Abstract

Originally published in Tamil as Madhorubagan, Perumal Murugan’s One

Part Woman is a poignant exploration of the intersection between marital
intimacy, social obligation, and religious folklore. Set in rural Tamil Nadu during
the British Raj, the novel delves into the lives of Kali and Ponna, a deeply
devoted couple whose childlessness becomes a source of public shame and
personal torment.
The novel is a tragic love story that critiques the rigidity of patriarchy and
the invasive nature of societal norms, framed through the lens of ancient agrarian
life and myth.
Ultimately, One Part Woman stands as a masterful study of human
vulnerability. It captures the desperation of two people who love each other
deeply but are driven to the brink by a society that refuses to leave their
bedroom or their dignity alone.
The novel gained international prominence not only for its lyrical
storytelling but also for the socio-political controversy it sparked. Its depiction of
the festival rituals led to protests by caste-based and religious groups, briefly
prompting Murugan to declare his own "death" as a writer in 2015.
 CHAPTER – I
INTRODUCTION

Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more

narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form,

especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has

expanded to include oral literature, much of which has been transcribed.

Literatureis a method of recording, preserving, and transmitting

knowledge and entertainment, and can also have a social, psychological, spiritual,

or political role.

Literature, as an art form, can also include works in various non-

fiction genres, such as biography, diaries, memoir, letters, and essays. Within its

broad definition, literature includes non-fictional books, articles or other printed

information on a particular subject. Etymologically, the term derives

from Latin literatura/ litteratura "learning, a writing, grammar," originally "writing

formed with letters," from litera/littera "letter".

In spite of this, the term has also been applied to spoken or sung texts.

Literature is often referred to synecdochically as "writing," and poetically as "the

craft of writing" or simply "the craft." Syd Field described his

discipline, screenwriting, as "a craft that occasionally rises to the level of

art."Developments in print technology have allowed an ever-growing distribution

and proliferation of written works, which now includes electronic literature.

The use of the term "literature" here is a little problematic because of its

origins in the Latin littera, “letter,” essentially writing. Alternatives such as "oral
forms" and "oral genres" have been suggested but the word literature is widely

used.

Indian literature - one of the most ancient of literature has been exemplary

for rest of the world. The term refers to the literary work that had been produced in

various Indian languages, since ages. In ancient times, the literary work used to be

imparted orally.

The first ever ancient Indian literature was Sanskrit literature comprising of

Rig Veda, the Ramayana and Mahabharata which were written in first millennium

BCE. Then developed, Kannada and Telugu Literature in the medieval era. They

were followed by Marathi, Bengali and Urdu literature.

Among the Indian literary personnel, the name of Bengali writer

RabindraNath Tagore shines the brightest. He became the first Indian to receive

Nobel Prize for his literary genius. There are two Indian awards for Literature –

Jnanpith Award and Sahitya Fellow Academy Award.

The literary tradition in India dominates a large part of Indian culture.

Traditionally Indian literature was one of verse and oral. The ancient literary

creations in India are the Vedas, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata (Hindu epics)

and several other scriptures like Vaastu Shastra in architecture and town planning,

and Arthashastra in political science.

Hindu drama, poetry and songs are more than thousand years old. Among the best

known works in Sanskrit literature include Kalidasa’s Shakuntalam and Meghduta,

Panini’s Asthadhyayi, Sudraka’s Mirchkatikaand Sri Harsha’s Ratnavali. Jaydev’s

Geet Govinda and Vatsayana’s Kamasutra are some of the popular works of ancient
Indian literature.

Muslim literary traditions also dominate a large part of Indian culture. In the

medieval period, India was mostly under Muslim rulers. Muslim rulers were

patronage of art, architecture and literature. Persian and Urdu poetry of Ghalib and

Amir Khusrau are important works in Indian literature.

Indian literature flourished in regional languages as well. Nobel laureate

Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Sarat Chandra

Chattopadhyay were great Bengali [Link] Marathi literary figures include

sain-poets like Ramdas, Eknath, and modern writers like Vijay Tendulkar, P. L.

Deshpande and Vishnu Vaman Shirvadakar. Some notable contributors in Hindi

literature include Munshi Premchand, poets like Jaisshankar Prasad, Mahadevi

Verma, Kedarnath Agarwal and Raghuveer Sahai. Kannada, Tamil, Malaylam

literature contributed tremendously towards Indian literature.

Modern Indian literature provides a broad sense of the subcontinent's literary

traditions from the mid-19th century to the present day. The work includes both in

Hindi and in almost all regional languages and several other languages. India’s

contribution to English literature in modern period is also remarkable. Some of the

famous Indian writers in English include R. K. Narayan, Arundhati Roy, Raja Rao,

Vikram Seth, AmitavGhosh, Shashi Deshpande, Vikram Chandra, Nayantara

Sehgal, Salman Rushdie, Anita Desai, Ashok Banker, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Kamala

Markandaya.

During the twentieth century, due to the influence of British colonization,

there developed a different form of English which is referred to as, Indian English.
Based on British style of spelling and pronunciation of words, the language soon

became a medium of creative expression for Indian writers like the great Bengali

writer and poet Rabindranath Tagore.

Indian literature has played a tremendous role in giving the country a distinct

identity of intellectualism. Though the face of it has been changing while travelling

through innumerable phases, yet even today it holds an honorable position in the

entire scenario of world literature.

Contribution of Indian Author for Indian Literature

We think of ourselves as a single nation yet use a wide range of linguistic

terms in everyday conversation. We have typical aims, typical values, and typical

ancestry in order to achieve the typical spread. It's doable with enough widely read

and discussed books. The English language has risen to prominence in modern

Indian culture. Although Hindi is not the predominant language in many places, its

impact on India's educational system is clear. It has been used, and it is still used, by

legitimate businesspeople and writers. The works of Indian authors have had an

impact on a whole generation. Indian writers have always made contributions to

literature and journals published in English. The contributions of Indian authors to

the English-speaking world are worthy of special recognition since they have

introduced Western audiences to India, its culture, and customs. The best Indian

authors have attempted to merge the current variety with the most popular one. His

fictional knowledge allows him to empathize with Indian authors, their desire to

write about India, and the difficulties of living away from home.
 R.K. Narayan : R. K. Narayan is a famous Indian author best known for his

works set in the fictional city of Malgudi. R. K. Narayan has a rare blend of

ophistication, ingenuity, and wit. His services to literature have earned him the

Padma Bhushan. In 1935, he had his first tale, "Swami and Friends," published. Both

Bachelor of Arts (1936) and The Darkroom (1938) followed shortly afterwards.

Bachelor of Arts, R.K. Narayan's second book, was a huge hit over there. One of his

many fans was the acclaimed author Graham Greene. He writes about a made-up

place he calls "Malgudi" in his books. Malgudi, the setting of many of his novels and

stories, is an integral part of his writing. The English Teacher (1945), Mr. Sampath

also known as "The Talkative Man", Waiting for the Mahatma also known as "The

Guide", are just a few of his other noteworthy novels. Under the Banyan Tree and

Other tales (also 1987), A Writer's Nightmare a collection of essays, and A Horse

and Two Goats a collection of short tales are some of the author's other works. In

1973, he published an English translation of Kamba Ramayanam. After the success

of the Ramayan, he adapted the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata into English. R. k.

Narayan's last book was titled "Grandmother's Story." The book is a memoir written

by him about his greatgrandmother. R. k. Narayan's contribution to Indian English

literature was so significant that he was awarded several prestigious prizes for

writing about his grandmother's arduous existence in this book. In 1958, he was

recognized by the Sahitya Akademi for his groundbreaking work, The Overview. Its

story was adapted into a film, and its author won the Filmfare Award for Best

Screenwriter. The Padma Bhushan was awarded to him in 1964, and the AC Benson
 Medal was presented to him by the (British) Royal Society of Literary Works in

1980. His membership in the prestigious British British Royal Society of Literary

Works is noteworthy. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest

civilian honor, in 2001

Ram Mohan Roy : The history of journalism in India is profoundly impacted by

its origins and evolution in Bengal. In 1780, Hickey, James August established the

Bengal Gazette in Calcutta; it was the initial Indian newspaper. The first papers were

published in Urdu, the Hindi language, and Persian in addition to Bengali and

English. But Raja Rammohan Roy contemplated trying his hand at journalism from

an Indian perspective. When it came to India's nationalist press, the late Ram Mohan

Roy was a trailblazer. His SambadKaumudi in Bengali Contributions of Indian

Writers to English Literature [Link] 4433

editor@[Link] appeared in 1821, and his MiratulAkhbar of 1822 is the first

magazine with a distinctive national and democratic contemporary alignment,

although others had started a couple of papers before him. As reported by (Bose &

Moreno, 1920). SambadKaumudi was first published on a regular basis in 1819 by

Raja Ram Mohan Roy. With the help of BhawanicharanBanarjee, he revised this

work. The progress of contemporary Bengali prose literary works owes much to the

efforts of Bengali newspapers in the nineteenth century, as has been widely

acknowledged (Sarkar, 1910). The only people interested in writing Bengali literature

were students at the University of Fort William. That's why many refer to him as "the

founder of contemporary Bengali writing." As of 2016Thangamuthu. An anti-Sati

movement was launched with the help of this book, which addressed a pressing issue

at the time. Widows were traditionally expected to jump onto their deceased

husbands' funeral pyres and burn themselves alive as part of the Sati ritual.

Rammohan Roy saw his brother's sister-in-law being burned alive on her husband's

funeral pyre in 1811Siddarth, 2018). According to Rev. James Long, Rammohon Roy

also published another English book titled Brahmanical Publication. The first edition

was released in 1821. The primary reason for printing this book was to protect

Hinduism against the onslaught of Christian missionaries. He criticized Christianity's

concept of the Trinity and compared it to polytheism in a journal called Brahmanical.

He believed the doctrine of "Unitarianism," which held that God resided in each

individual. Reverend William Adams, an energetic Baptist missionary, converted to

Unitarianism in 1821 after being swayed by Rammohan Roy's interpretation of

monotheistic, which Adams saw as heretical. Tagore (1966) and Collet and Sarkar

(1914) are two authors that discuss this. By publishing in a variety of magazines and

fostering an galitarian ethos, he fought against all forms of societal inequity. While

Rammohan Roy continued to fight all forms of evil and superstition in the society, he

also published a number of essays in newspapers and journals to spread modern

Western education and knowledge. He wrote persistently (and effectively) against

racism and in favor of women's education. Through the publishing of Miratul-Akhbar,

he spoke out against the government's many anti-social initiatives and brought many

national and international events to the attention of the people Yusuf 2020.

Sarojini Naidu : Sarojini Naidu was created in Hyderabad, India, on February

13, 1879. Naidu was an avid traveler, and her perspective ultimately proved

essential. She made significant contributions to the Indian independence movement

and served as the Indian National Congress's leader in the state in 1952. She

communicated with the United States and Canada. She, like with Gandhi and

Nehru, was arrested in 1939, during World War II. She started her career as a writer

when she was just eleven years old, in 1890, when she wrote her first poem. In

1892, she wrote "The Lady of the Lake," a long poem with 1300 lines, in only six

days. That same year, she wrote a 2000-line play. In 1905, she published her first

book of poetry, titled Golden Threshold. Forty poems cover a wide range of topics.

Poems like "Innovation to India" and "Lord Buddha Seated on Lotus" have made

this collection famous. The Bird of Time, her second book of poetry, was published

in London in 1912. There were 46 love-themed lyrics in all. The Broken Wings, her

third collection of poetry, was published in London that year, 1917. There are 61

poems in all. The Sector Flute (1953), The Feathers of Dawn (1961), and The

Temple (1963) are her other collections. In India, she is revered as much as the

nightingale. Sarojini Naidu was an activist, a champion of individual freedom, a

poetess, and a political leader. Sarojini Naidu is revered by us as India's

"Nightingale." After India gained its independence, Sarojini Naidu became the

country's first female governor. The success of her book of rhymes established her

as a major figure in Indian English literature.

Rabindranath Tagore : Rabindranath Tagore, a Nobel laureate, novelist,

thinker, and ambassador for Indian culture across the world, is widely regarded as
one of the greatest Indian poets of all time. His most important works are Ghare-

Baire, Gitanjali, and Manasiare. Most of Rabindranath Tagore's contributions to

literature are still only available in the Bengali language, despite the fact that he

wrote eight novels and many poetry. Tagore, a highly regarded artist, influenced the

aesthetic choices of contemporary figures like Amjad Ali Khan and Vilayat Khan.

He composed the music and lyrics of Jana Gana Mana, the nationalistic hymn that

was officially recognized as such in 1950. With the adoption of his song as

Bangladesh's national anthem, Rabindranath Tagore became the first person to write

the anthems for two different countries. In his early 60s, when his first exhibition

was held in Paris, he realized his potential as an artist. Tagore's tales, particularly

those written in Bengali, have been compared as works of art. Among his at least 84

stories, "The fruit vendor from Kabul" is widely regarded as the finest

advancement. Tagore, drawing on his early interactions with locals, wrote stories

that portray practically every day of the lives of ordinary Bengalis. He may have

begun as a poet, but his output spans all genres of literature. His poets are an

integral part of every Bengali household, as his verses are spoken at weddings,

funerals, and other special occasions. Gitanjali, Tagore's collection of his best

poetry, earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.

Perumal Murugan (born 1966[2]) is an Indian writer, scholar and literary

chronicler who writes in Tamil. He has written twelve novels, six collections of

short stories, six anthologies of poetry and many non-fiction books. Ten of his

novels have been translated into English: Seasons of the Palm, which was
shortlisted for the Kiriyama Prize in 2005, Current Show, One Part Woman, A

Lonely Harvest, Trail by Silence, Poonachi or the Story of a Goat, Resolve, Estuary,

Rising Heat, and Pyre [3] He was a professor of Tamil at the Government Arts

College in Salem Attur and Namakkal.[4]

Perumal Murugan was born in 1966 to a family of farmers who had small land

holdings near Thiruchengodu, a town in Namakkal district, Tamil Nadu. His father,

a farmer, supplemented the family's income by running a soda shop in a cinema

theatre in Thiruchengode.[5] Murugan began writing from his early age, and some

of his early lyrics of children's songs were featured on programmes broadcast by All

India Radio.[5]

Murugan initially studied Tamil literature both as an undergraduate, in Erode

and as a postgraduate in Coimbatore. He went on to obtain an [Link]. degree from

Madras University in Tamil studies, and followed by a Ph.D. His doctoral thesis

focused on the works of author R. Shanmugasundaram

As a professor of Tamil literature, Murugan has made several contributions to

research and academic study of Tamil literature specific to the Kongunadu region,

including building a lexicon of words, idioms and phrases special to KongunaduHe

has also extensively researched and documented Kongu folklore, especially the

ballads on Annamar Sami, a pair of folk deities. In addition, Murugan has worked

on publishing authoritative editions of classical Tamil [Link] has also republished

works of literature relating to the Kongu region. One commentator notes that "In
sum, his over 35 books provide a veritable cultural map of the Kongu region."

Murugan taught as professor of Tamil at the Government Arts College in

Namakkal. but was forced to leave Namakkal following assaults and protests by

right-wing Hindu and caste groups, and worked Head of the department of Tamil

literature at a government college in Attur, Tamil Nadu, In between, he briefly

taught at the Presidency College in Chennai, He Worked as a Principal of Govt.

Arts College, Namakkal.

Murugan is the author of twelve novels, and six collections each of short

stories and poems, as well as thirteen books of non-fiction relating to language and

literature, in addition to editing several fiction and non-fiction anthologies, Several

of his novels have been translated into English, including Seasons of the Palm and

Current Show. He has also written a memoir, Nizhal Mutrattu Ninaivugal (2013).

Murugan began his writing career by publishing several short stories in the

Tamil journal Manavosai between 1988 and 1991. These stories were later collected

and published in a book titled Thiruchengodu (1994). His first novel, Eru Veyyil

('Rising Heat') was published in 1991, and dealt with the problems that a family

faced when their land was acquired for the construction of a housing colony,

engaging with themes of family, greed, and corruption. His second novel, Nizhal

Mutram (1993), translated into English by V Geetha as Current Show Tara Books,

2004), drew from his personal experience of helping his father run a soda stall in a

cinema theatre.

Murugan's third novel, described by the translator and critic N. Kalyan Raman
as a 'tour de force' was titled Koolamadari (2000), and was translated by V Geetha

as Seasons of the Palm (Tara Books, 2004). The book dealt with the life and travails

of its protagonist, Koolaiyan, a young goatherd of the Chakkili (Dalit) caste, who

was bonded to work in a Gounder caste family to repay his father's debts. The book

dealt with themes of childhood, autonomy, and freedom.

His next novel, Kanganam (Resolve, 2008) dealt with the consequences of sex-

selective abortions and female foeticide that caused a skewed sex ratio in the

Kongunadu region. It focuses on the protagonist, Marimuthu, unmarried because of

the scarcity of women within his caste and society. His novel, Madhurobhagan

(2010) translated by Aniruddhan Vasudevan as One Part Woman (Penguin, 2013)

dealt with a young childless couple struggling within their marriage, drawing

specifically from the community and culture of the Kongunadu region.

One Part Woman is a novel based on a possible ancient cultural practice

among people living around Tiruchengode, written by Perumal Murugan.

According to historian Romila Thapar, it is the story of a childless couple with a

strong desire of having a child, "depicted with admirable sensitivity, anguish and

gentleness". Published by Penguin Books, the novel was originally written in Tamil

under the name Madhorubagan and then later translated in English by Aniruddhan

Vasudevan as One Part Woman. Aniruddhan Vasudevan was awarded Sahitya

Akademi Translation Prize (2016) for this [Link] book was also included in the

longlist for the 2018 National Book Award in the "Translated Literature" category.

His next novel, Poonachi (The Story Of A Black Goat, 2017) [1] dealt with the
life of a special female goat in the Kongunadu region, focusing on the tragic life of

the goat in the hands of a poor old couple. Recently, his novel Pookkuzhi Pyre has

been translated to English by Aniruddhan Vasudevan, as well.

In 2017, an anthology of Perumal Murugan's poems, Mayanathil Nitkum

Maram A Tree that Stands in the Crematorium was published, containing his four

previous collections of poetry: Nigazh Uravu, Gomuki Nadhikarai Koozhaangal,

Neer Midakkum Kanngal and Velli Shani Bhudhan Nyayaru Vzhyayan Chevvai.

In June 2018, Murugan announced that he was working on a new novel, which

examined middle-class families and their relationship with new [Link]

novel, titled Kazhimugam Estuary was translated by Nandini Krishnan to English

and published in 2020.

Main article: One Part Woman

Murugan's fifth novel Madhorubhagan translated as 'One Part Woman' was set

in his native town of Thiruchengode, and dealt with a couple, Kali and Ponna, who

were the subject of social stigma and humiliation for their inability to have a child.

The novel portrays their eventual participation in a chariot festival to honour the

god Ardhanareeshwara, during which, for one night every year, the local

community in the novel relaxed taboos and allowed free relations between men and

women. The novel was published in 2010 and was well-received, but began to

attract controversy in 2014 after local caste-based and religious Hindu groups

objected to the fictional portrayal of traditions at the Ardhanareeswarar Temple in

Tiruchengode, where the eponymous presiding deity is part-Shiva and part-Parvati

in one idol. He had further received grants from the Tata Foundation and India

Foundation for the Arts headed by Anmol Vellani. citation needed The Tamil title

of the book, Madhorubagan, is a translation of the name of the deity Ardha-naree-

eswarar, just as the English title, One Part Woman, is an allusion to the deity's form.

The protest by some outfits were continued by the local units even after they lost

momentum at the state level.

Protests were eventually called off after the local police summoned the

protesters and Murugan for a 'peace talk' and compelled him to sign an

“unconditional apology” and withdraw all copies of the novel. Murugan in January

2015 announced that he was giving up writing, and said on his Facebook page that

"Perumal Murugan the writer is dead. As he is no God, he is not going to resurrect

himself. He also has no faith in rebirth. An ordinary teacher, he will live as P.

Murugan. Leave him alone."

A series of litigation and suits concerning One Part Woman were instituted

before the Madras High Court, and on 5 July 2016 the Madras High Court

dismissed the case under citing Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India, ruled

that there was no binding force or obligation in the previous state intervention that

forced him to apologise and withdraw the books. The court further directed the state

to provide appropriate protection when artistic or literary people come under attack,

and to form an expert body to help guide the police and local administration to

develop sensitivity to the issues involved. Following this judgment, Murugan

returned to his literary career with a collection of poetry.