MALETTAM – Conquering Heights
SYNOPSIS
Kolumban, the cowherd boy has been living with the aged Chekkutty with a few cattle in a hut on a hilltop which is under a serious threat of forced eviction.
The ‘mountaineering game’ annually played during winter traps, Kolumban in an inescapable servitude and the slave-master bondage binds him down. Akku,the boy who has lately become the king through the game has the right to penalise and discipline Kolumban.The king’s punishments are often very harsh and barbaric. But playing with other children and engaging in merry-making on the meadows are a relief from the extreme alienation that Kolumban feels.
The unexpected arrival of Manavan seeking treatment at a tribal Kurichiya apothecary named Kuppamma after being mortally wounded by unknown assailants and Kolumban’s association with him, reorients the former’s conceptions of life and education.
Kolumban stands a silent witness to the ruthless destruction of the indigenous culture,Nature and the rhythm of human life on the hills.
In another winter,Kolumban is all set to play another mountaineering game either to retain his thraldom or to sustain humanity and the Nature around.