Social ballads are defined and classified interms of their themes. The works belonging to each category of these ballads are listed. Contemporary social conditions, the heros and heroines of these ballads and their ends are highlighted. Muthupattan ballad is considered as the most remarkable soical ballad in Tamil. The characters of this story attained divinity as can be learnt from this work.

Seven central units deal with the origin and classification of social ballads, the themes of such ballads, social values, the women characters in these songs, divinity as it stood in that period, illustrative story of Muthupattan and the relationship between Tamil society and these ballads.

Social ballads are musically narrated by a singer or a group of singers before the people, based on the cultural contexts and differences in social relations of the period. Ten of more than twenty such ballads are listed. An occurrence registered in the minds of the public may have to be remembered for long. Such situations provide the theme of social ballads.

Social values present in societies during various periods. Their role in social life and development is keenly felt by the people. Ballad singers question these values.
Women characters are prominent in social ballads like Pommi and Vellaiammal.

On learning this lesson, you will appreicate the Tamil society under foreign rules; the land divisions and surveys that were prevalent in Tamil nadu; the upper and lower castes. You will realize the impact of these stories on society, the rural slangs in Tamil, the semantic depth of these expressions and the techniques of narration. You may even generalize the characterestics of ballads as a whole.