Ntuppuppakkoranendarnnu (My Granddad Had an Elephant!) is a short novel by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer published in 1951. It is one of the most famous among his works. The story is woven around the love of Kunjupattumma for Nisar Ahmed. But the dominant character is Kunjupattumma's mother who gloats over the glory that was, and the central theme is the conflict between the value she upholds and those of the educated, forward-looking Nissar Ahmed. The story is filled with pleasant humour and anecdotes from Muslim religious lore.
The title refers to people boasting of the past glories, their "grandfather's elephant", to hide their present shortcomings. Ronald E. Asher translated the work into English under the title Me Grandad 'ad an Elephant.
Plot
• One with the paagyamaruku ( Lucky mole ) . The "aana" is first introduced to us in the first chapter of the book ( the elephant). A stereotypically attractive and well-behaved Muslim girl, Kunju Pathumma fits the mould. She follows the rules established by the "rabbool alameen allah" and has never attempted to disobey her parents, but one day her mother imposes new rules, saying that Pathumma should not play with the neighbourhood kids because she is the daughter of the granddaughter of the aanamakkaar, and she doesn't forget to add "ntuppuppakkoraaanendaarnnu" ( my grandfather had an elephant ). The Pathumma family is extremely wealthy and adamant about upholding their traditions. She has never attended school, and she cannot read because, According to her elders, reading and getting to know more about the world is a niche designated for the girls affected by “Iblis” (demons). The family is trying to get Paathumma married at the age of 14, and she knows that she doesn't have a say in selecting her groom, and tragically enough, the poor girl thinks that is for the best. She knows that she is going to be married off to an old and rich man, and she always wonders if he will be good to her or not. But apart from her wondering, Paathumma doesn't say anything or ask anything about it because she knows that she is not supposed to do so. She remains in her room the whole day bejewelled ( her ears, abdomen, hands, forehead, and hair are all filled with heavy gold jewellery), waiting for some distantly related aunty of the prospective groom to come into the room and ask her questions, mostly about Allah and his punishments for people who act according to Iblis. Pathumma has a good grasp on all these things, and she always puts an end to her answers by talking about the meteor hit planned by Allah to make sure that the world ends. The aunties check her jewellery by touching, feeling, and flipping it, forgetting that it's not a mannequin but a person sitting there wearing all that. She has always been concerned about her "marugu" (mole), and one day her mother mentions to her that the black mole on her beautiful white face is a symbol of luck and prosperity, hence making it a “paagyamarugu”. She didn't forget to mention( for the nth time ) that Paathumma is the grand daughter of the Aanamakkar and that the mole represents the elephant her family owned prior to three generations because the mole is also black, just like the elephant.
• The one with anamakkar’s Grand daiughter and Vattanadima
There are only two types of people in the world, in Kunjupathumma's mother's opinion: Muslims and Kafirs. She believes that every woman who wears a saree and exits the house with her hair up or braided is "kafrichikal." Because her grandfather owned an elephant that she has never even seen, she believes that she is superior to everything and everyone. She is a person who appreciates wealth and is incredibly proud to have been born into an elephant-related family. She never fails to wear her traditional "Methiyadi" sandals, which stand for her love of her family and their extensive history. Anamakkar's granddaughter wed Vattanadima, Pathumma's father, a wealthy merchant who operates a number of businesses using money from the family and other resources, including real estate. He is well known for preferring to rise through the ranks of a game by fighting. This includes the ongoing argument he had with his siblings over his ancestral homes and the argument he had under the guise of "muthu nabi" to assert his authority over church business. She had no idea that Pathumma's life was about to undergo a drastic change due to flaws in the personalities of both of her parents