An Epic as a Socio Political Pamphlet

Epic stories are retold several times over a period of time. Every narration registers changes in the narrative and in the portrayal of its chief characters. These changes are a reflection of a change in the values and concerns of the society at that time. Silappatikaram, the Tamil epic, was written several times in the twentieth century. These reflected the concerns of a twentieth century society. In this article I look at how the epic story was retold by two stalwarts of the Dravida Movement, a regional movement in South India, to propagate their ideas of cultural identity and hostility to the North