Pothikkettu is a monthly editorial that ‘wraps up’ the issue for our readers.
Dear readers,
Here is Ala’s 69th issue. In this issue, we have two Malayalam articles: a reprint of an article on primary education published originally in The Svadeshabhimani in 1909; and a Foucauldian reading of the recent film Bramayugam by Arun. Newspapers and film are two mediums that have had a deep impact on Kerala society.
Despite its very progressive image to the world, caste has been something that mainstream Malayalam cinema has engaged with in only limited ways. A re-reading of even feminist and political Malayalam cinema from the lens of power and social relations always opens up new ways of understanding the medium and Kerala society. Arun’s article is one such attempt to approach the recent Mammootty film Bramayugam. Drawing from Foucault’s notions of power, this article delves into the complex intricacies of power relationships, and its reproduction and subversion through a detailed reading of the film. Through this, Arun argues that the film has problematic observations on caste hierarchies.
The other article in this issue looks at Keralan society albeit from a different time and space. It is a reprint of an article on primary education that was first published in the Svadeshabhimani newspaper in 1909. This was a time when primary education in Travancore was seeing rapid and drastic transformations and questions like access and quality to education were both under scrutiny. Written in this context, the article (with a prefatory note from our editor), looks at how economic, social and political considerations shaped the early opinions on primary education in Travancore. At a time when questions of accessibility and quality of public education are still raging, this article is a timely reminder of how social change in Kerala is closely tied to questions of education. Over the next few months, we hope to continue this series of reprints from Svadeshabhimani, shared with permission from the Vakkom Moulavi Foundation Trust (VMFT).
We hope you enjoy this month’s Issue. Happy Reading! 🙂
