Naalukettu Case Study

Naalukettu- the house around the courtyard

Old naalukettus were part of the Marumakkathayam or matrilineal system of inheritance that prevailed in Kerala. Marumakkathayam involved the inheritance and succession through the sister’s children in female line. Though the matrilineal family system gives certain freedom to the women of the family, still the condition of women is not as good as men of the family. Nairs follows the joint family system. All the family members work for the progress of the family. Everybody have the right own the family property. But none of the member has the right to claim it. The Karnavan will be the protector of all the property. Though he is the head of the family, even he does not have the any right to do things …show more content…
The young family members started revolution against the Karnavan. Like any other head of family Valiamamma also misused his power. Valiamamma sends money and paddy to his wife’s house without the concern of other members of the family. So it was not that difficult Appunni to stay there at Vadakkeppat then. It was Kuttamamma who was revolting against the Karnavan. Kuttamamma was a hard worker who works for the prosperous of the family. But he and his family never get anything except some gift in Onam and Vishu. So he was not happy with management of Karnavan at the tharavad. The revolt of Kuttamamma against the Karnavan had given a good sign to Appunni. It encourages him to assert his own right to live in the ancestral tharavad. Appunni witness the slow disintegration of feudal structures of the matrilineal joint family system as he stays at tharavad. The quarrel between Valiamamma and Kuttamamma was a usual incident at tharavad. Except Ammamma nobody was bother about Appunni. And nobody helped him for his studies. He completes his education with the support of scholarship. With increasing detachment towards the turbulence around, Appunni grows up and finishes his school. The situation at tharavad went very badly. Both the male members of family fight with their ego. The young Kuttamamma was criticizing the old Valiamamma. The situation led to the partition of the family. Adhikari came to discuss about the problem of the family. But negotiation did not work at all. As a head of the family Valiamamma, asked to divide the property. Valiamamma said “I got what I deserved for having taken on the burden of this rag heap. And that’s why I say I want two shares of the property. It’s not that I want a paisa more than I should get of these wretched people’s money. But that’s been the custom for ages: that the head of the family get two shares”. Though Kuttamamma showed his strong protestation but it was the