Kanneerum Kinavum My Tears, My Dreams

Late V.T. Bhattathiripad was one of the leading social reformers of modern Kerala. My Tears, My Dreams is his celebrated autobiography that maps his transformation from a young boy schooled in his ancestral calling of priesthood to a radical writer and activist. It is both the story of a youngNamboodiri man and that of a community, told in a style that is unique in Malayalam.The narrative is in the form of interconnected essays that invoke the tragic plight of the majority of Brahmin households in Kerala, mired in convention and ignorance and locate V.T. Bhattathiripad's own self-awakening in the collective struggle of committed progressive young men and women. Thoughit is an autobiographical narrative, the focus is on the society as a whole and on the Namboodiri community in particular. Besides the main text, the book includes an in-depth interview that two historians conducted with the author in his last year, and rare photographs related to the author's lifeand times.

V.T. Bhattathiripad (1896-1982), a priest-turned-activist, left his indelible imprint on the literary and social landscape of Kerala. His autobiography continues to be celebrated as a seminal work in Malayalam literature, since it was first published in 1970.

Sindhu V. Nair is a post-graduate in English language and literature from the University of Kerala. Her translation, Velutha Babu by Kamala Das, was included in the Little Magazine anthology Favourite Fiction: 24 Short Stories from South Asia. This is her first work of translation.

Remembering My Father by V.T. Vasudevan
Translator's Note
Introduction
Prologue
Kinship Terms
MY TEARS, MY DREAMS
Epilogue
An Interview with V.T. Bhattathiripad
An Appendix
Glossary