Jarithayum Makkalum – Trusted Source

The phrase is rarely uttered in the same breath. We discuss the breach of trust between spouses in hushed tones, dissect the legalities of Section 497 (now decriminalised), and analyse cinematic tropes of the 'other woman' or the 'cheating husband.' Yet, the psychological shadow cast on the children of these unions—or the children born from these relationships—remains a literary and social blind spot.

When we say "Jarithayum Makkalum," let us not just mean the act of betrayal and its offspring. Let us mean the study of how a society’s moral outrage often lands hardest on the shoulders of those who had no choice in the story. jarithayum makkalum

Until we learn to separate the sexual mistake of a parent from the identity of a child, our conversations about Kudumbam (Family) remain hollow. The phrase is rarely uttered in the same breath