The Biographical Records Revealed By The Novel Sancharam

Abstract

The human race differs by place, race, language, and environment. When humanity lives together as a society, distinct lifestyles—including customs, traditions, art forms, and philosophies— emerge according to that specific community. These elements structure and guide that society over generations. Defining and comprehensively portraying a specific segment of such a society is what constitutes a region. Capturing the natural environment and the way of life of the people living there is the core characteristic of regional literature. In this regard, the novel Sancharam, written by S. Ramakrishnan, portrays the lives of the people in the Karisal (black soil) region. The purpose of this article is to explain the etymology of the word Nadaswaram, the lives of the Nadaswaram artists of the Karisal land, their social marginalization, the traditional folk legends of the Karisal people, and the declining state of the art of Nadaswaram.