| Malayalam, as a language, shares a close relationship with Tamil. Spoken by over 90 million people around the world, it is the state language of Kerala, a state known for its pristine beauty. This article traces the origins and history of the language of paradise. |
| With Tamil, Kota, Kodagu and Kannada, Malayalam belongs to the southern group of Dravidian family of languages. Malayalam's resemblance with Tamil is at once observable to those familiar with both languages. Experts have postulated that a primeval form of a common language, encompassing both Tamil and Malyalam, called Proto-Tamil Malayalam, may have disintegrated over a period of four or five centuries from the 9th century AD onwards resulted in the formation of Malayalam as a distinct language. |
| Bishop Robert Caldwell postulated in his 1875 work, "Comparative Grammar of Dravidian Languages" that the acquisition of this unique identity occurred during the Sangam period (the first five centuries of the Common Era) when Kerala belonged to the larger political entity known as "Tamilakam". |
| He further states that Sanskritization of the local dialect common to a large part of present-day Kerala was initiated during the "Dark Ages" immediately succeeding the Sangam Age. This initiated the emergence of a mixture of the local dialect and Sanskrit known as Manipravalam that, in turn, laid the foundations to Malayalam as an independent language. |
| Malayalam shows a remarkable sense of diversity through variations in intonation patterns, vocabulary, and distribution of grammatical and phonological elements observable along a variety of parameters, like region, community, occupation, social stratum, style and register. Malayalam borrows has borrowed thousands of nouns, hundreds of verbs, indeclinables and items of basic vocabulary from Sanskrit. |
| As the language of scholarship and administration, Tamil greatly influenced the early development of Malayalam. Later the irresistible inroads the Namboothiri dynasties made into the cultural life of Kerala accelerated the assimilation of many Indo-Aryan features into Malayalam at different levels. |
| The earliest written record of Malayalam is the "Vazhappalli" inscription (dated around 830 AD). In the early ninth century, the distinctive script of the Malayalam alphabet "vattezhuthu" (literally meaning round writing) evolved from the Grantha script through to the Brahmi script to give rise to the distinctive Malayalam script. The script is syllabic, implying that the syllables in a word have to be read as units, hence allowing for ready identification of the elements representing individual vowels and consonants. Interestingly, many special letters representing less frequent conjunct consonants and combinations of the vowel /u/ with different consonants were discarded during the ‘60s to form a more compact and comprehensible alphabet system. |
| Malayalam now consists of 53 letters including 20 long and short vowels and 33 consonants. The traditional style of writing has undergone considerable metamorphosis in keeping with the demands of typing ease, reducing the different letters for typeset from over 900 letters to less than 90 distinct letters. |
Malayalam also hosts a strong and multifaceted literary culture which, like the language, shares many common characteristics with Tamil. The early body of work in Malayalam comprises primarily of three different styles:
- Classical songs (better known as "Pattu" in Tamil)
- The "Manipravalam" style, which generously infused Sanskrit terminology with an early form of Malayalam.
- Folk songs, which richl imbibed native features of beauty
The oldest examples of "Pattu" and the "Manipravalam" style are the "Ramacharitam" and "Vaishikatantram", respectively, both estimated to have evolved sometime during the 12th century AD. |
| The first work of prose in Malayalam was written during the 12th century AD. Titled "Bhashakautiliyam", it was an intricate commentary on Kautilya's famed treatise "Arthashastra", also written in the same era. The first treatise on grammarian principles and literary styles, titled "Lilathilakam", was compiled during the 14th century AD and is considered to be the culmination of the "Manipravalam" style. |
| While the region presently known as Kerala continued to produce significant works of literature till the 15th v=century, almost all of them were rendered in Sanskrit and Tamil. In the 15th century AD, a true classic was produced by the writer Cherusseri, a tribute to the lord Krishna titled "Krishna Gatha". In the 16th century, the veritable father of modern Malayali literature, Thunchath Ezhuthachan rendered the "Adhyatma Ramayana" and "Mahabharata" in the evocative narrative device known as "Kilipattu" (literally translated to "Bird Song"). A long-standing alliance with Kerala's native dance form, Kathakali, furthered the development of the Malayalalm's literary culture to new levels. |
| While Sangam-era Literature tended to reflect the lives and experiences of the common people, post-Sangam literature extensively employed poetic devices o portray mythical imagery. The essence of Sangam-Era literature, the realism of the masses, was reinvented primarily with the works of Kunchan Nambiar. The shift of literary styles to an an approximate satirical outlook also emerged shortly in the later stages of the 18th century. By the 19th century, the influence of European literature brought about a reinvention in the prose form of Malayali literature. The influence of European missionaries also played a factor with the introduction of the Malayalam translation to the Bible. |
| The European style of education and the influence of the Christian missions established in Kerala brought about a silent revolution in the literary consciousness of Kerala. Paremmakal Thoma Kathanar, a native Catholic priest, wrote the first Malayalam travelogue titled "Journey to Rome" in 1786. Pachu Moothathu encapsulated the history of Kerala for the first time in 1860. Pachu Moothathu also created history by penning the first autobiography in the history of Malayali literature in 1871. The genre of novelization was introduced by the publication of the novel "Indulekha" by Chandu Menon., bringing in a new era of contemporary literature. |
| Literary journals played an important role in the development of Malayali literary styles by making available the works of aspiring writers to the public scrutiny. Translations of famous works in other languages into Malayalam also catalyzed the growth processes of many aspiring writers. One notable organization that catalyzed the translation and publication of literary works in Malayalam was the Text Book Committee of Travancore. The patronage and support by Valiya Koyil Thampuran and A. R. Rajaraja Varma further expanded the capabilities of this organization which virtually played the role of a literary movement. |
| The 20th century showcased the best efforts of Malayali literature, both in prose and literature. The three most prolific poets of the first half of the 20th century, Kumaran Asan, Ullur Parameswara Iyer and Vallathol Narayana Menon are collectively known as the "Mahakavitrayam" (The Great Trio). Kumaran Asan's 1909 epic poem "Vina Poovu" (A Fallen Bloom) along with other significant works like "Duravastha", "Nalini", "Leela", "Chandalabhikshshuki", "Chintavishtayaya Sita", "Karuna" and "Chandala Bhikshuki"; Ullur Parameswara Iyer's early work "Prema Sangitam", and other contemporary classics like "Umakeralam" and "Chithrasala"; and Vallathol Narayana Menon's refined elegance in works like "Badhira Vilapam", "Sahitya Manjari", "Ente Gurunathan", "Bandanasthanaya Anirudhan", "Virasrinkala", "Divaswapnam", "Achanum Makalum" and "Magdalana Mariam" reflected the changing times sweeping the land, highlighted the pathos of the oppressed and sparked the growing concepts of secularism in the growing literate society of Kerala. |
| In the footsteps of these great poets followed the likes of Nalappat Narayana Menon ("Kannunirthulli"), Changanpuzha ("Vazhakkula") and Idappally whose poetic output equaled in emotion the intensity of the Great Trio. A new style of writing was initiated, following inspiration from the works of Rabindranath Tagore, by Sankara Kurup whose "Odakkuzhal" (Bamboo Flute) secured India's top literary award, the Jnanpith, in 1965. |
| This powerful legacy is carried forward to this day, ensuring Malayalam's current hallowed status in the annals of modern Indian literature. Kerala also hosts the nation's largest literate population, in terms of percentage, ensuring the availability of an outlet for Malayali writers. With a fast-changing landscape brought about by the advent of the Information Revolution in India, the people of Kerala seem well-equipped to face these changes and adapt, as they have through the pages of history. |