The Venmani School of poets that originated in the third quarter of the nineteenth century, comprised a group of poets committed to depict life as seen around them, in pure Malayalam. They aimed at simplicity and directness, preferring words of Dravidian origin and those of
Sanskrit that were not strange or harsh. It is said that modern Malayalam poetry began with the Venmani poets, who experimented with new forms and themes. They chose to use Dravidian meters, instead of the Sanskrit ones and dared to deal with subjects hitherto considered as taboo.
The major poets of the Venmani School were Venmani Acchan Namboothiri, Venmani Mahan Namboothiri, Poonthottam Acchan Namboothiri, Poonthottam Mahan Namboothiri, and the members of the Kodungalloor Kovilakam. The most representative poem of the Venmani School is the Pooraprabandham, revealing both the strong and the weak points of the movement.
