Selishma Mohandas

18P224
Ms. Shweta Rajan

Abstract

Since many years the Indian culture has been following various myths and beliefs.

The student researcher, in the article, has focused upon the major and minor aspects of

the mid-20th century that the author, Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, has brought out in the

evergreen novel Chemmeen- the beliefs and myth of the fishermen community of Kerala, along

with the theme of greediness and male-dominance in the society. In those days, religion was seen

as a major problem and only men and women from the same religion got approval of marrying

each other. Caste division, in the society, was seen when any fisherman wanted to own the boats

and nets. According to the norms of the society, lower caste men could only do fishing and had

no right to own the boats. All this started after the caste system was introduced. This tormented

the lives of the people belonging to the lower caste. Also, the myth followed by the fishing

community has been brought out. A man was safe only because of his wife’s chastity. If she was

infidel, her husband would be eaten up by the Sea Goddess or Kadalamma. This brings out

gender-related issues in the Malayalee society, which has been very conservative, since many

years.

Chemmeen has been one of the evergreen Malayalam novels and also has been adapted

into various films and translated into several Indian and foreign languages.

Keywords: love, religion, caste, greed, chastity

18P224

Ms. Shweta Rajan

February 8, 2019

Shades of Life as seen in

Chemmeen by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai

The student researcher focuses upon the customs, traditions and beliefs of the fisherman

community in the southern part of Kerala. Various types of traditions and beliefs is clearly

depicted in the novel Chemmeen, written by Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai. It is a tragic love story

between two people- a Muslim trader and the daughter of a Hindu fisherwoman. Unlike the other

love stories, Chemmeen highlights not only love but also the various myths and beliefs of the

men and women from the fisherman community, who mostly belonged to the Mukkuvar

community.

Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai was an author who wrote various novels in Malayalam

basing the upon lives of the oppressed classes. Two of his best-known works of all times are

Chemmeen and Kayar. He has won many awards like the Sahitya Akademi Award and the

Jnanpith Award in the year 1958 and 1984 respectively.

The novel starts off with the romance and love between two teenagers Pareekutty and

Karuthamma. Their love story from the childhood days, is highlighted in these lines, “Once upon

a time...grew up as neighbors.” (5). Both were neighbors and used to be playmates. As time

passed, both of them fell in love with each other. They used to talk and spend their time. But the
others staying nearby took their relationship to be in a wrong way and this creates trouble for

Karuthamma throughout the novel.

Pareekutty’s religion was a major problem in the novel. Pareekutty was Muslim and

Karuthamma was Hindu. According to the people in those days, people belonging to two

different religions could not marry or be in relationship with each other – “He is not one of us. A

Muslim. And he probably doesn’t realize any of this.” (9).

Each time Chakki, Karuthamma’s mother, sees her daughter talking to or thinking about

Pareekutty, she gives her a warning to stay away from him. Through various lines Chakki speaks

out the beliefs that the fisherman folk had. She says, “The life of a man who goes out to sea rests

in the hands of his woman on the shore.” (8) Also, she says, “Virtue is the most important thing,

my daughter. Purity of the body and mind! A fisherman’s wealth is his fisherwoman’s virtue.”

(9)

People of different religion or caste cannot come together. A woman having an affair or

marrying someone outside her caste or religion was considered a crime. The growing proximity

between the two makes Chakki feel that her daughter must get married to a Hindu boy, as early

as possible, otherwise she would flee with Pareekutty. Chakki starts talking to her husband

Chembankunju about their daughter’s marriage. One day both discuss the matter in their room

when Karuthamma hears it- Chakki reproved, “You are a father, are you? I am glad that you

remember that! Your daughter will be led astray.”

“Go go, woman! I will have her married before that happens”. (11)

Hence, Karuthamma sacrifices her love for Pareekutty and marries Palani, an orphan Hindu

fisherman, who is found by Chembankunju during their fishing time. Palani and Karuthamma
belong to different villages. After marriage, Karuthamma goes to Palani’s house, even after she

knows that her mother is ill and bedridden.

The fishing community was divided into different castes. Within the community, only the

person belonging to the higher caste could own boats and nets. No man from other castes could

own it. This division can be seen when Chembankunju decides to own a boat, the other men

discuss that he is not eligible to buy one. They say that only a person belonging to the

Valakkaran caste could own boats and net and Chembankunju belonged to the Mukkuvan caste-

“...The children of the sea are of five kinds: Aryan, Valakkaran, Mukkuvan, Marakkan and a

fifth caste of no particular name. And then in the east there are some subsects of men who man

the boats. Only the Valakkaran is allowed to own boats and nets. In fact, in the east the protector

of the shore, the Shore Master, would permit only the Valakkaran to buy the boat and nets.” (31)

The caste division, within the fishing community, created a lot of problems in a fisherman’s life.

Chembankunju does not care about his family much. Instead, his greediness and

selfishness are seen clearly in the novel. He wanted to own a greater number of boats and nets

than what the others had and make more money. In those days it was very hard to own even one

boat or net. At first, he did not have any money to own a boat, but, in some or the other way he

wanted to. Pareekutty lent him huge baskets of dried fish and Chembankunju sold them so that

he could earn more money. With the money he made, Chembankunju finally owned the boats.

He told Pareekutty that he would return the money back but he never returned it to him. We also

see his greediness when he says, “I don’t want anyone picking any fry from my boat!” (57)

The community is also male-dominated, where the women live according to what the

man wants- “Chakki suffers a lot as Chembankunju’s wife; Karuthamma suffers as an obedient
daughter and a weeping wife; and Panchami the younger daughter of Chakki becomes an orphan

with another orphan in her hands (the daughter of Karuthamma).” (110-115)

Myth is the most important aspect of the novel. In those days, the sea was considered

sacred and it was known by the name Kadalamma or the Sea-Goddess. The sea was like their

mother. It was because of the sea that their life was safe. If the man is good, then the sea is good

to the man. The myth is that if any woman is infidel towards her husband then the sea goddess

would eat the man. A man can only be protected from dangerous waters only if his wife is

“uncontaminated and uncorrupted”. (23) After Karuthamma’s marriage to Palani, the news of

Karuthamma’s past relationship with Pareekutty spreads like wildfire. Palani’s friends don’t take

him along for fishing. But Palani continues to trust Karuthamma that she did not do any wrong.

But by the end Karuthamma’s and Pareekutty’s love is rekindled. Karuthamma loses her

chastity. Palani goes for fishing but he is swallowed by the sea and never returns back- “All the

waters of the sea…He was grabbing at it…and screamed “Karuthamma!” …over the whirlwind’s

roar.” (237)

Karuthamma along with Pareekutty choose to end their life and by the next morning, they are

found dead on the sea shore, hand in hand, as they feel that she has been infidel but both cannot

live without each other.

Through this article, the student researcher has tried to bring out the life and the various

beliefs and customs followed by the people in the fishing community of Kerala and how it is

shown in the novel through a love story.

 Primary source:

Pillai, Thakazhi Sivasankara. Chemmeen, translated by Anita Nair, Harper Perennial, 2018,

Noida

 Secondary source:

Arunkumar, S. “Transgressing the Traditional Beliefs and Customs in Thakazhi Sivasankara

Pillai’s Chemmeen”,

www.languageinindia.com/june2018/vitseminarenglish/arunkumarchemmeen1.pdf

Beck, Melissa. “Chemmeen”, Once Upon A Time in Kerala, 1 March, 2017,

www.openlettersmonthly.com/issue/once-upon-a-time-in-kerala/

Khambete, Aarti Kelkar. “Traditional fisherfolk of Kerala - An article about their socio-

economic organization and the special relationship they share with the sea and the

environment”, India Water Portal, August 13, 2012,

www.indiawaterportal.org/articles/traditional-fisherfolk-kerala-article-about-their-socio-

economic-organisation-and-special

Neems. “Book Review – Chemmeen (English Translation)” Tales'n'Tunes, December 11, 2017,

talesntunes.wordpress.com/2017/12/11/book-review-chemmeen-english-translation/

Sarvan, CP. “T. S. Pillai's Chemmeen: Love, Marxism, and a Hindu Dialectic”

journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/IFR/article/viewFile/13598/14681

Sho. “Chemmeen” Chemmeen Summary and Themes,

www.scribd.com/document/370319899/Chemmeen-Summary-and-Themes