ANTHARJANAM: Memoirs of a Namboodiri Woman

Ending the silence of centuries comes this startling murmur: the first full-length account of a Namboodiri womans life describing a world long gone. Told without a trace of self-pity, Devaki Nilayamgodes work is a remarkable achievement in the domain of personal and social history.

The memoirs unfold a variety of experiences that range from changing agricultural practices and esoteric medical ones like indigenous systems of anti-snake-venom treatment to the gradual erosion of the communitys wealth and unquestioned social power. With time, the winds of change brought radical ideas into these dim interiors. While J. Devikas detailed Introduction contextualizes the great changes the author describes, the many evocative illustrations by one of Keralas most famous artists transport us into the Namboodiri womans world.