Raakkammal

Raakkammal is Poonguzhali’s sister-in-law, introduced amid uncertainty over the abduction of Poonguzhali’s aunt. A private conversation in the bushes makes her seem suspicious, but the later account presents her as someone who may have tried to intervene and was herself restrained by the abductors.

Identity and Family Connection

Raakkammal is identified through her relationship to Poonguzhali as her sister-in-law. When they meet again, she says that Poonguzhali’s father and brother have been deeply worried about her absence. Poonguzhali replies that leaving home is not unusual for her, establishing a contrast between Raakkammal’s concern and Poonguzhali’s independence.

The Secret Conversation and Suspicion

While traveling through the jungle, Poonguzhali sees Raakkammal speaking quietly with another person among the bushes. Raakkammal startles when she notices her sister-in-law, then quickly composes herself and asks where Poonguzhali has been. Because Raakkammal is already associated with secretive conversations, Poonguzhali suspects she may have helped the people who abducted her aunt. The scene gives that suspicion a visible basis, but does not establish that Raakkammal was conspiring with the abductors.

Injury and the Abduction

A companion counters Poonguzhali’s accusation with a specific account: the abductors tied Raakkammal securely to a tree and struck her, leaving a painful bruise. When Poonguzhali later encounters Raakkammal speaking with the Pazhaiyarai physician’s son, Raakkammal says she feared for Poonguzhali’s survival and explains that her head wound came from trying to save the aunt. She says she had asked the physician’s son for medicine. Poonguzhali does not accept her explanation at once, but asks which way the abductors went. Raakkammal’s actions remain partly ambiguous; the account offers evidence of injury and an effort to help, not a complete explanation of the earlier secret meeting.