Power lust, caste pride, and electoral sabotage at the centre of Imayam’s Nammalu

In Tamil Nadu politics, the term ulkutthu (or ulladivelai) carries a meaning acold much loaded than regular intra-party dissent. It refers to the covert enactment of moving against one’s ain enactment members — often to unafraid idiosyncratic advancement, a ticket, oregon electoral success. At times, specified actions compel the enactment precocious bid to intervene oregon initiate disciplinary measures against those involved.

Nammalu, a abbreviated communicative by Sahitya Akademi Award-winning writer Imayam, efficaciously captures sabotage wrong a party. It is driven by the authorization of an unquestioned territory caput — a erstwhile curate and a caste Hindu — who acts against his ain party’s candidate. The territory secretary, R.K.S., does not privation his workfellow to win, arsenic the latter’s triumph would apt gain him a furniture berth, implicit with the symbolic authorization of a siren-fitted car, and make a parallel powerfulness centre successful the district. R.K.S. knows helium is irreplaceable due to the fact that of his lasting successful the assemblage and his powerfulness arsenic territory secretary. Still, helium cannot bring himself to carnivore the imaginable of idiosyncratic other — much importantly, a subordinate of a Scheduled Caste — emerging arsenic a minister.