In 2018, The Foundation initiated a study titled “Agrarian Relations in the Lower Cauvery Delta.” The objective of the study was to understand the nature and characteristics of agrarian relations in two villages, Palakurichi and Venmani, in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu, locating them in their unique historical context of agrarian struggle and change.

The project has two broad components that will contribute to understanding the nature and characteristics of agrarian relations in the region. They are:

(a) a study of agrarian relations in Palakurichi and Venmani villages, based on data collected through village surveys in 2019.

(b) a detailed reconstruction and review of the Keelavenmani atrocity that took place on December 25, 1968, based on extensive archival material.

The Foundation published a book on the contemporary agrarian relation in the region based on the survey data. The book has been edited by V. Surjit, Madhura Swaminathan, and V. K. Ramachandran. It is a part of the Agrarian Studies Series published by the Foundation.

A monograph on the social and political history of the atrocity based on archival material is under preparation.