The historical novels of C. V. Raman Pillai, Chengalathu Kunhirama Menon and Sardar K. M. Panikkar chronicle events in Kerala's growth as a state. Malayalam literature did not take long to address the issues of the masses. Thakazhi Sivasankaran Pillai, P. Keshavdev, Vaikom Mohammed Basheer, S. K. Pottekkat and P. C. KuttiKrishnan spearheaded the break with traditionalism. The current generation of Malayalam writers contain brilliant talents like O. V. Vijayan, M. T. Vasudevan Nair, M. Mukundan, C. V. Shriraman and Zachariah, to name a few. In addition to this, Arundhati Roy, a budding writer from Kerala, has carved a niche for herself in the English literary scene.