The Grip of change is the English translation of Pazhaiyana Kazhithalum, the first full-length novel by P.Sivakami, an important Tamil writer. This translation also features Asiriyar Kurippu, the sequel in which Sivakami revisits her first work. The protagonist of Book I, Kathmuthu, is a charismatic Parayar leader. He intervenes on behalf of a Parayar woman, Thangam, beaten up by the relatives of her upper caste lover. Kathmauthu works the state machinery and the ...