Elements of Life of the Pandvar People in the Novel Korkai

Abstract

Joe D. Cruz titled the novel Korkai, which travels through time more than a century. Korkai is an ancient port city ruled by the Early Pandyan Kingdom. It tells the long history of the Pandavas of Tuticorin. It is also a great resource to learn about the life of the marine fisher folk. This book, which accurately and artistically explains the changes brought about in the Bharatava society by the domination of foreigners, the arrival of Christianity, the liberation struggles, the changes that took place in independent India, and the arrival of modernity, is also a document that includes all the elements of a race's identity, culture, life, and history.  The events of the novel begin in 1914 and conclude in the year 2000. During this period, over two hundred Pandavar social men of Korkai came and went over four generations. The story is shaped by the subtle depiction of various events and different faces of people, as well as the astonishing spheres of change. This novel tells the stories of three generations of thirty thousand families through the language of the coast as a beautiful fiction about the changes in the lives of the people who own the woven land after European arrival. It starts with the death of the Pandava community leader and unfolds before us countless scenes before the flood of eighty-six years and ends with the death of the character Philip. The novel not only talks about the people but also the social, economic, and cultural changes that took place during these times. After the Portuguese and the British left the country and the native government came, the ‘Korkai’ novel is an excellent source to explore how the Pandava community that lived in Korkai established itself and cane beyond the flood of time. The purpose of this article is to identify the richness of the woven land, the pride, the valor, characteristics, beliefs, elements of worship, and the activities that hinder the development and progress of the people of the maritime people.