Chandu Menon was born on 9 January 1847 in Naduvannur near Perambra in the present day Kozhikode District.

[2] Chandu Menon reportedly assisted Willam Logan in the preparation of Malabar Manual.

Chandu Menon died on 7 September 1899 at his Oyyarath residence in Thalassery[4] due to cardiac failure.

He attempted to fashion the work after the English novels popular during those days[5] and depicted the love and life of an upper-caste woman and her destiny.

Indulekha throws light on the Nair community during the second half of the nineteenth century when it was undergoing a transformation following western influences and English education.

It exalts education and satirizes the orthodox practices of marital alliances between Nair women and Namboodiri men.

Two English speeches made by Chandu Menon, one on Administration of Justice in Ancient Times and another under the auspices of the Sir T. Muthuswamy Iyer Memorial Committee have been published in book form.