Something bitter and choppy is bubbling beneath the surface. The Matriarch senses this and it is what she most dreads. The volcano of human emotion that has been hitherto somewhat dormant is in danger of a violent eruption. The searing lava of hatred and revenge would flow out and all that remains would be the burnt out ashes of sorrow, loss, and suffering. The Matriarch fears for her loved ones and worries about the fate of the land.
Ernad, Malabar 1921. The Khilafat movement has found a firm footing and has succeeded in inciting the pride of the essentially poor and downtrodden Mappila community. The oppression meted out by the Hindu landlords and the injustice of the British government's land reforms would no longer be tolerated, the newly formed Congress- Khilafat Alliance was determined. But reality is a strange aberration.
The Sixth Tirumulpad, a haughty landlord, Alijan Sahib, the local Khilafat kingpin, Mammad, the young secretary, Stanley-Pal Eaton the rich planter are all caught plumb in the middle of what follows. Apart from the Matriarch herself, Benu, Sethu, Priya, Razia, Winefred Eaton, and the tribal lass, Choenkanni all find themselves staggering as things take a tum for the worse.
With a Bachelor's degree in English Language and Literature from St. Teresa's College, Ernakulam, and a Master's from Madras University, Anjana Varma has a solid foundation in the world of words. For nearly two decades, she led a centre for English Language Studies. But her heart belongs to her home in Tripunithura, Kochi, where she embracos her role as a wife and mother alongside writing. History, especially Kerala history, and genealogy are her fields of interest.
In jail, we tend to reach within ourselves. I have done this often enough in the Dark Continent and I find myself doing this now when here in Yerwadah, I can do little else.
It is no wonder that the first stop in my inward sojourn is Chauri Chaura. Three civilians and twenty-two policemen have died. I have halted the Non-Cooperation. Nehru doesn't like it. Bhagat Singh protests vehemently. Yet, I have called it all off. I am now serving penance, by fasting. Fasting is my nature. It is how I atone for my crimes and those of others. Crimes for which I am directly and indirectly responsible.
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