Kerala Jathi Vivaranam(Encyclopaedia of Caste System)by Dr Nellickal Muraleedharan,Published by Rainbow BooksChengannur, Kerala - 689 1240479-2165253/2429410e-mail: [email protected] `350Kerala Jathi Vivaranam gives a comprehensive description of the innumerable castes and caste divisions in the Kerala society. Many of the castes described in the book seem to have become extinct as references to these are seldom seen and heard now. Many of these distinctions are said to be still prevailing in various areas.It is informative as it takes a close look at the major and minor castes with brief but pithy details of each one of them. The Kerala Jatopens the door to the myriad social fabric of Kerala where several castes with diverse customs and traditions flourished without any inhibitions.The in-depth study by Nellickal Muraleedharan unearths for the posterity the cultural trends which prevailed in a land where caste and religion played an inalienable role in shaping up life in the developmental milieu. It is humanly impossible to even imagine on these lines in the present day society of modern thinking of equality, fraternity and social justice. But it is a truth, says the author with the support of the information gathered from authoritative sources.Besides describing the essential features of the castes, religions and the Gothrams, the author also tries to throw light on the nuances of these segregations and divisions which were the corollary of the system. The caste system, the renaissance Koonan Kurisu Sathyam, Thalikettu Kalyanam, human gods, the serpent poojas, idol installation at Aruvippuram, Smartha Vicharam, Malabar marriage Act, Vaikom Satyagraha, the Temple Entry proclamation, Ezharappallikal, Odividya, manufacturing of pillathailam, Brahmana Lakshanam, Ambalavasis, Malayala Brahmins, Thulu Brahmins and several other caste and religious distinctions are among the subjects discussed under various titles in the book. The struggles against the obnoxious division of the human beings into several sects, the institutions which led these struggles. And the struggles against the nauseating and barbaric untouchability system also find their due place in book.The arrangement of the topics in the alphabetical order, the selected reference books, the index and the section carrying over fifty pictures make the book reader-friendly. ‘Kerala Jathi Vivaranam’ is a worthy addition to the books on Kerala history.
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