| Author | S. K. Pottekkatt |
|---|---|
| Language | Malayalam |
| Publisher | Mathrubhumi Books |
Publication date | 1941 |
| Publication place | India |
| Pages | 80 |
| ISBN | 978-81-8265-209-5 |
Naadan Premam (English:Love in the Countryside) is aMalayalam novel written byS. K. Pottekkatt in 1941. It is a short novel written when the author was inBombay and tells the story of an innocent village belle jilted by a modern man-about-town. It is set entirely inMukkam, a rustic village on the banks of theIruvanjippuzha, a major tributary of RiverChaliyar.[1] Written initially as afilm treatment and later converted into a novel, it was serialised inKerala Kaumudi newspaper and released as a book in August 1941. It was adapted into afilm of the same name in 1972 but was not a success on the screen.[2]
The novel is an important chapter in the history of Mukkam.[3] The writer resided on the banks of Iruvanjippuzha for some time before he left for Bombay to write the novel. In 2005, a memorial was built at the heart of Mukkam, on the banks of the Iruvanjippuzha, as a tribute to the writer.[4]
Ravindran, a young rich man fromKozhikode, is living anonymously inMukkam, a small village on the banks ofIruvanjippuzha. There he falls in love with a young village girl by the name Maalu. Ravi decides to leave after staying for two months and assures Maalu that he will return. Maalu does not inform him that she's pregnant. Few days later, Maalu receives a letter from him saying that he will be going for a Europe tour and will return after six months. Fearing the social stigma if she gives birth to a fatherless child, Maalu is forced to marry Ikkoran, who is compassionate and agrees to nurture the child as his own.
Years later, Ravi, who is living with grief over childlessness, returns to the village with his wife Padmini. He meets a young lad there whom he identifies as his own son (Raghavan). He pleads to Maalu and Ikkoran to take Raghavan along with him. Ikkoran waves him off saying he is a lunatic and that it is their child. Ravi returns heartbroken and falls ill. He sends a letter to Maalu saying that he wishes to see his son once more before he dies. She complies and takes the child to Ravi's house. Seeing Ravi's condition, Ikkoran decides to leave the child there. Later, Ravi gets a letter from his friend Mr. Burton saying that Ikkoran and Maalu drowned themselves in the river. The final chapter shows Ravi living happily with Raghavan in the estate he has newly purchased in Mukkam.
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