Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai

The term Malayalam literature (മലയാള സാഹിത്യം) refers to literature written in Malayalam language. Malayalam is the language spoken by around 40 million people, mainly the inhabitants of the state of Kerala and the union territory of Lakshadweep Islands in India. Malayalam is a member of South Dravidian language family of which Tamil, Kannada, Tulu, Kodaga, Badaga, Toda and Koda^{[disambiguation needed ]} are members. Historically, Kerala had been receptive to foreign influence and this has had effect on the Malayalam literature also, which has evolved over time.

Early literature[link]

For the first 500 years of the Malayalam calendar, Malayalam literature remained in a preliminary stage. During this time, Malayalam literature consisted mainly of various genres of songs. The most prominent among them were songs praising the goddesses of the land, ballads of brave warriors, songs related to the work of a particular caste and songs intended just for entertainment. Bhardakali pattu, thottam pattu, mavaratham pattu, sasthanga pattu, nizhalkoothu pattu, sarpa pattu, sastham pattu, thiyyattu pattu, pulluvar pattu, mannar pattu, panar pattu, krishi pattu, thamburan pattu, pada pattu, villadichan pattu, onappattu, kummi and lullaby were some of the major subgenres. All these names were not used historically, but are used in modern times to describe the song genres of at that time.

Ramacharitham[link]

Ramacharitham is a collection of poems written at the end of preliminary stage in Malayalam literature's evolution. It is the oldest Malayalam book available. The collection has 1814 poems in it. Ramachritham mainly consists of stories from Yuddha Kanda of Ramayana. It is written by a poet named Cheeramakavi who, according to poet Ulloor S. Parameshwaya Aiyer was Sree Veerarama Varman, a king of Travancore from AD 1195 to 1208.^[1] Some other experts like Dr. K.M. George and P.V. Krishnan Nair claim that the origin of the book is in north Kerala citing the use of certain words in the book and also the fact that the manuscript of the book was actually recovered from Neeleshwaram in north Kerala.^[2] Some experts consider it as a Tamil literary piece. According to A. R. Rajaraja Varma who heavily contributed in the development of Malayalam grammar, is of the opinion that Malayalam originated from ancient Tamil. Ramacharitham is considered as a book written during the forming years of Malayalam. According to Rev. Dr. Hermann Gundert who compiled the first dictionary in Malayalam language, Ramacharitham shows the ancient of Malayalam language.^[3]

Novels[link]

List of early Malayalam novels in 19th century.^[4]

Notable Malayalam writers[link]

The field of Malayalam writers include the following people, from various disciplines and periods.

This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Art criticism[link]

Guru Māni Mādhava Chākyār, author of the Nātyakalpadrumam theatrical study

Poetry[link]

Ramakatha pattu of Ayyappilli Asan

Manipravalam

Champukkal

Niranam poets

Cherusseri Namboothiri

Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan

Poonthanam Namboothiri

Arnos Paathiri (1681–1732)

Unnayi Warrier

Kunchan Nambiar (1705–1770)

Irayimman Thampi

Kerala Varma Valiya Koyithampuran

Kattakayam Cherian Mappillai (1859–1936)

K. C. Kesava Pillai (1868–1914)

Kumaran Asan (1873–1924)

Ulloor S Parameswara Iyer (1877–1949)

Vallathol Narayana Menon (1878–1958)

Modern Romantics[link]

Edappalli Raghavan Pillai (1909–1936)

Changampuzha Krishna Pillai (1911–1948)

P. Kunhiraman Nair (1906–1978)

Vennikkulam Gopala Kurup

Pala Narayanan Nair

M.P.Appan

Bodheswaran

Other modern poets[link]

G. Sankara Kurup (1900–1978)

Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon (1911–1985)

Edasseri Govindan Nair

N. V. Krishna Warrier

Thirunalloor Karunakaran

Vayalar Ramavarma

O. N. V. Kurup

Punaloor Balan

Akkitham

Olappamanna Subramanian Namboothirippad

Sugathakumari

M. Govindan

K. Ayyappa Panicker

Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan

Attoor Ravi Varma

Satchidanandan

Lalitha Lenin

Vishnunarayanan Namboothiri

D. Vinayachandran

Kureepuzha Sreekumar

Balachandran Chullikkadu

A. Ayyappan

Nellikkal Muraleedharan

V Madhusoodanan Nair

Attoor Ravi Varma

Post-modern poets[link]

Adiyeri Gangadharan

Anvar Ali

A. C. Sreehari

Manoj Kuroor

Mohanakrishnan Kaladi

M.S. Banesh

P. Raman

P. P. Ramachandran

Rose Mary

S. Joseph

Syam Sudhakar

T. P. Rajeevan

V. M. Girija

Veerankutty

Kavitha Balakrishnan

Kattakada Murugan

Satyan Madakkara

Fiction[link]

Nineteenth century[link]

O. Chandhu Menon (1847–1900)

C. V. Raman Pillai (1858–1922)

Vengayil Kunhiraman Nayanar

Modern[link]

Karur Neelakanta Pillai (1898–1974)

P. Kesava Dev (1904–1983)

Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (1908–1994)

Ponkunnam Varkey (1908–2004)

S. K. Pottekkatt (1913–1982)

Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (1914–1999)

Uroob (1915–1979)

Lalithambika Antharjanam (1909–1987)

Malayatoor Ramakrishnan (1927–1997)

K. Saraswathi Amma (1919–1974)

P. K. Balakrishnan (1926–1991)

V. K. N. (1932–2004)

O. V. Vijayan (1930–2005)

Parappurath (K.E. Mathai)

Vaikom Chandrasekharan Nair

K.Surendran

Pattathuvila Karunakaran

M. Mukundan

P. Padmarajan (1945–1991)

Zacharia

M. T. Vasudevan Nair

T. Padmanabhan

P. M. Taj (1956–1990)

Kamala Surayya (Madhavikkutti, Kamala Das)

Anand

N. S. Madhavan

N. P. Mohammed

Kovilan

M. P. Narayana Pillai

George Onakkur

E. Harikumar

C. Radhakrishnan

Joy J. Kaimaparamban

Benyamin

Post-modern fiction[link]

G. R. Indugopan

T. P. Venugopalan

Pradeep

Children's literature[link]

Sumangala

Nandanar a.k.a P C Gopalan

Shebaly

Sippy Pallippuram

Essayists[link]

Sanjayan

S. Guptan Nair

Sukumar Azhikode

Literary criticism[link]

Joseph Mundasseri (1901–1977)

Kesari Balakrishna Pillai (1889–1960)

Kuttikrishna Marar (1900–1973)

M. P. Paul (1904–1952)

K.Damodaran

S. Guptan Nair

M. Krishnan Nair

M. N. Vijayan

K. M. Daniel

Sukumar Azhikode

M.Krishnan Nair

K. P. Appan

Narendra Prasad

V. C. Sreejan

S. Rajasekharan

M.K Sanoo

Film Criticism[link]

Vijayakrishnan

Translation[link]

N.K. Damodaran

M.N. Sathyaardhi

M.K.Kumaran

Leela Devi

Nileena Abraham

Others[link]

Jyesthadevan

Rev. Dr. Hermann Gundert

Kottarathil Sankunni

Krishna chaithanya (K.Krishnan Nair)

P Madhavan Pillai

Leela sarkar

See also[link]

• Indian literature
• List of Malayalam poets
• Malayalam Literary Awards
• S. Rajasekharan

References[link]

External links[link]

• http://www.harithakam.com Harithakam, Malayalam poetry site. Profile of Malayalam poets
• Information on Malayalam Literature at Department of Public Relations, Government of Kerala
• Puzha.com - The First Online Malayalam Literary Magazine
• A List of Malayalam Authors and their works
• A collection of literary works from the writer and journalist Manoj Bharathy

References[link]

Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (21 January 1908 – 5 July 1994)^[1] was a Malayalam fiction writer from the state of Kerala in India. He was a humanist, freedom fighter, novelist and short story writer. He is noted for his pathbreaking, disarmingly down-to-earth style of writing that made him equally popular among literary critics as well as the common man. He is regarded as one of the most successful and outstanding writers from India.^[2] Translations of his works into other languages have won him worldwide acclaim.^[2] His notable works include Baalyakaalasakhi, Shabdangal, Paaththummaayude Aadu, Mathilukal, Ntuppuppaakkoraanaendaarnnu and Anarga Nimisham. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1982. He is fondly remembered as the Beypore Sultan.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

Basheer , born in the village of Thalayolaparambu in northern Travancore,he the was the eldest child of devout Muslim parents. His father was in the timber business as a contractor, but the business did not do well enough for his large family to live in anything approaching luxury. After beginning his education at the local Malayalam medium school, he was sent to the English medium school in Vaikom, five miles away. While at school he fell under the spell of Mahatma Gandhi. He started wearing Khadar, inspired by the swadesi ideals. When Gandhi came to Vaikom to participate in the Vaikom Satyagraham (1924) Basheer went to see him. He managed to climb on to the car in which Gandhi travelled and touch his hand, a fond memory Basheer later mentioned in many of his writings. He used to visit Gandhi's Satyagraha Ashram at Vaikom daily. He got punished for going late to school due to this.

Freedom struggle involvement[link]

He resolved to join the fight for an independent India, leaving school to do so while he was in the fifth form. Part of his purpose in joining the Indian National Congress was to help ensure that there was some Muslim representation in the pan-Indian movement.

Since there was no active independence movement in Travancore or Kochi – being princely states – he went to Malabar to take part in the Salt Satyagraha in 1930. His group was arrested before they could participate in the satyagraha. Basheer was sentenced to three months imprisonment and sent to Kannur prison. He became inspired by stories of heroism by revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru, who were executed while he was in Kannur jail. He and about 600 political prisoners then at Kannur were released after the Gandhi-Irwin pact of March 1931. Freed from prison, he organised an anti-British movement and edited a revolutionary journal, Ujjivanam ('Uprising'). A warrant was issued for his arrest and he left Kerala.

Journey[link]

After leaving Kerala, he embarked upon a long journey that took him across the length and breadth of India and to many places in Asia and Africa, a journey which spanned seven years, doing whatever work that seemed likely to keep him from starvation. His occupations ranged from that of a loom fitter, fortune teller, cook, newspaper seller, fruit seller, sports goods agent, accountant, watchman, shepherd , hotel manager to living as an ascetic with Hindu saints and Sufi mystics in their hermitages in Himalayas and in the Ganges basin, following their customs and practices, for more than five years. There were times when, with no water to drink, without any food to eat, he came face to face with death.

Imprisonment and after[link]

At Kottayam (1941–42), he was arrested and put in a police station lock-up, and later shifted to another lock up in Kollam Kasba police station. The stories he heard from policemen and prisoners there appeared in later works, and he wrote a few stories while at the lock-up itself. He spent a long time in lockup awaiting trial, and after trial was sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment. He was sent to Thiruvananthapuram central jail. While at jail, he forbade M. P. Paul from publishing Baalyakaalasakhi. He wrote Premalekhanam (1943) while serving his term and published it on his release. Baalyakaalasakhi was published in 1944 after further revisions, with an introduction by Paul.

He then made a career as a writer, initially publishing the works himself and carrying them to homes in order to sell them. He ran two bookstalls in Ernakulam, Circle Bookhouse and later, Basheer's Bookstall.

Once India achieved control of its destiny after obtaining Independence from British rule, he showed no further interest in active politics, though concerns over morality and political integrity are present all over his works.

Well into his forties, he surprised many of his acquaintances by marrying a woman much younger than him (Fabi Basheer) and settling down to a life of quiet domesticity with his wife and two children, Anees and Shahina, in Beypore, on the southern edge of Kozhikode.

During this period he also had to suffer from mental illness and was twice admitted to mental sanatoriums. He wrote one of his most famous works, Pathummayude Aadu (Pathumma's Goat), while undergoing treatment in a mental hospital in Thrissur. The second spell of paranoia occurred after his marriage when he had settled down at Beypore. He recovered both times, and continued his writings.

He died in Beypore, on 5 July 1994.

Basheer is fondly called as Beypore Sultan (Sultan of Beypore). Though his works have been translated to English and eighteen Indian languages, the peculiarity of the language he uses makes the translations lose a lot of sheen.

Writing style[link]

Language[link]

Basheer is known for his unconventional style of language. He did not differentiate between literary language and the language spoken by the commons and did not care about the grammatical correctness of his sentences. Initially, even his publishers were unappreciative of the beauty of this language; they edited out or modified conversations. Basheer was outraged to find his original writings transcribed into "standardized" Malayalam, devoid of freshness and natural flow, and he forced them to publish the original one instead of the edited one. Basheer's brother Abdul Khader was a Malayalam teacher. Once while reading one of the stories, he asked Basheer, "where are Aakhyas and aakhyathas (related with Malayalam grammar) in this...?". Basheer shouted at him saying that "I am writing in normal Malayalam, how people speak. and you don't try to find your stupid 'aakhya and aakhyaada' in this"!. This points out to the writing style of Basheer, without taking care of any grammar, but only in his own village language. Though he made funny remarks regarding his lack of knowledge in Malayalam, he had a very thorough knowledge about Malayalam.

Basheer's contempt for grammatical correctness is exemplified by his statement Ninte Lodukkoos Aakhyaadam! ("Your 'silly stupid' grammar!") to his brother, who sermonizes him about the importance of grammar (Pathummayude Aadu).

Themes[link]

An astute observer of human character, he skillfully combined humour and pathos in his works. Love, hunger and poverty are recurring themes in his works. There is enormous variety in them – of narrative style, of presentation, of philosophical content, of social comment and commitment. His association with India's independence struggle, the experiences during his long travels and the conditions that existed in Kerala, particularly in the neighbourhood of his home and among the Muslim community – all had a major impact on them. Politics and prison,homosexuality, all were grist to his mill. All of Basheer's love stories have found their way into the hearts of readers; perhaps no other writer has had such an influence on the way Malayalis view of love. The major theme of all Basheer stories is love and humanity. In the story Muchittu Kalikkarente Makal (The Card Sharp's Daughter), when Sainaba comes out of the water after stealing his bananas, Mandan Muthappa says only one thing: "Sainaba go home and dry your hair else you may fall sick." This fine thread of humanism can be experienced in almost all his stories.

Autobiographical element[link]

One contrast among his works is between those that are primarily autobiographical as far as events and characters are concerned and those that are the product of the author's imagination. This is not to say that a novel or a story will always fall clearly into one category or another; the percentage of factual truth varies considerably. Whatever the case, a book published as fiction is to be read as such, in contrast with one published as memoirs.

Works[link]

Almost all of Basheer's writing can be seen as falling under the heading of prose fiction – short stories and novels, though there is also a one-act play and volumes of essays and reminiscences. Basheer's fiction is very varied and full of contrasts. There are poignant situations as well as merrier ones – and commonly both in the same narrative. There are among his output realistic stories and tales of the supernatural. There are purely narrative pieces and others which have the quality of poems in prose. In all, a superficially simple style conceals a great subtlety of expression.

His literary career started off with the novel Premalekhanam, a humorous love story between Keshavan Nair – a young bank employee and an upper caste Hindu (Nair) – and Saramma – an unemployed Christian woman. Hidden underneath the hilarious dialogues we can see a sharp criticism of religious conservatism, dowry and similar conventions existing in society. This was followed by the novel Baalyakaalasakhi – a tragic love story between Majeed and Suhra – which is among the most important novels in Malayalam literature in spite of its relatively small size (75 pages), and is commonly agreed upon as his magnum opus work. In his foreword to Baalyakaalasakhi, Jeevithathil Ninnum Oru Aedu (A Page From Life), M. P. Paul brings out the beauty of this novel, and how it is different from run-of-the-mill love stories.

The autobiographical Janmadinam ("Birthday", 1945) is about a writer struggling to feed himself on his birthday. While many of the stories present situations to which the average reader can easily relate, the darker, seamier side of human existence also finds a major place, as in the novel Shabdangal ("Voices", 1947), which faced heavy criticism for violence and vulgarity.

Ntuppuppaakkoraanaendaarnnu ("Me Gran'dad 'ad an Elephant", 1951) is a fierce attack on the superstitious practices that existed among Muslims. Its protagonist is Kunjupathumma, a naive, innocent and illiterate village belle. She falls in love with an educated, progressive, city-bred man, Nisaar Ahamed. Illiteracy is fertile soil for superstitions, and the novel is about education enlightening people and making them shed age-old conventions. Velichathinentoru velicham (a crude translation can be 'brightness is very bright!') one of the most quoted Basheer phrases occurs in Ntuppuppaakkoraanaendaarnnu. People boast of the glory of days past, their "grandfather's elephants", but that is just a ploy to hide their shortcomings.

Mathilukal ("Walls") deals with prison life in the pre-independence days. It is a novel of sad irony set against a turbulent political backdrop. The novelist falls in love with a woman sentenced for life who is separated from him by insurmountable walls. They exchange love-promises standing on two sides of a wall, only to be separated without even being able to say good-bye. Before he "met" Naraayani, the loneliness and freedomlessness of prison life was killing Basheer; but when the orders for his release arrive he loudly protests, "Who needs freedom? Outside is an even bigger jail." The novel was later made into a film with same name by Adoor Gopalakrishnan with Mammootty playing Basheer.

Sthalaththe Pradhaana Divyan, Aanavaariyum Ponkurishum, Muccheettukalikkarante makal and Ettukaali Mammoonju featured the life of real life characters in his native village of Thalayolaparambu (regarded as Sthalam in these works).

Published works[link]

Novels[link]

Short Stories[link]

Others[link]

1. Kathaabeejam [Story Seed] (Play) (1945)
2. Nerum Nunayum [Truth and Lie] (Commentary and letters) (1969)
3. Ormmayudaey Arakal [The Cells of Memory] (Commentary and reminiscences) (1973)
4. Anuraagaththintaey Dhinangal [The Days of Desire] (Diary; originally titled Kaamukantaey Diary [The Diary of the Paramour] and changed later on the suggestion of M. T. Vasudevan Nair) (1983)
5. Bhargavi Nilayam [Bhargavi's Mansion] (Screenplay for a film (1964) by A. Vincent which is credited as the first horror cinema in Malayalam; adapted from the short story Neelavelichcham [The Blue Glow]) (1985)
6. M. P. Paul (Reminiscences of his friendship with M. P. Paul) (1991)
7. Cheviyorkkuka! Anthimakaahalam!! [Hark! The Final Clarion-call!!] (Speech) (1992)
8. Basheerinte Kathukal [Basheer's Letters] (Letters) (2008; Published posthumously)

Awards[link]

• Padma Sri(1982)
• Kendra Sahitya Academy Fellowship
• Kerala Sahitya Academy Fellowship
• Kerala State Film Award for Best Story - Mathilukal (1989)^[3]
• Lalithambika Antharjanam Award(1992)
• Muttathu Varkki Award (1993) (Paaththummaayude Aadu)
• Vallathol Award (1993)

Notes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vaikom Muhammad Basheer

• Vaikom Muhammad Basheer.
• IMDb profile.
• Write-up on Basheer.

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Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
Born	April 17, 1912(1912-04-17) Thakazhy, Alleppey, 22x20px Travancore
Died	April 10, 1999(1999-04-10) (aged 86) Thakazhi, Alappuzha, Kerala,  India
Pen name	Thakazhi
Nationality	Indian
Genres	Novel, Short story
Subjects	Social aspects
Literary movement	Realism
Influences Guy de Maupassant, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud.

Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (Malayalam: തകഴി ശിവശങ്കര പിള്ള) (17 April 1912 - 10 April 1999)^[1] was a novelist and short story writer of Malayalam language. He is popularly known as Thakazhi, after his place of birth. He focused on the oppressed classes as the subject of his works, which are known for their attention to historic detail. He has written several novels and over 600 short stories. His most famous works are Kayar (Coir, 1978) and Cemmin (Prawns, 1956; film adaptation, 1965). He was awarded India's highest literary award, the Jnanpith in 1984.^[2]

Literary career[link]

Born in the village of Thakazhy, in Kuttanad, Alappuzha district of Kerala, he started to write stories when he was a schoolboy. His literary taste was nurtured by his high school headmaster Kainikkara Kumara Pillai (1900–1988) who exposed him to Indian literature. He met Kesari A Balakrishna Pillai (1889–1960) while pursuing his law studies in Tiruvanantapuram. He introduced Thakazhi to modern European literature and thought.

His novels and short stories basically discussed various aspects of societies in Kerala in the mid-20th century. His novel Tottiyude Makan (Scavenger's Son, 1947) is considered a pioneer work in Malayalam realistic novel. It is about modernity challenging the rationale of the caste system, that one's profession should depend on pedigree.

His political novel, Randidangazhi (Two Measures, 1948) projected the evils of the feudal system that prevailed in Kerala then, especially in Kuttanad. The film adaptation, directed and produced by P. Subramaniam from a screenplay by Thakazhi himself, received a certificate of merit at the National Film Awards in 1958.^[3]

His love epic Cemmin (Prawns, 1956) which was a departure from his earlier line of realism, met with immense popularity. It told a tragic love story set in the backdrop of a fishing village in Alappuzha. The novel and its film adaptation, also titled Cemmin (1965) earned him national and international fame. Cemmin was translated into 19 world languages and adapted as film in 15 countries. Chemmeen won for Thakazhi the Kendra Sahitya Academy Award in 1958. The film adaptation, directed by Ramu Kariat won the National Film Award for Best Film in 1965.^[4]

Despite the popularity of Cemmin, his novel Kayar (Coir, 1978) is quite widely considered as his masterpiece. The novel spreads to over 1000 densely printed pages and deals with hundreds of characters over four generations, bring back to life an axial period (1885–1971) during which feudalism, matriliny and bonded labor gave way to conjugal life, everyone’s access to a piece of land, decolonization and the industrial revolution of the 1960s.

Famous works[link]

Novels[link]

• Tottiyude Makan (Scavenger's Son, 1947; translation into English, New Delhi, 1975)
• Randidangazhi (Two Measures, 1948; film adaptation, 1958)
• Tentivargam (The Beggar Clan, 1950)
• Cemmin (Prawns, 1956; film adaptation, 1965; transl. into English, London, 1962, into French, Paris, 1965, etc.)
• Ouseppinte makkal (The Children of Ouseph, 1959; transl. into English, New Delhi, 1984)
• Enippadikal (Footsteps, 1964; transl. into English sub titles. Rungs of the Ladder, New Delhi, 1976)
• Anubhavangal Paliccakal (Experiences and Failures, 1967; film adaptation, 1971)
• Kayar (Coir, 1978; transl. into English, New Delhi, 1997)
• Erinhadangal (Extinguishing, 1990)

Short stories[link]

• Teranhetutta Kathakal (Selected Short Stories, 1965)
• Inquilab (1952)
• Pativrta (Chaste Wife, 1946)
• Nhan Piranna Nadu (The Land Where I was Born, 1958)
• Kure Kathapatrangal (A Number of Characters, 1980)

See the anthology by K.M. George ed. The Best of Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, New Delhi, 1999, including English translations of In the Flood; The Tahsildar's Father; Under the Mango Tree; A Faithful Wife; The Soldier; An Orphan's Burial; The White Baby; The Story of Kalyani; From Karachi; Death of Gandhiji; The Boundary Dispute; the Farmer; The Story of Kettuthali; The Handbag.

Autobiographies[link]

• Ente Balykala Katha (My Childhood Story, 1967)
• Ormayude TIrangalil (On the Shores of Memory, 1985)
• Oru Kuttanadan Katha (A Story of Kuttanad, 1992)
• Jeevitattinte Oru Edu (A Page of Life, 1993)

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Dr. Ayyappa Paniker (April 1999). "The end of historiography?". Frontline. http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1609/16091110.htm. Retrieved 2007-05-26. 
• Press Trust of India. "A literary colossus, Thakazhi helped Malayalam literature break colonial mould". http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie/daily/19990411/ile11041.html. 
• Venu Menon. "Pantheon Revisited: Thakazhi". http://www.venumenon.com/articles/article_page.asp?catid=6&artid=15. 
• cherian m t. "Thakazhi museum:". http://www.alappuzhaonline.com/Thakazhimuseum.htm. 

Ootupulackal Velukkuty Vijayan
Born	July 2, 1930(1930-07-02) Palakkad, Malabar District, Madras Presidency, British India
Died	March 30, 2005(2005-03-30) (aged 74)
Occupation	Novelist, short story writer, cartoonist, journalist
Nationality	Indian
Genres	Novel, Short story
Subjects	Social aspects
Literary movement	Realism
Notable award(s)	Padma Bhushan Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award Kerala Sahithya Academy Award Vayalar Award Muttathu Varkey Award Ezhuthachan Award
Spouse(s)	Teresa Vijayan
Children	Madhu Vijayan

Ootupulackal Velukkuty Vijayan (Malayalam: ഊട്ടുപുലാക്കല്‍ വേലുക്കുട്ടി വിജയന്‍; July 2, 1930 – March 30, 2005) was an Indian author and cartoonist, who was an important figure in modern Malayalam language literature. Best known for his first novel Khasakkinte Itihasam (1969), Vijayan has six novels, nine short-story collections, and nine collections of essays, memoirs and reflections.

Biography[link]

Early life[link]

O. V. Vijayan was born in Palakkad on July 2, 1930. His father O. Velukkutty was an officer in Malabar Special Police of the erstwhile Madras Province in British India. As a child, Vijayan was largely homeschooled. Formal schooling began at the age of twelve, when he joined Raja’s High School, Kottakkal in Malabar, directly in to sixth grade. The informal education arranged by his father during his absentee years was sufficient to keep him at par with his peers. The following year, Velukkutty was transferred and Vijayan joined the school at Koduvayur in Palakkad. He graduated from Victoria College in Palakkad and obtained a masters degree in English literature from Presidency College.

O.V. Vijayan in his youth

Literary career[link]

Vijayan wrote his first short story, "Tell Father Gonsalves", in 1953. He went on to write five novels and translated a significant portion of his own work into English. His first and most famous novel, Khasakkinte Itihasam (The Legends of Khasak, 1969) tells the story of a teacher named Ravi dispatched to a newly created school in remote Khasak. He brought about a sea-change in Malayalam literature with this novel: so much so that it can be divided into pre-Khasak and post-Khasak eras, named after Vijayan's pioneering first novel. The former era was romantic and formal; the latter is modernist, post-modernist and post-post-modernist, with tremendous experimentation in style and content^{[citation needed]}. In a way, Vijayan released Malayalam fiction writing from the shackles of tradition^{[citation needed]}. He wrote many other short stories, essays and satire. He was also an editorial cartoonist and political observer and his works appeared in various news publications including The Statesman and the Far Eastern Economic Review.^[1] He also worked for The Hindu^{[citation needed]}.

O. V. Vijayan was almost certainly India's foremost fabulist in the recent past^{[citation needed]}. An extraordinary writer with enormous range, he wrote everything from a semi-fictional history of his feudal-landlord family, 'Generations' to the scatological 'The Saga of Dharmapuri'. His works have often been compared with those of William Faulkner and Gabriel García Márquez.^[2] While Khasak continues to be his best-known work as an angry young man, his later works, Gurusagaram (The Eternity of Grace), Pravachakante Vazhi (The Path of the Prophet) and Thalamurakal (Generations) bespeak a mature transcendentalist.

While he lived outside Kerala for most of his adult life, spending time in Delhi and in Hyderabad (where his wife Teresa was from), he never forgot his beloved Palakkad, where the 'wind whistles through the passes and the clattering black palms'. He created a magical Malabar in his works, one where the mundane and the inspired lived side-by-side. His Vijayan-land, a state of mind, is portrayed vividly in his work.

Vijayan was unlucky not to win India's principal literary prize, the Jnanpith, possibly because he did not endear himself to the political powers-that-be through his trenchant cartoons (Shankar's Weekly, The Far Eastern Economic Review, The Hindu, The Statesman). However, in 2003, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award.

Final years and death[link]

Vijayan struggled with Parkinson's Disease for 20 years and finally succumbed to organ failure in a Hyderabad hospital at age 75. His wife Dr. Teresa Vijayan died a year after his death. Their son Madhu Vijayan lives in Los Angeles, CA.

Novels[link]

[edit] Khasakkinte Itihasam (The Legends of Khasak; 1969)

The first novel of Vijayan appeared in 1969 and took twelve years' writing and rewriting to reach its final form. It set off a great literary revolution and cleaved the history of Malayalam fiction into pre-Khasak and post-Khasak.^{[citation needed]} It was serialised first and appeared in book form later. The novel is about Ravi, a teacher in an informal education centre in Khasak, and his existential crises. The central character is a great visionary in astrophysics who completed his post graduate programme in Physics from a famous college at Thambaram. The novel ends when Ravi begins his journey to some other realms of existence. The existential puzzle of man as to why he should exist is thoroughly explored in this novel. It was a kind of stepping stone for the writer himself to that world and marked the arrival of a truly visionary writer.

[edit] Dharmapuranam (The Saga of Dharmapuri; 1985)

Dharmapuranam is outwardly a great political satire where the author knows no restraint in lampooning political establishments. The language, the setting, and the characters are intended to create as great as possible abhorrence towards the tools and means of governance. The central character is Sidhartha, modeled after the illustrious predecessor of the same name, who lends a supernatural enlightenment to those who are attracted by his enchanting personality. Beyond the apparent level of political meaning the novel keeps in store spiritual and environmental levels of meaning also.

[edit] Gurusaagaram (The Infinity of Grace; 1987)

The third novel differs in language, vision and characterization from the earlier works. It is on the immanence of Guru in the life of the'kmijn,...anifested in everybody. The seeker partakes of the grace of the Guru as he happens for him unawares and unconditional. The central character is a journalist from Kerala, working in Delhi, going on an assignment to report the Indo-Pak war of 1971. He undergoes an excruciating experience both spiritually and physically to learn how to annihilate all forms of ego. Gurusagaram fetched him the Vayalar Award, the central Sahitya Akademi Award and the Kerala Sahithya Academy Award in 1991.

[edit] Madhuram Gayathi (1990)

This novel has been termed as "a fantastic allegory fusing mythology, spirituality and ecology".

[edit] Pravachakante Vazhi (The Path of the Prophet; 1992)

This novel emphasizes the vision that intuition is perennial and it is one and the same always. This oneness of the revelation makes the ways of all prophets the same. This great education in spirituality is got in those barbarous days of Delhi when the Sikhs were maniacally hunted after and mercilessly butchered following the murder of Indira Gandhi.

[edit] Thalamurakal (Generations; 1997)

Vijayan’s latest novel Thalamurakal is autobiographical to a great extent. It is historical to a still greater extent. Beyond autobiography and history, the novel is a journey down the collective experiences of a family in search of an awareness about oneself and his clan. This search is of great importance when the collective experiences of the subculture are very bitter and the individual sense of the clan identity is much superior. The novel is a narration of four generations in Ponmudi family in Palakkad, Kerala.^[3]

Other works[link]

He has written many volumes of Short Stories, the first volume of which was published in 1957 - Three Wars. He has also written many essays, and also published one book of cartoons- Ithiri neramboke, Ithiri Darshanam (A Little Pastime, A little Vision) - 1990.

O. V. Vijayan's best known collection in English is After the Hanging and Other Stories which contains several jewel-like masterpieces, in particular the title story about a poor, semi-literate peasant going to the jail to receive the body of his son who has been hanged; The Wart and The Foetus about the trauma of the fascist Emergency; the transcendental The Airport, The Little Ones, and several others.

An incisive writer in English as well, Vijayan translated most of his own works from Malayalam to English. Selected works have been published by Penguin India.

Short stories[link]

• Short Stories of Vijayan (1978)
• Oru Neenda Rathriyude Ormakkayi (1979)
• Asanthi (1985)
• Balabodhini (1985)
• Kadaltheerathu (1988)
• Kattu Paranja Katha (1989)
• Poothaprabandham and Other Stories (1993)
• Kure Kathabeejangal (1995)
• O. V. Vijayante Kathakal (2000)
• Arakshithavastha (2007)

Collection of Essays[link]

• Khoshayathrayil Thaniye (1987)
• Oru Sindoora Pottinte Orma (1987)
• Sandehiyude Samvadam (1988)
• Vargasamaram Swathwam (1988)
• Kurippukal (1988)
• Ithihasathinte Ithihasam (1989)
• Haindavanum Athihaindavanum (1998)
• Andhanum Akalangal Kaanunnavanum (2001) Satire
• Ente Charithranewshana Pareekshakal (1987)

Cartoons[link]

• Ithiri Neramboke, Ithiri Darsanam (ഇത്തിരി നേരമ്പോക്ക്, ഇത്തിരി ദര്‍ശനം; 1990)
• Memoirs: A Cartoonist Remembers, Rupa & Co. (2002)
• Cartoon: Tragic Idiom ~ O.V. Vijayan's Cartoons & Notes on India, Edited by Sundar Ramanathaiyer and Nancy Hudson-Rodd, DC Books, (2006)

Translations into English[link]

• After the Hanging and other stories
• The Saga of Dharmapuri
• The Legends of Khasak
• Infinity of Grace
• O. V. Vijayan: Selected Fiction

Awards[link]

• 1970- Odakkuzhal Award, for Khasakinte Itihasam
• 1990- State and Central Academy awards of Gurusagaram
• 1991- Vayalar Award for Gurusagaram
• 1992- Muttathu Varkey Award for Khasakinte Itihasam
• 2001- Ezhuthachan Award
• 2003- Padma Bhushan

References[link]

1. ^ The lion in winter The Rediff Interview/O V Vijayan
2. ^ RAHA PEN: Obituary: O. V. Vijayan by Sunil K. Poolani
3. ^ The Great Malabar Novel- Review

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: O. V. Vijayan

• A Tribute to Vijayan by Sunil K Poolani
• Vijayan interview
• BBC obituary
• Obit by NS Madhavan
• DC Books
• A memoir
• Excerpt from the Legends of Khasak
• Memories of O. V. Vijayan
• Chosen Among Outlook's 60 Heroes of 60 Years of Independence in 2007
• List of Works and Reviews
• Feature published in his 6th death anniversary

Nalappat Balamani Amma (19 July 1909 – 29 September 2004) was an Indian poetess who wrote in Malayalam. She was a prolific writer and was known as the Poetess of Motherhood. Amma (Mother), Muthassi (Grandmother), and Mazhuvinte Katha (The story of the Axe) were some of her well known works.^[1] She was a recipient of many awards and honors, including Padma Bhushan, Saraswati Samman, Sahitya Akademi Award, and Ezhuthachan Award.^[2] She was the mother of the renowned writer Kamala Das.^[3]

Biography[link]

Balamani Amma was born on 19 July 1909 to Chittanjoor Kunhunni Raja and Nalappat Kochukuttiamma at Nalappat, her ancestral home in Punnayurkulam of Thrissur district in Kerala. Though she received no formal education, the tutelage under her maternal uncle and the poet Nalappat Narayana Menon and his collection of books helped her become a poetess. She was influenced by Nalappat Narayana Menon and poet Vallathol Narayana Menon.^[4]

Balamani Amma got married at the age of 19 to V. M. Nair who later became the Managing Director and Managing Editor of Mathrubhumi, a widely-circulated Malayalam newspaper. She had left for Kolkata after her marriage to live with her husband who was employed as a senior officer in the Walford Transport Company that sold Bentley and Rolls Royce automobiles. V. M. Nair died in 1977. Balamani Amma was the mother of the renowned writer Kamala Das who has translated one of her mother's poems, The Pen, which describes the loneliness of a mother. Mohandas, Shyam Sunder, and Sulochana Nalappat are her other children. Balamani Amma died on 29 September 2004 after having suffered from Alzheimer's disease for nearly five years.^[5]

Poetry[link]

Balamani Amma had published more than 20 anthologies of poems, several prose, and translations. She began writing poems at a young age and her first poem Kooppukai was published in 1930.^[4] Her first recognition came when she received the Sahithya Nipuna Puraskaram, an award from Parikshith Thampuran, former ruler of Kingdom of Cochin. Nivedyam is the collection of poems of Balamani Amma from 1959 to 1986. Lokantharangalil was an elegy on the death of the poet Nalappattu Narayana Menon.^[6]

Her poetry on the love for children and grandchildren earned her the titles of Amma (Mother) and Muthassi (Grandmother) of Malayalam poetry.^[7] While delivering the Balamaniyamma remembrance speech at the Kerala Sahitya Akademi, Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri, described her as the "prophet of human glory" and said that her poetry had been an inspiration to him.^[8] She has received many literary honours and awards, including the Kerala Sahithya Akademi Award for Muthassi (1963), Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award for Muthassi (1965), Asan Prize (1989), Vallathol Award (1993), Lalithambika Antharjanam Award (1993), Saraswati Samman for Nivedyam (1995), Ezhuthachan Award (1995), and N. V. Krishna Warrier Award (1997).^[6]

She was also a recipient of India's third highest civilian honour Padma Bhushan in 1987.^[9]

Collection of poems[link]

References[link]