U??appan, a Ballad of O?appama??a An Analysis

Name of Author : Dr.Sreeranjini G

Abstract: Storytelling and listening to stories could have been in vogue since the dawn of human civilisation. There is scarcely anyone who doesn’t like stories. The ballads, kathakavya, are poems which contain a story within them. They are composed in meticulous metres and melody. A dramatic narration is an indispensable component of any ballad, and the events are objectively and authentically presented in it. A vivid range of ballads can be found in every literature. Ramacarita, Ka??assaramaya?a, K???agatha, Ma?iprava?a works, etc., are good examples of the kathakavyas. In the strict sense of the term, the kathakavya tradition in Malayalam commences in the Ko?u?gallur Ka?ari. This tradition is replenished with the writings of earlier poets like Ve?ma?i Mahan, Ku??ur, Kuññiku??an Ta?puran, Oduvil and later poets like O?appama??a, Kakkad, Vi??unaraya?an Na?putiri, etc. The contributions of O?appama??a is exceptional in the arena of kathakavya. This paper analyses the prominent features of one of his kathakavyas, U??appan.

Keywords : kathakavyas, U??appan, O?appama??a

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