1980:
S. K. Pottekkatt
| S. K. Pottekkatt എസ്.കെ. പൊറ്റെക്കാട്ട് | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 14 March 1913 Kozhikode, Kerala, India |
| Died | 6 August 1982 (aged 69) Kerala, India |
| Occupation | Teacher, novelist, travelogue writer, member of indian parliament |
| Genre | Novel, travelogue, short story, play, essay, poem |
| Notable works | Oru Desathinte Katha, Oru Theruvinte Katha, Naadan Premam |
| Notable awards | Jnanpith Award, Sahitya Akademi Award |
Biography[edit]
S. K. Pottekkatt was born in Kozhikode as the son of Kunchiraman Pottekkatt, an English schoolteacher. He had his early education at the Hindu School and Zamorin's High School in Kozhikode. He graduated from Zamorin's College, Kozhikode in 1934. He did not find an employment for three years following his graduation and devoted his time to the study of Indian and Western classics. From 1937 to 1939, he worked as a teacher at Calicut Gujarati School. He quit the job to attend the Tripura Congress in 1939. He then went to Bombay (now Mumbai) and took up several jobs only to develop an aversion for any white-collared jobs. He returned to Kerala in 1945. In 1952, he married Ms. Jayavalli and settled down at Puthiyara in Calicut. Pottekkatt had four children- two sons and two daughters. Pottekatt's wife died in 1980 after which his condition too deteriorated. He was hospitalised in July 1982 following a paralytic stroke. He died on 6 August 1982. He was in the works of North Avenue, a novel describing his experiences in Delhi as a member of the Indian Parliament (1962–1967) but the novel could not be completed.
Literary career and travels[edit]
Pottekkatt made his mark in literature with a few short stories in the 1930s. His first story "Rajaneethi" was published in the Zamorin's College magazine in 1928. Makane Konna Madyam (poem published in Athmavidya Kahalam) and Hindu Muslim Maithri (story published in Deepam) were some of his notable early works. The story "Vydyutha Shakthi" came in the February 1934 issue of Mathrubhumi Illustrated Weekly. Many of his early short stories were published by the weekly. By the 40s, he had established himself as a leading writer of fiction in Malayalam. The trip to Bombay is described in his travelogue and memoir Ente Vazhiyambalangal which also broadened his horizons and was a turning point in his literary life. While in Bombay, he was involved in India's freedom struggle and worked alongside freedom fighters like Mathai Manjooran. Here, Pottekkatt wrote his first novel Naadanpremam (1941), a romantic short novel mainly set in Mukkam, a small village in Kozhikode district. It was followed by Yavanikakku Pinnil (a collection of short stories) in 1940 and by a second novel Vishakanyaka. The latter received a prize from the Madras government in 1949. In 1945 he travelled toKashmir and in 1946 embarked on an eighteen-month tour to Africa and Europe. This resulted in the publication of Kappirikalude Naattil(In the Land of the Negroes) and Innathe Europe (Europe Today). In 1952, Pottekkatt travelled to Ceylon, Malaysia and Indonesia. Five years later he visited Finland, Czechoslovakia and Russia.
Pottekkatt was a writer of strong social commitmment and ideals, possessing an individualistic vision. He was not interested in purely symbolic or allegorical mode of writing as practised by Franz Kafka or D. H. Lawrence. He was adept in weaving pots of chilling suspense akin to the writings of Alexandre Dumas, père, O. Henry etc. Pottekkatt's stories are characterised by a plot that carries an element of surprise, a few suggestive incidences that heighten its dramatic quality and a style that easily mediates between realism and lyricism. The plot is characterised by an Aristotelian peripeteia (a sudden reversal of situation) or an O. Henry twist. Love is also a dominant motif in several of his stories. This usually takes the form of betrayal of women or the capricious nature of man. At times it is the tragedy wrought by fate itself. These can be seen in "Pulliman" ("The Spotted Deer"), "Sthree" ("Woman"), "Vadhu" ("Bride") etc.
Pottekkatt has been translated into English, Italian, Russian, German and Czech, besides all major Indian languages. An Italian anthology of The Best Short Stories of the Worldpublished from Milan in 1971 included his "Braanthan Naaya" ("Mad Dog"). A collection of eleven of his short stories in Russian had a sensational sales of one hundred thousand copies in two weeks.
Besides his extensive travels and literary works, Pottekkatt also dabbled in politics. In 1957, he contested the parliamentary election from Tellicherry but lost by 1000 votes. In 1962, he won the parliamentary election from the same constituency with a majority of 66,000 votes against his fellow littérateur Sukumar Azhikode.
Awards and honours[edit]
Oru Theruvinte Katha (The Story of a Street), written based on the story of Mittai Theruvu (S. M. Street) in Kozhikode, won the Kerala Sahithya Academy Award. His biographical novel Oru Desattinte Katha won the Kerala Sahithya Academy Award in 1972, the Kendra Sahithya Academy Award in 1977, and the Jnanpith Award in 1980.[3] An honorary degree (Doctor of Letters) was bestowed on him by University of Calicut on 25 March 1982.[4]
Bibliography[edit]
Novels[edit]
- 1937– Vallikadevi
- 1941– Naadan Premam
- 1945– Prema Shiksha
- 1948– Mootupatam
- 1948– Vishakanyaka
- 1959– Karambu
- 1960– Oru Theruvinte Katha
- 1971– Oru Desathinte Katha
- 1974– Kurumulaku
- 1979– Kabeena
- North Avenue (Uncompleted)
Short stories[edit]
- 1944– Chandrakaantham
- 1944– Manimaalika
- 1945– Rajamalli
- 1945– Nisshagandhi
- 1945– Pulliman
- 1945– Meghamala
- 1946– Jalatharangam
- 1946– Vijayanthi
- 1947– Pournami
- 1947– Padmaagam
- 1947– Indraneelam
- 1948– Himavahini
- 1949– Prethabhoomi
- 1949– Rangamandapam
- 1952– Yavanikkaku Pinnil
- 1954– Kallipookkal
- 1954– Vanakaumudhi
- 1955– Kanakaambaram
- 1960– Antharvahini
- 1962– Ezhilampala
- 1967– Theranjedutha Kathakal
- 1968– Vrindaavanam
- 1970– Kaattuchempakam
- 1971– "Braandhan naaya"
Travelogues[edit]
- 1947– Kashmir
- 1949– Yathra Smaranakal (Memories of a Journey)
- 1951– Kappirikalude Nattil (In The Land of Negroes)
- 1954– Simhabhoomi
- 1954– Nile Diary (Egypt Journey)
- 1954– Malaya Natukalil
- 1955– Innathe Europe (Today's Europe)
- 1955– Indonesian Diary
- 1955– Soviet Diary
- 1956– Paathira Sooryante Naatil
- 1958– Balidweep
- 1960– Bohemian Chithrangal
- 1967– Himaalyan Saamrajyathil(In the kingdom of himalayas)
- 1969– Nepal Yathra (A Journey to Nepal)
- 1970– London Notebook
- 1974– Cairo Kathukal
- 1977– Cleopatrayude Naattil (In the Land of Cleopatra)
- 1976– Africa
- 1977– Europe
- 1977– Asia
(The last three volumes are a compilation of previous works)
Poetry[edit]
- 1936– Prabhaatha Kanthi
- 1947– Sanchaariyude Geethangal
- 1948– Premashilpi
Drama[edit]
- 1943– Achan
- 1948– Achanum Makanum (Included in Himavahini)
- 1954– Althara (A Radio play included in Vanakaumudi)
- 1954– Theerandi Otunnu (A radio play included in Kallipookkal)
Others[edit]
- 1947– Ponthakkadukal (Essays written under the name Arunan)
- 1949– Gadyamekhala
- 1975– Ente Vazhiyambalangal (Memoirs)
- 1981– Samsaarikkunna Diarykurrippukal (Diary)
- 2013– Paryadanam (Diary)
1981:
Amrita Pritam
| Amrita Pritam | |
|---|---|
_,_in_1948.jpg) | |
| Born | August 31, 1919 Gujranwala, British India (now in Punjab, Pakistan) |
| Died | October 31, 2005 (aged 86) Delhi, India |
| Occupation | Novelist, poet, essayist |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Period | 1936–2004 |
| Genre | poetry, prose, autobiography |
| Subject | partition of India, women,dream |
| Literary movement | Romantic-Progressivism |
| Notable works | Pinjar (novel) Ajj aakhaan Waris Shah nu(poem) Suneray (poem) |
| Spouse | Pgritam Singh |
Amrita Pritam 
listen (help·info) (31 August 1919 – 31 October 2005) was an Indian writer and poet, who wrote in Punjabi andHindi.[1] She is considered the first prominent woman Punjabi poet, novelist, and essayist, and the leading 20th-century poet of thePunjabi language, who is equally loved on both sides of the India-Pakistan border. With a career spanning over six decades, she produced over 100 books, of poetry, fiction, biographies, essays, a collection of Punjabi folk songs and an autobiography that were translated into several Indian and foreign languages.[2][3]
listen (help·info) (31 August 1919 – 31 October 2005) was an Indian writer and poet, who wrote in Punjabi andHindi.[1] She is considered the first prominent woman Punjabi poet, novelist, and essayist, and the leading 20th-century poet of thePunjabi language, who is equally loved on both sides of the India-Pakistan border. With a career spanning over six decades, she produced over 100 books, of poetry, fiction, biographies, essays, a collection of Punjabi folk songs and an autobiography that were translated into several Indian and foreign languages.[2][3]
She is most remembered for her poignant poem, Ajj aakhaan Waris Shah nu (Today I invoke Waris Shah – "Ode to Waris Shah"), anelegy to the 18th-century Punjabi poet, an expression of her anguish over massacres during the partition of India. As a novelist, her most noted work was Pinjar (The Skeleton) (1950), in which she created her memorable character, Puro, an epitome of violence against women, loss of humanity and ultimate surrender to existential fate; the novel was made into an award-winning film, Pinjar in 2003.[4][5]
When the former British India was partitioned into the independent states of India and Pakistan in 1947, she migrated from Lahore, to India, though she remained equally popular in Pakistan throughout her life, as compared to her contemporaries like Mohan Singh and Shiv Kumar Batalvi.
Known as the most important voice for the women in Punjabi literature, in 1956, she became the first woman to win the Sahitya Akademi Award for her magnum opus, a long poem, Sunehade (Messages),[6] later she received the Bharatiya Jnanpith, one of India's highest literary awards, in 1982 for Kagaz Te Canvas (The Paper and the Canvas). The Padma Shri came her way in 1969 and finally, Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award, in 2004, and in the same year she was honoured with India's highest literary award, given by the Sahitya Akademi (India's Academy of Letters), the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship given to the "immortals of literature" for lifetime achievement.[7]
Biography[edit]
Background[edit]
Amrita Pritam was born as Amrit Kaur in 1919 in Gujranwala, Punjab, in present-day Pakistan,[2] the only child of a school teacher, a poet and a scholar of Braj Bhasha, Kartar Singh Hitkari, who also edited a literary journal.[8][9] Besides this, he was a pracharak – a preacher of the Sikh faith.[10] Amrita's mother died when she was eleven. Soon after, she and her father moved to Lahore, where she lived till her migration to India in 1947. Confronting adult responsibilities, and besieged by loneliness following her mother's death, she began to write at an early age. Her first anthology of poems, Amrit Lehran (Immortal Waves) was published in 1936, at age sixteen, the year she married Pritam Singh, an editor to whom she was engaged in early childhood, and changed her name from Amrita Kaur to Amrita Pritam.[11] Half a dozen collections of poems were to follow between 1936 and 1943.
Though she began her journey as romantic poet, soon she shifted gears,[6] and became part of the Progressive Writers' Movement and its effect was seen in her collection, Lok Peed (People's Anguish) (1944), which openly criticized the war-torn economy, after the Bengal famine of 1943. She was also involved in social work to certain extent and participated in such activities wholeheartedly, after Independence when social activist Guru Radha Kishan took the initiative to bring the first Janta Library in Delhi, which was inaugurated by Balraj Sahni and Aruna Asaf Ali and contributed to the occasion accordingly. This study centre cum library is still running at Clock Tower, Delhi. She also worked atLahore Radio Station for a while, before the partition of India[12]
Renowned theatre person and the director of the immortal partition movie 'Garam Hava', MS Sathyu paid a theatrical tribute to her through the rare theatrical performance 'Ek Thee Amrita'. Culled from her many writings this rare biographical docu-drama is produced by K K Kohli of Impresario Asia. Written by Danish Iqbal, who had earlier penned 'Sahir', this Play has memorable performances by well-known actors like Lovleen Thadani, Mangat Ram, Vijay Nagyal, Kedar Sharma, and others.
Personal life[edit]
In 1935, Amrita married Pritam Singh, son of a leading hosiery merchant of Lahore's Anarkali bazaar. In 1960, Amrita Pritam left her husband. She is also said to have an unrequited affection for poet Sahir Ludhianvi.[13] The story of this love is depicted in her autobiography, Rasidi Ticket (Revenue Stamp). When another woman, singer Sudha Malhotra came into Sahir's life, Amrita found solace in the companionship of the renowned artist and writer Imroz. She spent the last forty years of her life with Imroz, who also designed most of her book covers and made her the subject of his several paintings. Their life together is also the subject of a book, Amrita Imroz: A Love Story.[14][15]
She died in her sleep on 31 October 2005 at the age of 86 in New Delhi, after a long illness.[16] She was survived by her partner Imroz, daughter Kandala, son Navraj Kwatra, daughter-in-law Alka, and her grandchildren, Taurus, Noor, Aman and Shilpi. Navraj Kwatra was killed in 2012.[17]
Partition of British India[edit]
Some one million people, Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs died from communal violence that followed the partition of British India in 1947, and left Amrita Pritam a Punjabi refugee at age 28, when she left Lahore and moved to New Delhi. Subsequently in 1948, while she was pregnant with her son, and travelling from Dehradun to Delhi, she expressed anguish on a piece of paper[18] as the poem, "Ajj akhaan Waris Shah nu" (I ask Waris Shah Today); this poem was to later immortalise her and become the most poignant reminder of the horrors of Partition.[19] The poem addressed to the Sufi poet Waris Shah, author of the tragic saga of Heer and Ranjah and with whom she shares her birthplace.[20]
Amrita Pritam worked until 1961 in the Punjabi service of All India Radio, Delhi. After her divorce in 1960, her work became more clearly feminist. Many of her stories and poems drew on the unhappy experience of her marriage. A number of her works have been translated into English, French, Danish, Japanese, Mandarin and other languages fromPunjabi and Urdu, including her autobiographical works Black Rose and Rasidi Ticket (Revenue Stamp).
The first of Amrita Pritam's books to be filmed was Dharti Sagar te Sippiyan, as ‘Kadambari’ (1965), followed by ‘Unah Di Kahani’, as Daaku (Dacoit, 1976), directed by Basu Bhattacharya.[21] Her novel Pinjar (The Skeleton, 1970) narrates the story of partition riots along with the crisis of women who suffered during the times. It was made into anaward winning Hindi movie by Chandra Prakash Dwivedi, because of its humanism: "Amritaji has portrayed the suffering of people of both the countries." Pinjar was shot in a border region of Rajasthan and in Punjab.
She edited "Nagmani", a monthly literary magazine in Punjabi for several years, which she ran together with Imroz, for 33 years; though after Partition she wrote prolifically in Hindi as well.[1][22] Later in life, she turned to Osho and wrote introductions for several books of Osho, including Ek Onkar Satnam,[23] and also started writing on spiritual themes and dreams, producing works like Kaal Chetna (Time Consciousness) and Agyat Ka Nimantran (Call of the Unknown).[24] She had also published autobiographies, titled, Kala Gulab (Black Rose) (1968), Rasidi Ticket (The Revenue Stamp) (1976), and Aksharon kay Saayee (Shadows of Words).[8][25]
Acclaim[edit]
Amrita is the first recipient of Punjab Rattan Award conferred upon her by Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh. She is first woman recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1956 for Sunehadey (poetic diminutive of the word sunehe i,e.Messages), Amrita Pritam received the Bhartiya Jnanpith Award, India's highest literary award, in 1982 forKagaj te Canvas (Paper and Canvas).[26] She received the Padma Shri (1969) and Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian award, and Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, India's highest literary award, also in 2004. She received D.Litt. honorary degrees, from many universities including, Delhi University (1973), Jabalpur University (1973) andVishwa Bharati (1987)[27]
She also received International Vaptsarov Award from the Republic of Bulgaria (1979) and Degree of Officer dens, Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Officier) by the French Government (1987).[1] She was nominated as a member of Rajya Sabha 1986–92. Towards the end of her life, she was awarded by Pakistan's Punjabi Academy, to which she had remarked, Bade dino baad mere maike ko meri yaad aayi.. (My motherland has remembered me after a long time); and also Punjabi poets of Pakistan, sent her a chaddar, from the tombs of Waris Shah, and fellow Sufi mystic poets Bulle Shah and Sultan Bahu.[2]
Legacy[edit]
In 2007, an audio album titled, 'Amrita recited by Gulzar' was released by noted lyricist Gulzar, with poems of Amrita Pritam recited by him.[28][29] A film on her life is also on the anvil.[30]
Bibliography[edit]
In her career spanning over six decades, she penned 28 novels, 18 anthologies of prose, five short stories and 16 miscellaneous prose volumes.
- Novel
- Pinjar
- Doctor Dev
- Kore Kagaz, Unchas Din
- Dharti, Sagar aur Seepian
- Rang ka Patta
- Dilli ki Galiyan
- Terahwan Suraj
- Yaatri
- Jilavatan (1968)
- Hardatt Ka Zindaginama
- Autobiography
- Rasidi Ticket (1976)
- Shadows of Words (2004)
- A Revenue Stamp
Short stories
- Kahaniyan jo Kahaniyan Nahi
- Kahaniyon ke Angan mein
- Stench of Kerosene
- Poetry anthologies
- Amrit Lehran (Immortal Waves)(1936)
- Jiunda Jiwan (The Exuberant Life) (1939)
- Trel Dhote Phul (1942)
- O Gitan Valia (1942)
- Badlam De Laali (1943)
- Sanjh de laali (1943)
- Lok Peera (The People's Anguish) (1944)
- Pathar Geetey (The Pebbles) (1946)
- Punjab Di Aawaaz (1952)
- Sunehade (Messages) (1955) – Sahitya Akademi Award
- Ashoka Cheti (1957)
- Kasturi (1957)
- Nagmani (1964)
- Ik Si Anita (1964)
- Chak Nambar Chatti (1964)
- Uninja Din (49 Days) (1979)
- Kagaz Te Kanvas (1981)- Bhartiya Jnanpith
- Chuni Huyee Kavitayen
- ek baat
- Literary journal
- Nagmani, poetry monthly
1982:
Mahadevi Varma
| Mahadevi Verma महादेवी वर्मा | |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 March 1907 Farrukhabad, Farrukhabad District, Uttar Pradesh, British India |
| Died | 11 September 1987 (aged 80) Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Occupation | Writer, poet, Freedom Fighter, Woman's Activist, Educationist |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Ethnicity | Orthodox Hindu |
| Citizenship | Indian |
| Education | MA Sanskrit Allahabad University |
| Alma mater | Allahabad University |
| Period | Early 20th Century |
| Genre | Poetry, literature |
| Literary movement | Chhayavaad |
| Notable awards | 1979: Sahitya Akademi Fellowship 1982: Jnanpith Award 1956: Padma Bhushan 1988: Padma Vibhushan |
| Spouse | Dr Swarup Narayan Varma |
Mahadevi Varma (Hindi: महादेवी वर्मा) best known as an outstanding Hindi poet, and was a freedom fighter, woman's activist and educationist from India. She is widely regarded as the "modern Meera".[1] She was a major poet of the Chhayavaad generation, a period of romanticism in Modern Hindi poetry ranging from 1914–1938. With passage of time, her limited but outstanding prose has been recognised as unique in Hindi Literature. She was a prominent poet in Hindi Kavi sammelans (Gatherings of poets).
She was the Principal, and then the Vice-Chancellor of Prayag Mahila Vidyapeeth, a woman's residential college in Allahabad. She was awarded India's highest literary award, for lifetime achievement, the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 1979, followed by theJnanpith Award in 1982.[2] She was the recipient of the Padma Bhushan in 1956[3] and the Padma Vibhushan in 1988, India's third and second highest civilian awards respectively.[4]
Life[edit]
Mahadevi was born in Farukhabad in a "kayastha" family of lawyers. She was educated at Jabalpur- Madhya Pradesh. She was the eldest child of Govinda Prasad Varma and Hemaa rani and had two brothers, Jagmohan and Manmohan, and a sister, Shyaama. She got married to Dr Swarup Narain Varma in Indore when she was in her childhood. She stayed with her parents while her husband studied in Lucknow to complete his education, during which time, she received her higher education at the Allahabad University and passed her B.A.examination in 1929 and completed her master's degree-M.A. in Sanskrit in 1933.
After the death of her husband in 1966, she moved permanently to Allahabad and lived there until her death.
Mahadevi was appointed as the first headmistress of Allahabad (Prayag) Mahila Vidyapeeth, which was started with a view to imparting cultural and literary education to girls through Hindi medium. Later, she became the chancellor of the institute.
Early life[edit]
In her childhood biography Mere Bachpan Ke Din (My Childhood Days), Mahadevi Varma has written that at a time when a girl child was considered a burden upon the family, she was very fortunate to be born into a liberal family. Her grandfather had the ambition of making her a scholar; her mother was fluent in Sanskrit and Hindi, and very religious. Mahadevi credits her mother for inspiring her to write poems, and to take an interest in literature.
Mahadevi was originally admitted to a Convent school, but upon protests and an unwilling attitude, she took admission in Crosthwaite Girls College in Allahabad. According to Mahadevi, she learnt the strength of unity in the hostel at Crosthwaite, where students of different religions lived together and the mess was also according to the religious requirement. Mahadevi started to write poems secretly; but upon discovery of her hidden stash of poems by her room-mate and senior Subhadra Kumari Chauhan (known in the school for writing poems), her hidden talent was exposed. Mahadevi and Subhrada now started to write poems together in their free time.
She and Subhrada also used to send poems to publications such as weekly magazines, and managed to get some of their poems published. Both poets also attended poetry seminars, where they met eminent Hindi poets, and read out their poems to the audience. This partnership continued till Subhrada graduated from Crosthwaite.
Works[edit]
Mahadevi is considered to be one of the four major poets of the Chhayavaadi school of the Hindi literature, others being Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala', Jaishankar Prasad andSumitranandan Pant. She was also a noted painter. She drew a number of illustrations for her poetic works like Hindi and Yama. Her other works include short stories such as Gillu (गिल्लू) which talks about her experience with a squirrel and 'Neelkanth' which talks about her experience with a peacock,which is also included as a chapter into the syllabus of Central Board of Secondary Education for the 7th graders. She has also written Gaura which is based on her real life, in this story she wrote about a beautiful cow. Mahadevi Varma is also known for her childhood memoir, Mere Bachpan Ke Din and Gillu (गिल्लू)", which was inducted into the syllabus of India's Central Board of Secondary Education for the 9th grade.
Stories written by her on her pets are also famous.
Poetry[edit]
Her poems have been published under a number of other titles as well, but they contain the poems from these collections only. They include:
- Neehar (1930)
- Rashmi (1932)
- Neeraja (1934)
- Sandhyageet (1936)
- Deepshikha (1939)
- Agnirekha (1990, published after her death)
Compilations from these collections have been published under various titles. Some of them include: (a) Yama (Neehar+ Rashmi+Neeraja+Saandhyageet) (b) Sandhini (c) Neelaambara (d) Aatmika (e) Deepgeet The additional feature in these collections is a new "Bhoomikas" or introdictory note written in the inimitable style of Mahadevi. Stories She has written many notable stories like (a) Ateet ke Chalchitra (b) Smriti ki Rekhyein (c) Shrinkhala ki Kariyan (d) Gheesa
Awards and honours[edit]
Mahadevi Varma's creative talents and sharp intellect soon earned her a prominent place in the Hindi Literary world. She is considered among the four pillars of the Chaayavad movement. In 1934, she received Sekseriya Puraskar from the Hindi Sahitya Sammelan for her work, Niraja. Her poetry collection (Yama, यामा-1936) received the Jnanpith Award, one of the highest Indian literary awards.
- She also Honored with "Proud Past Alumni" in the list of 42 members, from "Allahabad University Alumni Association", NCR, Ghaziabad (Greater Noida) Chapter 2007–2008 registered under society act 1860 with registration no. 407/2000.[5][6][7]
The Government of India bestowed her with Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award. She was the first woman to be awarded the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, in 1979.[8] In 1988, Indian Government bestowed her with Padma Vibhushan, the second-highest civilian award.[9]
1983:
Masti Venkatesha Iyengar
| Maasthi Venkatesa Iyengar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 6 June 1891 Hongenahalli, Malur taluk, Kolar district, Mysore State, British India |
| Died | 6 June 1986 (aged 95) Bangalore, Karnataka, India |
| Pen name | Srinivasa, Maasti |
| Occupation | District Commissioner, professor, writer |
| Nationality | India |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Subject | Kannada literature |
| Literary movement | Kannada literature Navodaya(New birth)Navodaya |
Early life and education[edit]
Maasti was born in 1891, at Hosahalli in Kolar district of Karnataka in a Tamil speaking Sri Vaishnavaite family. He spent his early childhood in Maasti village. He obtained a master's degree in English literature (Arts) in 1914 from Madras University.[3] After joining the Indian Civil Service (Known as the Mysore Civil Service in the days of the Maharaja of Mysore), he held various positions of responsibility in different parts of Karnataka, rising to the rank of District Commissioner. After 26 years of service, he resigned in 1943, as a protest when he did not get the post equivalent to a Minister, which he deserved and a junior was promoted ahead of him.[3] He wrote some pieces in English and then switched over to write in Kannada language.[3] He used pen name Srinivasa to write short stories and novels in Kannada.[4]
Works[edit]
He published his first work Rangana Maduve in 1910 and his last work is Maatugara Ramanna (1985).[4] His Kelavu Sanna Kategalu(Some Short Stories) was the first noted work in the modern Kannada literature. Maasti also crafted a number poems on various philosophic, aesthetic and social themes. He composed and translated several important plays. He was the editor of monthly journalJivana (Life) from 1944 to 1965.
A prolific writer, he wrote more than 123 books in Kannada[4] and 17 in English, for over seventy years. He won the Jnanpith Award in 1983 for his novel Chikkavira Rajendra. The story was about the last Raja of Kodagu.
He died on his 95th birthday in 1986.[citation needed] Since 1993, an award in his name, "Masti Venkatesha Iyangar Award" is awarded to well-known writers of Karnataka.[5] His house located in Basavanagudi area, Bangalore is converted as a museum and maintained by Masti Venkatesha Iyangar Jeevana Karyalaya Trust.[6] His house located in Maasti village, Malur Taluk (Kolar District) is converted as library and maintained by Departments of Government of Karnataka.[7] Masti Residential School was started in memory of Masti Venkatesha Iyangar during 2006–07, at Masti village, Malur Taluk by Government of Karnataka.[8]
Bibliography[edit]
Epics
- Shri Rama Pattabisheka (Coronation of Shri Ram)
Novels
- Chikkaveera Rajendra Historical Novel about the last king of Kodagu
- Channabasava Nayaka Historical Novel about the last king among Nayakas of Shimoga District.
- Subbana
- Sheshamma
Stories and Anthologies
- Kelavu Sanna Kathegalu (Some Short Stories)
- 100 Short stories in a number of volumes
Plays
- Kakanakote
- Manjule
- Yashodhara
- Bhattara Magalu
- Shanthaa
Autobiography
- Bhaava (Three Volumes)
Other
- Subbanna (1928)
- Sheshamma (1976)
- Shanta (1923)
- Talikoti (1929)
- Yashodhara(1933)
- Kannadad Seve(1930)
- Arun (1924)
- Tavare(1930)
- Sankranti (1969)
1984:
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
| Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 17 April 1912 Thakazhi, Alleppey,Travancore |
| Died | 10 April 1999 (aged 86) Thakazhi, Alappuzha,Kerala, India |
| Pen name | Thakazhi |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Genre | Novel, short story |
| Subject | Social aspects |
| Literary movement | Realism |
Literary career[edit]
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 addressed various facets of society in Kerala in the mid-20th century. His novel Thottiyude Makan(Scavenger's Son, 1947) is considered a pioneer work in Malayalam realistic novel. The novel portrays three generations of a working class family engaged in Alleppey as scavengers. The novel challenges 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.[4]
His love epic Chemmeen (Prawns, 1956), which was a departure from his earlier line of realism, met with immense popularity. It told a tragic love story against the backdrop of a fishing village in Alappuzha. The novel and its film adaptation, also titled Chemmeen (1965), earned him national and international fame. Chemmeen was translated into 19 world languages and adapted into 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 Feature Film in 1965.[5]
Despite the popularity of Chemmeen, his novel Kayar (Coir, 1978) is quite widely considered his masterpiece. The novel extends to over 1000 densely printed pages and deals with hundreds of characters over four generations, bringing back to life an axial period (1885–1971) during which feudalism, matriliny, and bonded labour gave way to conjugallife and to universal access to land ownership, and later, to decolonisation and the industrial revolution of the 1960s.
Another famous novel, Enippadikal (Rungs of the Ladder, 1964), traces the careerism of an ambitious bureaucrat whose lust for power and position becomes his own undoing. The novel was adapted into a movie in 1973 by Thoppil Bhasi.[6] He is also known as 'Kerala Maupassant'.
Famous works[edit]
Novels[edit]
- Thottiyude Makan (Scavenger's Son, 1947; translation into English, New Delhi, 1975)
- Randidangazhi (Two Measures, 1948; film adaptation, 1958)
- Thendivargam (The Beggar Clan, 1950)
- Chemmeen (Prawns, 1956; film adaptation, 1965; transl. into English, London, 1962, into French, Paris, 1965, etc.)
- Ouseppinte Makkal (The Sons 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 Palichakal (Experiences and Failures, 1967; film adaptation, 1971)
- Chukku (Chukku Film adaptation, 1973)
- Kayar (Coir, 1978; transl. into English, New Delhi, 1997)
- Erinhadangal (Extinguishing, 1990)
Short stories[edit]
- Teranjedutta Kathakal (Selected Short Stories, 1965)
- Inquilab (1952)
- Pativrata (Chaste Wife, 1946)
- Njan Piranna Nadu (The Land Where I was Born, 1958)
- Kure Kathapatrangal (A Number of Characters, 1980)
- " A Blind Man's Contenment" (1976)
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[edit]
- Ente Balykala Katha (My Childhood Story, 1967)
- Ormayude Theerangalil (On the Shores of Memory, 1985)
- Oru Kuttanadan Katha (A Story of Kuttanad, 1992)
- Jeevitathinte Oru Edu (A Page of Life, 1993)
1985:
Pannalal Patel
| Pannalal Nanalal Patel | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 May 1912 Dungarpur, Rajasthan |
| Died | 6 April 1989 (aged 76) Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India |
| Occupation | novelist |
| Nationality | Indian |
Life[edit]
He was born in an Anjana Chaudhari family at Mandli village, Dungarpur, Rajasthan. He studied up to the sixth grade in Idar, Gujarat and was a classmate of Umashankar Joshi. For a brief period, he worked as a manager in a liquor manufacturing company in Dungarpur. He wrote his first novel while working as a domestic help in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Works[edit]
- "Malela Jiv" ( – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- "Manvini Bhavai" (Publisher – Sadhana Prakashan)
- Fakiro ( ફકીરો – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- Bhaangyaa Na Bheru ( ભાંગ્યાના ભેરુ )
- Navun Lohi ( – પ્રકાશક: )
- Padgha Ane Padchhaya
- Mankhavtar
- Ame Be Baheno ( અમે બે બહેનો – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- Karoliyanun Jalu
- Aandhi Ashaddhani ( આંધી અષાઢની – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- Vali Vatanman
- Min Matinan Maanvi ( મીણ માટીનાં માનવી – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- Nagad Narayan
- Ghammar Valonu 1–2 ( ઘમ્મર વલોણું )
- Pranaynan Jujvan Pot
- Kanku ( કંકુ )
- Ajwali Raat Amaasni ( અજવાળી રાત અમાસની – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- Allad Chhokri ( અલ્લડ છોકરી – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- Galalsing
- Ek Anokhi Preet
- Markatlal ( મરકટલાલ – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- Eklo ( – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- Nathi Parnyan Nathi Kunwaran ( નથી પરણ્યાં નથી કુંવારાં – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- Paarth Ne Kaho Chadave Baan Vol 1–5 ( પાર્થ ને કહો ચડાવે બાણ )
- Rame Sitane Maryan Jo! Vol 1–4 ( રામે સીતાને માર્યાં જો – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- Krishna Jivanlila Vol 1–5 ( કૃષ્ણજીવનલીલા )
- Shiv Parvati Vol 1–6 ( શિવપાર્વતી – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- Taag
- Bhishmani Baanshayya Vol 1–2 ( ભીષ્મની બાણશય્યા )
- Angaro
- Kach-Devayani ( કચ-દેવયાની – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- Pagerun ( પગેરું – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- Devyani-Yayaati 1–2" ( દેવયાની-યયાતિ – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- Raw Material ( રૉ મટીરિયલ – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- Param Vaishnav Narsinh Mehta ( પરમ્ વૈષ્ણવ નરસિંહ મહેતા – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- "Jene Jivi Janyun"
- "Lok Gunjan" ( લોકગુંજન – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- "Satyabhamano Manushi Pranay"
- "Manavdehe Kamdev-Rati"
- "Mahabharatno Pratham Pranay : Bhim-Hidimba"
- "Arjunno Vanvaas Ke Pranaypravas?"
- "Pradyumna-Prabhavati"
- "Shree Krushnani Atth Patranio" ( – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- "Shikhandi : Stree Ke Purush?" ( – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- "Revtighela Baldevji"
- "Sahdev-Bhanumatino Pranay" ( – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- "Kubja Ane Shree Krushna" ( – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- "Urvashi-Pururva"
- Narman Nari Il-Ila (નરમાં નારી ઈલ-ઈલા – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની)
- Vrundathi Rakshayelo Jalandhar ( વૃંદાથી રક્ષાયેલો જલંધર – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )"
- "Sarjanni Suvarna Smaranika"
- Purankathit Ma Durga ( પુરાણકથિત્ મા દુર્ગા – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- Jindagi Sanjeevani Vol 1–7" ( જિંદગી સંજીવની – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- "Alak Malak" ( – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની )
- Jeevan Ek Natak ( જીવન એક નાટક )
- Melo ( મેળો )
Short Story Collections[edit]
- Sukh Dukhnan Saathi (સુખદુઃખનાં સાથી – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની) ("1st Ed. : 1940 Last Ed. : ")
- Jindagina Khel ( જિંદગીના ખેલ – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની ) ("1st Ed. : 1940 Last Ed. : ")
- "Jivo Dand" ("1st Ed. : 1941, Last Ed. : ")
- "Lakh Chorasi" ("1st Ed. : 1944, Last Ed. : ")
- Panetarna Rang ( પાનેતરના રંગ – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની ) ("1st Ed. : 1946, Last Ed. : ")
- Sacha Samnan ( સાચાં સમણાં – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની ) ("1st Ed. : 1949, Last Ed. : ")
- "Vatrakne Kantthe" ("1st Ed. : 1952 Last Ed. : ")
- Aurta ( ઓરતા – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની ) ("1st Ed. : 1954, Last Ed. : ")
- "Parevadan" ("1st Ed. : 1956, Last Ed. : ")
- "Pannalalni Shreshttha Vartao" ("1st Ed. : 1958, Last Ed. : ")
- Manna Morla ( મનના મોરલા – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની ) ("1st Ed. : 1958, Last Ed. : ")
- "Tilottama" ("1st Ed. : 1960, Last Ed. : ")
- Dharti Aabhnan Chhetan ( ધરતી આભમાં છેટાં – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની ) ("1st Ed. : 1962 Last Ed. : ")
- "Dilni Vaat" ("1st Ed. : 1962, Last Ed. : ")
- Tyagi-Anuragi ( ત્યાગી-અનુરાગી – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની ) ("1st Ed. : 1963 Last Ed. : ")
- Dilaso ( દિલાસો – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની ) ("1st Ed. : 1964, Last Ed. : ")
- "Chitreli Diwalo" ("1st Ed. : 1965, Last Ed. : ")
- "Morlina Munga Sur" ("1st Ed. : 1966, Last Ed. : ")
- Malo ( માળો – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની ) ("1st Ed. : 1967, Last Ed. : ")
- "Vatno Katko" ("1st Ed. : 1969, Last Ed. : ")
- Anwar ( અણવર – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની ) ("1st Ed. : 1970, Last Ed. : ")
- "Koi Desi Koi Pardesi" ("1st Ed. : 1971, Last Ed. : ")
- Aasmani Najar ( આસમાની – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની) ("1st Ed. : 1972, Last Ed. : ")
- Vineli Navlikao ( વિણેલી નવલિકાઓ – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની ) ("1st Ed. : 1973, Last Ed. : ")
- "Binny" ("1st Ed. : 1973, Last Ed. : ")
- Chhanko ( છણકો – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની ) ("1st Ed. : 1975, Last Ed. : ")
- Gharnun Ghar ( ઘરનું ઘર – પ્રકાશક: સંજીવની ) ("1st Ed. : 1979, Last Ed. : ")
- "Narato" ("1st Ed. : 1981, Last Ed. : ??")
Awards[edit]
- Jnanpith Award – 1985
- Ranjitram Suvarna Chandrak – 1950
1986:
Sachidananda Routray
| Sachidananda Routray | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 May 1916 Gurujang, Khordha |
| Died | 21 August 2004 (aged 88) Cuttack |
| Pen name | Sachi Rautara |
| Ethnicity | Odia |
| Genre | Poetry |
| Notable works | Pallisri |
| Notable awards | Jnanpith Award |
Life[edit]
Routray was born in Gurujang, near Khurda on 13 May 1916.[2] He was brought up and educated in Bengal. He married a Telugu princess from the royal family of Golapalli.[1]
Routray started writing poems from the age of eleven.[1] He was also involved in freedom struggle while in school. Some of his poems were banned by British Raj for revolutionary content.
Works[edit]
He started his writing career through " patheya " (1st poetry) in 1932.In 1943, Routray became very famous among Odia readers when he published Baji Rout, a long poem that celebrated the martyrdom of a boatman boy who succumbed to the bullets of British police when he refused to take them in his rickety boat to cross the river Brahmani. He was a prolific poet and published as many as twenty anthologies. His Pallishri, dealing with village life in Odisha, is as successful as his poem Pratima Nayak that portrays the suffering and the predicament of a city girl. He belonged to a group of writers who called themselves 'poets of the people'.[1]
Routray also published a few poems with religion as their theme.
"Chhota Mora Gan Ti" was written by Routray. This topic is now teaching by most of the teacher in Odisha.
Awards and recognitions[edit]
- Padmashree in 1962.[1]
- Sahitya Akademi Award in 1963 for the poetry Kabita-1962.[3]
- Soviet Land Nehru Award in 1965.[1]
- Jnanpith Award in 1986.[4]
Lifetime fellowship (kendra sahitya academi) - 1988 " Mahakabi " samman-1986 - Rourkela, 1988 - Cuttack President - Nikhil Bharat Kabita Sammelan -Kolkata (1968),Rourkela(1988) Sahitya Bharati Award - 1997
1987:
Kusumagraj
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 27 February 1912 Pune, Maharashtra | ||
| Died | 10 March 1999 (aged 87) Nashik, Maharashtra | ||
| Pen name | Kusumagraj | ||
| Occupation | poet, playwright, novelist, short story writer, humanist | ||
| Language | Marathi | ||
| Notable works | Vishaka (1942) Natsamrat | ||
| Notable awards | 1974 Sahitya Akademi Award in Marathi 1988 Jnanpith Award | ||
Career[edit]
At age 20, Shirwadkar participated in a nonviolent resistance march --satyagraha—in support of compelling Brahmin priests in charge of a local prominent temple in Nasik to provide free access to the temple to people who belonged to the suppressed "untouchable" community. In the past, the priests had not allowed free temple access to that community under the Hindu caste system, which used to be observed much more vigorously then in India. Throughout his life, he either participated in or led many movements in Nasik to counter social or political injustice of some or other kind.
In his twenties, he published His first collection of poems, Jeevanlahari was published while he in his twenties. Soon he also got involved with Marathi cinema in Nashik, as he wrote a script for a mythological film, Sati Sulochana, in which he also acted. He also worked in journalism for while, before coming back to poetry as a mainstay. 1942 was the turning point in the career of Kusumagraj, as a father-figure of Marathi literature, Vishnu Sakharam Khandekar, published Kusumgraj's compilation of poetry, Vishakha at his own expense, and in his preface describing Kusumagraj as a poet of humanity, wrote, "His words manifest the social discontent but retain the optimistic conviction that the old world was giving way to a new one."[5] It came during the Quit India Movement, and carried the message of freedom and stood against slavery, and soon its words became popular with young men and women; in time it was to become his lasting legacy to Indian literature.[6] After 1943, he started adapting the plays by literary giants like Oscar Wilde, Moliere,Maurice Maeterlinck and Shakespeare, especially his tragedies, and which played an important role in boosting Marathi theatre of the period. This continued into the 1970s when his masterpiece Natasamrat was first staged in 1970, with Sriram Lagoo as the lead.[5]
While temperamentally he ranged from reclusive to exclusive, he had a keen social sense and championed the cause of the downtrodden without involving himself in ground level activities. In 1950, he founded the Lokahitawādi Mandal (organisation for social good) in Nashik which is still in existence.
However, Kusumagraj's main claim to fame was his genius as a poet and writer. In 1954, he adapted Shakespeare's Macbeth, as Rajmukut, 'The Royal Crown' to Marathi, it starred Nanasaheb Phatak and Durga Khote (Lady Macbeth) and later he also adapted Othello in 1960[7] He also worked as a lyricist in Marathi cinema.[8]
His work reflected the changing social milieu, from being the reflection of national uprising during Indian freedom struggle and in the post-independence era it got steeped into rising social-consciousness amongst Marathi writers, which marked the advent of modern Dalit literature.[5]
Awards and recognition[edit]
To honour his work in Marathi Literature, every year Birth day of Kusumagraj i.e. 27 February is celebrated as "MARATHI BHASHA DIN" (मराठी भाषा दिन).[9]
- 1960 - President of Mumbai Marathi Granth Sangrahalay Annual function
- 1960 - State Govt. for "Marathi Mati" 'मराठी माती' (काव्यसंग्रह)
- 1962 - State Govt. for "Swagat" 'स्वगत' (काव्यसंग्रह)
- 1964 - State Govt. for "Himresha" 'हिमरेषा' (काव्यसंग्रह)
- 1964 - President of Akhil Bhartiay Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, Goa
- 1965 - Ram Ganesh Gadkari Award 1965 by All India Nātya Parishad
- 1966 - State Govt. for the play "Yayati ani Devyani" 'ययाति आणि देवयानी'
- 1967 - State Govt. for the play " Vij mhanali Dhartila" 'वीज म्हणाली धरतीला'
- 1970 - President of Marathi Natya Sammelan, Kolhapur
- 1971 - State Govt. for the play " Natasamrat" 'नटससम्राट'
- 1974 - Sahitya Akademi Award 1974 for his writing of the play, Natasamrat, an adaptation of King Lear
- 1985 - Ram Ganesh Gadkari Award from Akhil Bhartiya Natya Parishad
- 1986 - The honorary degree of D.Litt. by Pune University
- 1988 - Jnanpith Award, — a prestigious literary award in India—in recognition of his literary achievements
- 1988 - Sangeet Nātya Lekhan Award
- 1989 - President - Jagtik Marathi Parishad, Mumbai
- 1991 - Padmabhushan awards
- 1996 - A star named as "Kusumagraj" in the galaxy
Personal life[edit]
His original name was Gajanan Ranganath Shirwadkar and he was adopted by his uncle. He founded an organisation named Kusumāgraj Pratishthān[10] was formed in Nasik in 1990 with the objective of encouraging various cultural activities and helping the needy belonging to traditionally suppressed communities. In 1972, his wife Manoramabai died after a brief illness. Kusumāgraj birthday is celebrated as World Marathi Day.
He died on 10 March 1999 in Nashik,[2] where his home also served at the office of the 'Kusumāgraj Pratishthān.[11]
Writings[edit]
Collections of Poems
- Vishakha (Year : 1942)
- Himaresha (Year : 1964)
- Chhandomayi (Year : 1982)
- Jeewanalahari (Year : 1933)
- Jaicha Kunja (Year : 1936)
- Samidha (Year : 1947)
- Kana (Year : 1952)
- Kinara (Year : 1952)
- Marathi Mati (Year : 1960)
- Wadalwel (Year : 1969)
- Rasayatra (Year : 1969)
- Muktayan (Year : 1984)
- Shrawan (Year : 1985)
- Prawasi Pakshi (Year : 1989)
- Patheya (Year : 1989)
- Meghdoot (Marathi Translation of Kalidas' "Meghdoot", which is in Sanskrit) (Year : 1956)
- Swagat (Year : 1962)
- Balbodh Mevyatil Kusumagraj (Year : 1989)
Edited Collections of Poems
- Kāwyawāhini
- Sāhityasuwarna
- Phularāni
- Pimpalapān
- Chandanawel
- Rasyātrā, poems chosen by Shankar Vaidya and Poet Borkar, and with a long scholarly introduction by Vaidya.
Collections of Stories
- Phulawāli
- Chhote Āni Mothe
- Satāriche Bol Āni Iter Kathā
- Kāhi Wruddha, Kāhi Tarun
- Prem Āni Mānjar
- Appointment
- Āhe Āni Nāhi
- Wirāmachinhe
- Pratisād
- Ekāki Tārā
- Wātewaralyā Sāwalyā
- Shakespearechyā Shodhāt
- Roopareshā
- Kusumāgrajānchyā Bārā Kathā
- Jādoochi Hodi (for children)
Plays
- Yayāti Āni Dewayāni
- Weeja Mhanāli Dharateelā
- Natasamrāt
- Doorche Diwe
- Dusarā Peshwā
- Waijayanti
- Kounteya
- Rājmukut
- Āmche Nāw Bāburāo
- Widushak
- Ek Hoti Wāghin
- Ānand
- Mukhyamantri
- Chandra Jithe Ugawat Nāhi
- Mahant
- Kaikeyi
- Becket (Translation of The Honour of God by Jean Anouilh)
One-Act Plays
- Diwāni Dāwā
- Dewāche Ghar
- Prakāshi Dāre
- Sangharsh
- Bet
- Natak Basat Āhe Āni Itar Ekānkikā
Novels
- Waishnawa
- Jānhawi
- Kalpanechyā Teerāwar
Works in translation[edit]
- The Saint in the Cellar: selected poems. Tr. by S. A. Virkar. New Native Press, 2003. ISBN 1-883197-18-X.
Visualisation of Works of Kusumagraj[edit]
The translation of Meghadūta by Kusumagraj were visualised by watercolour artist Nana Joshi. These visualisations were published in the Menaka Diwali issue in 1979.[12]Natsamrat a play written by V.V. Shirwadkar for which he won several accolades has also been adapted on screen by Director Mahesh Manjrekar with veteran actor Nana Patekar as 'Natsamrat' after successful runs of the play's theatre adaptations. [13]
1988:
C. Narayana Reddy
| C. Narayana Reddy | |
|---|---|
C. Naryana Reddy, c. 1971
| |
| Born | 29 July 1931 Hanumajipet, Hyderabad State,British India (now in Telangana, India) |
| Occupation | Poet, playwright, composer, artist |
| Alma mater | Osmania University |
| Signature |  |
Personal life[edit]
Naryana Reddy married Susheela and with her had four daughters. He has instituted an award named after his wife and this is presented annually to female writers. He lives in Film Nagar, Hyderabad.
Reddy won the Gnanapeet Award in 1988 for his poetic work, Viswambara. He had been awarded an honorary Kala Prapoorna byAndhra University in 1978, having been a recipient of the Padma Shri in 1977.[1] He was conferred with the Raja-Lakshmi Award by the Sri Raja-Lakshmi Foundation in 1988 and in 1992 he was honoured with India's third-highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan.[2]
Narayana Reddy was nominated to the Rajya Sabha – the upper house of the Indian Parliament – in August 1997.[2]
Movie songs[edit]
Reddy entered film industry in 1962, by writing all the songs for the Gulebakavali Katha. He became famous with the song Nannu dochu kunduvate...vannela dorasani.[3]
He became known to a wide public as a lyricist for several famous Telugu films. He has written more than 3000 songs and contributed to the success of many films.[4] He is one of the very first lyricists to introduce Urdu words into the mainstream Telugu movie songs. Since then the Telugu film industry has seen raise of Urdu in the lyrics.
| Year | Film | Songs |
|---|---|---|
| 1962 | Atma Bandhuvu | Anaganaga Oka Raaju Anaganaga Oka Raani, Chaduvu Raanivaadavani Digulu Chendaku |
| 1962 | Gulebakavali Katha | Nannu Dhochukonduvate Vannela Dodorasaani |
| 1962 | Kula Gotralu | Chelikadu Ninne Rammani Piluva, Chilipi Kanula Teeyani Chelikada |
| 1962 | Rakta Sambandham | Yevaro Nanu Kavvinchi Poyedevaro |
| 1963 | Bandipotu | "Oohalu Gusagusalaade", Vagalaranivi Neevu Sogasukadanu Nene |
| 1963 | Chaduvukunna Ammayilu | Kila Kila Navvulu Chilikina |
| 1963 | Karna | Gaaliki Kulamedi Nelaku Kulamedi |
| 1963 | Lakshadhikari | Dachalante Dagadule Daagudumootalu Saagavule, Mabbulo Emundi Naa Manasulo Emundi |
| 1963 | Punarjanma | Nee Kosam Naa Ganam Naa Pranam |
| 1963 | Tirupatamma Katha | Poovai Virisina Punnami Vela Bidiyamu Neekela Bela |
| 1964 | Amarshilpi Jakanna | Ee Nallani Raalalo Ee Kannulu Daageno |
| 1964 | Gudi Gantalu | Neeli Kannula Needala Lona |
| 1964 | Manchi Manishi | Antaga Nanu Choodaku Matadaku Vintaga Guri Choodaku Vetadaku |
| 1964 | MuraliKrishna | Kanulu Kanulu Kalisenu Kanne Vayasu Pilichenu, Oo Anu Oohoo Anu Aunanu Aunaunanu Naa Valapanta Needani |
| 1964 | Ramudu Bheemudu | Thelisindile Nelaraja Neeroopu Thelisindile |
| 1965 | Mangamma Sapatham | Kanuleevela Chilipiga Navvenu |
| 1966 | Paramanandayya Shishyula Katha | Naaloni Ragameeve Nadayadu Teegaveeve |
| 1968 | Bandipotu Dongalu | Vinnanule Priya Kanugonnanule Priya |
| 1968 | Bangaru Gaajulu | Annayya Sannidhi Ade Naaku Pennidhi Chellayi Pellikoothurayene Paalavellule Naalo Pongipoyene |
| 1968 | Varakatnam | Idena Mana Sampradayamidena |
| 1969 | Ekaveera | Krishna Nee Peru Talachina Chalu |
| 1970 | Thalla Pellama | Telugu Jaati Manadi |
| 1970 | Dharma Daata | O Naannaa Nee Manase Venna |
| 1970 | Kodalu Diddina Kapuram | Nee Dharmam Nee Sangham Nee Desam Nuvu Maravoddu |
| 1970 | Lakshmi Kataksham | Raa Vannela Dora Kanniyanu Chera |
| 1971 | Chelleli Kapuram | Kanulamundu Neevunte Kavita Pongi Paarada |
| 1971 | Mattilo Manikyam | Rimzim Rimzim Hyderabad |
| 1972 | Bala Mitrula Katha | Gunna Mamidi Komma Meedha Goollu Rendunnayi |
| 1972 | Manavudu Danavudu | Anuvu Anuvuna Velasina Deva Kanuvelugai Mamu Nadipimpa Rava |
| 1972 | Tata Manavadu | Anubandham Atmiyata Anta Oka Bootakam |
| 1973 | Andala Ramudu | Mamu Brovamani Cheppave Seetamma Talli |
| 1973 | Sharada | Sharada, Nanu Cheraga Emitamma Sigga |
| 1974 | Alluri Seetharama Raju | Vastadu Naaraju Eeroju |
| 1974 | Krishnaveni | Krishnaveni, Teluginti Viriboni, Krishnaveni, Naa Inti Aliveni |
| 1974 | Nippulanti Manishi | Snehame Naa Jeevitam Snehamera Sasvatham |
| 1974 | O Seeta Katha | Mallekannaa Tellana Maa Seeta Manasu |
| 1975 | Annadammula Anubandham | Aanaati Hrudayala Aananda Geetam Idele |
| 1975 | Balipeetam | Maarali Maarali Manushula Nadavadi Maarali |
| 1975 | Muthyala Muggu | Gogulu Pooche Gogulu Kache O Laccha Gummadi |
| 1976 | Thoorpu Padamara | Sivaranjani Navaraagini Vininantane Naa Navvuthaaru Pakapakamani Navvuthaaru |
| 1978 | Sivaranjani | Abhinava Thaaravo Naa Abhimana Thaaravo Joru Meedunnave Thummeda, Nee Joru Evari Kosame Thummeda ? |
| 1980 | Prema Tarangalu | Kalayaina Nijamaina Kadanna Ledanna Prema Tharangalu Navjeevana Ragalu |
| 1984 | Mangammagari Manavadu | Chandurudu Ninnu Choosi Sri Suryanarayana Meluko |
| 1985 | Swati Mutyam | Laali Laali Laali Laali, Vatapatra Shayi ki varahaala laali, Rajeeva netruniki ratanala laali |
| 1986 | Repati Pourulu | Repati Pourulam |
| 1989 | Sutradharulu | Jolajolamma Jola Jejela Jola Neelala Kannulaku Nityamalle Poola Jola |
| 1990 | 20 Va Satabdam | 20 Va Satabdam Idi, Ammanu Minchi Daivam |
| 1997 | Osey Ramulamma | Osey Ramulamma |
| 2001 | Preminchu | Kantene amma ani ante ela karuniche prathi devatha amme kadha kanna amme kadha |
| 2003 | Seetaiah | Idhigo rayalaseema gadda dheeni kadha telusuko telugu bidda |
| 2009 | Arundati | jejama jejema |
Bibliography[edit]
- Rutuchakram (1964)
- Karpura vasantarayalu(1957)
- Visvambara (1988)
- Prapancapadulu (1991)
- Gadilo samudram (1998)
- Saptathi Oka Liptaga (2001)
- Evi aa jeeva nidhulu? (2008)
- Matti, Manishi, Aakasam
Qurratulain Hyder
| Qurratulain Hyder | |
|---|---|
Qurratulain Hyder
| |
| Born | 20 January 1927 Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Died | 21 August 2007 (aged 80) Noida, India |
| Pen name | Ainee Apa |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | Lucknow UniversityIndraprastha College, Delhi |
| Genre | Novelist & short story writer |
| Notable works | Aag ka Dariya (River of Fire) (1959) |
Qurratulain Hyder (Urdu: قرۃ العین حیدر; 20 January 1927 – 21 August 2007) was an influential Indian Urdu novelist and short story writer, an academic, and a journalist. One of the most outstanding literary names in Urdu literature, she is best known for hermagnum opus, Aag Ka Darya (River of Fire), a novel first published in Urdu in 1959, from Lahore, Pakistan, that stretches from the 4th century BC to post partition of India.[1][2] Popularly known as "Ainee Apa" among her friends and admirers, she was the daughter of writer and pioneers of Urdu short story writing Sajjad Haidar Yildarim (1880–1943). Her mother, Nazar Zahra, who wrote at first as Bint-i-Nazrul Baqar and later as Nazar Sajjad Hyder (1894–1967), was also a novelist and protegee of Muhammadi Begam and her husband Syed Mumtaz Ali, who published her first novel.
She received the 1967 Sahitya Akademi Award in Urdu for Patjhar Ki Awaz (Short stories), 1989 Jnanpith Award for Akhire Shab Ke Humsafar,[3] and the highest award of the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 1994.[4] She also received the Padma Bhushan from the Government of India in 2005.[5]
Biography[edit]
Born on 20 January 1927 in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, (though her family were from Nehtaur, UP), Qurrat-ul-Ain Hyder is one of the most celebrated of Urdu fiction writers. She was named after a notable Iranian poet Qurrat-ul-Ain Tahira. Qurratul Ain, translated literally means 'solace of the eyes' and is used as a term of endearment. A trend setter in Urdu fiction, she began writing at a time when the novel was yet to take deep roots as a serious genre in the poetry-oriented world of Urdu literature. She instilled in it a new sensibility and brought into its fold strands of thought and imagination hitherto unexplored. She is widely regarded as the "Grande Dame" of Urdu literature.[5]
After finishing her education from Indraprastha College, Delhi[6] and Lucknow University's Isabella Thoburn College, she moved to Pakistan in 1947, then lived in England for some time before finally returning to India in 1960. She lived in Bombay for nearly twenty years before shifting to Noida near New Delhi, where she had been staying till her demise. She never married.
She migrated along with her family members to Pakistan in 1947 at the time of independence, but some years later decided to go back to India, where she had since lived. She worked as a journalist to earn her living but kept publishing short stories, literary translations and novels regularly, by now almost thirty in number.She was Managing Editor of the magazine Imprint, Bombay (1964–68), and a member of the editorial staff of the Illustrated Weekly of India (1968–75). Her books have been translated into English and other languages.
Hyder also served as a guest lecturer at the universities of California, Chicago, Wisconsin, and Arizona. She was visiting professor at the Urdu Department at Aligarh Muslim University, where her father had earlier been a registrar. She was also Professor Emeritus, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Chair at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi. In 1979 she was in residency at the University of Iowa's International Writing Program.
Literary works[edit]
A prolific writer (she began to write at the young age of 11), her literary works include some 12 novels and novellas and four collections of short stories. Hyder has also done a significant amount of translation of classics. Her own works have been translated into English and other languages.[7]
Aag Ka Duriya (River of Fire), her magnum opus, is a landmark novel that explores the vast sweep of time and history. It tells a story that moves from the fourth century BC to the post-Independence period in India and Pakistan, pausing at the many crucial epochs of history. Aamer Hussein in The Times Literary Supplement wrote that River of Fire is to Urdu fiction what One Hundred Years of Solitude is to Hispanic literature. Aag Ka Darya is essentially a novel written from the point of view of the believers of Pakistan and depicts their agony in detail, specially towards the climax of the novel.
Her other published works include: Mere Bhi Sanam Khane , 1949; Safina-e-Gham-e-Dil ' ', 1952; ' 'Patjhar ki Awaz (The Voice of Autumn), 1965; Raushni ki Raftar (The Speed of Light), 1982; the short novel Chaye ke Bagh (Tea Plantations), 1965 (one of four novellas including Dilruba , Sita Haran , Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Na Kijo , exploring gender injustice) ; and the family chronicle Kar e Jahan Daraz Hai (The Work of the World Goes On). "Gardish e Rang e Chaman" ( a voluminous documentary novel on the post 1857 tragedy befalling women of respectable families), "Aakhir e Shab kay Hamsafar" ( A novel on the Naxalite Movement and Bengal unrest), "Chandni Begum" ( a novel on the general social condition of Muslims forty years into Partition).
Compared to her exact contemporaries, Milan Kundera and Gabriel García Márquez, the breadth of her literary canvas, her vision and insight, transcend time.[5]
Amitav Ghosh writes that "hers is one of the most important Indian voices of the twentieth century."
Her first short story, Bi-Chuhiya (Little Miss Mouse), was published in children's magazine Phool and at the age of nineteen wrote her first novel " Mayray Bhee Sanam khanay ".
Awards and honours[edit]
She received the Jnanpith Award in 1989 for her novel Aakhir-e-Shab ke Hamsafar (Travellers Unto the Night). She received the Sahitya Akademi Award, in 1967, Soviet Land Nehru Award, 1969, Ghalib Award, 1985. She won Sahitya Akademi Award for her collection of short stories Patjhar ki Awaz (The Sound of Falling Leaves) in 1967. The Urdu Academy in Delhi conferred upon her the Bahadur Shah Zafar Award in 2000. She was conferred Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1984, and in 2005 she was conferred the Padma Bhushan the third highest civilian honour awarded by the Government of India, for her contribution to Urdu Literature and education.[5][7]
Death[edit]
Qurratulain Hyder died in a NOIDA hospital, near New Delhi, India on 21 August 2007 after a protracted lung illness. She has been buried in the Jamia Millia Islamia cemetery, New Delhi.
Her death has been condoled by the President and Prime Minister of India, and Chief Minister of her home state Uttar Pradesh.
Critics[edit]
It is believed that due to her high stature in social circles no criticism about her vision emerged although she was not infallible. Eminent Urdu novelist Paigham Afaqui has pointed out in his well appreciated article 'Aag Ka Darya – chand sawalat' that because she wrote Aag Ka Darya at an early age and because she was encircled by those who did not stay back in India at the time of partition she could not appreciate the point of view of those who did not migrate. After this article of Paigham Afaqui, she indeed reviewed such content and deleted in the English translation of the novel.
Works[edit]
- In translation
- Sound of the Falling Leaves. Asia Publishing House, 1996. ISBN 0-948724-44-7.
- A Season of Betrayals: A Short Story and Two Novellas. Oxford University Press, 2000. ISBN 0-19-579417-6.
- River of Fire. Translated by Qurratulain Hyder. New Directions Pub., 2003. ISBN 0-8112-1533-4.
- Fireflies in the Mist. New Directions Publishing, 2010. ISBN 0-8112-1865-1
- The Exiles. tr. by Nadeem Aslam. Hesperus Press, 2010. ISBN 1-84391-854-4.
1990:
Vinayaka Krishna Gokak
| V. K. Gokak | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 9 August 1909 Savanur, Dharwad, Kingdom of Mysore, British India |
| Died | 28 April 1992 (aged 82) Bengaluru, Karnataka |
| Occupation | Professor, Writer |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Literary movement | Navodaya |
| Signature |  |
Academic life[edit]
Vinayak Gokak studied literature at Karnatak College, Dharwad, Karnataka, India and was later awarded a First class honors by theUniversity of Oxford. On his return from Oxford in 1938, he became the principal of Willingdon College, Sangli. He was an ardent devotee of Sathya Sai Baba and served as the first Vice-Chancellor of Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning at Puttaparthi,Anantapur District between 1981 - 1985. His novel Samarasave Jeevana is considered one of the typical works of Navodaya literature in Kannada.
Writings[edit]
Epics[edit]
- Bharatha Sindhu Rashmi
Novels[edit]
- Samarasave Jeevana - Ijjodu Mattu Erilita (vol 1)
- Samarasave Jeevana - Samudrayana Mattu Nirvahana (vol 2)
Poetry collections[edit]
- Urnanaabha
- Abyudaya
- Baaladeguladalli
- Dhyava Pruthvi (Kannada Saahithya Academy Award)
- Samudra Geethegalu
- English words
Other[edit]
- Sahitya Vimarsheya Kelavu Tatvagalu
- Nanna Jeevana Drishti
- Jeevana Paatagalu
- Kala Siddhantha
- India & World Culture
- Gokak Kruthi Chintana
- Dyava Pruthivi
Translations[edit]
- Voices of the Himalaya: translated by the authors, Kamala Ratnam, V.K. Gokak and others. (Bombay: Asia Publishing House, 1966. vi, 70 p. Poems by celebrated poetRamdhari Singh 'Dinkar'
1991:
Subhash Mukhopadhyay (poet)
| Subhash Mukhopadhyay | |
|---|---|
Subhash Mukhopadhyay
| |
| Born | 12 February 1919 Krishnanagar, West Bengal,British India |
| Died | 8 July 2003 (aged 84) |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Genre | novels, poetry, libretto |
Early life[edit]
Mukhopadhyay was born in 1919 in Krishnanagar, a town in Nadia district in the province of West Bengal.[3][4] An excellent student, he studied philosophy at the Scottish Church College in Calcutta, graduating with honours in 1941.[5]
Career[edit]
Like his contemporary Sukanta Bhattacharya, Mukhopadhyay developed strong political beliefs at an early age. He was deeply committed to the cause of social justice, and was active in left-wing student politics through his college years. Following graduation, he formally joined the Communist Party of India. He thus became one of a handful of literary practitioners with first-hand experience as a party worker and activist.
In 1940, while still a student, he published his first volume of poetry Padatik (The Foot-Soldier).[4] Many critics regard this book as a milestone in the development of modern Bengali poetry. It represented a clear departure from the earlier Kallol generation of poets; and Subhash's distinctive, direct voice, allied with his technical skill and radical world-view, gained him great popularity. In his poetry, Subhash grappled with the massive upheavals of that era which ruptured Bengali society from top to bottom. The 1940s were marked by world war, famine, partition, communal riots and mass emigration in Bengal. Subhash's writings broke away from the traditional moorings of the establishment poets, and instead addressed the despair and disillusion felt by the common people. He remained throughout his life an advocate of the indivisibility of the Bengali people and Bengali culture. His radical activism continued unabated. He was one of the leaders of the "Anti-Fascist Writers' and Artists' Association", formed in March 1942 in reaction to the murder of Somen Chanda, a fellow-writer and Marxist activist. Subhash remained attached with the Communist Party until 1982, and spent time in jail as a political prisoner briefly in the late 1960s. From the late 1950s onwards, Subhash's poetry evolved into something more personal and introspective. The lyricism of Phul phutuk na phutuk, aaj Boshonto, one of his most famous poems, was a result of this period.
Later in the 1970s, Subhash's poetry took a turn toward the narrative and the allegorical. But he never lost his technical facility nor his unique voice. Besides verse, Subhash also wrote works of prose including novels, essays and travelogues. He was active in journalism too, having served on the editorial staff of daily and weekly newspapers. He was an editor of the leading Bengali literary journal Parichay. He was also an accomplished and popular writer for children. He edited the Bengali children's periodical Sandesh jointly withSatyajit Ray for a few years in the early sixties.[6]
Personal life[edit]
Mukhopadhyay married Gita Bandyopadhyay, also a well-known writer, in 1951. They adopted three daughters.
According to those close to him, Mukhopadhyay had become disillusioned with politics in his final years. He suffered from severe heart and kidney ailments, and died in Kolkata in July 2003. He was 84.
Awards[edit]
Mukhopadhyay received numerous awards and honours in his lifetime, including the two highest literary prizes in India: the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1964 (for Joto Dureii Jai), and the Jnanpith Award in 1991. The Government of India awarded the civilian honour of the Padma Bhushan in 2003.[7]
Bibliography[edit]
Sample work[edit]
- Excerpt from Phul phutuk na phutuk, aaj Boshonto
| “ | Phul phutuk na phutuk, aaj Boshonto
Shaan-badhano footpath-ey
Pathorey paa dubiye Ek katth-khotta gachh Kochi kochi patae Paanjor phatiye hashchhey. | ” |
Translation to English:
| “ | Whether flowers bloom or not, it's Spring today
Standing on the concrete pavement
Dipping his toes into the rock A curmudgeonly tree Decked out in new leaves Laughs his heart out. | ” |
- English translation of the poem Jol Saite [8]
| “ |
When you see, may you not feel hurt,
May your sight be soothed and you feel good, For that I have stuck flowers in all the thorns pricked in my breast, Do smile. May you not feel sad when you hear, May your ears be soothed with sweet sound and you feel good, For that I have wrapped my weeping heart in melodious tunes Do smile, all ye, do enjoy... | ” |
Notable works[edit]
- Padatik (The Foot Soldier)
- Chirkut (The Parchment)
- Agnikone
- Phul Phutuk (Let the Flowers Bloom)
- Joto Dureii Jai (How Distant I may be)
- E Bhai (Hey, Brother)
- Kaal Modhumash (Tomorrow is Spring)
- Cheley Gechhey Boney (The Son has gone to Exile)
- Bangalir Itihaash (History of Bengalis)
- Desh Bidesher Rupkotha (Fairy Tales from Home and Abroad)
Recognition[edit]
- Sahitya Akademi Award, 1964
- Afro-Asian Lotus Prize, 1977
- Kumaran Asan Award, 1982
- Mirzo Tursunzoda Prize (USSR), 1982
- Ananda Puraskar, 1991
- Soviet Land Nehru Award
- Jnanpith Award, 1991.
He was a fellow of the Sahitya Akademi, and was the Deputy Secretary of the Progressive Writers' Union. He was conferred Deshikottama (Honorary D.Litt.) by the Visva-Bharati University, Santiniketan. He was the Organizer-General of the Afro-Asian Writers' Association in 1983. He was also a member of the Executive Board of the Sahitya Akademi since 1987.
The U.S. Library of Congress has a collection of forty titles by him including translations.
Legacy[edit]
- In 2010 a metro railways station in Kolkata Kavi Subhash Metro Station has been named after poet.[9]
- In 2009 Sealdah-NJP Express was named "Padatik Express" after this book in memory of the poet.[10]
1992:
Naresh Mehta
| Naresh Mehta | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 15, 1922 Shajapur, British India |
| Died | November 22, 2000(aged 78) |
| Occupation | Author, Poet |
| Language | Khariboli Hindi |
| Nationality | British Indian, Republic of India |
| Notable works | |
| Notable awards | Sahitya Akademi Award 1988 Jnanpith Award 1992 |
DjNaresh Mehta was a Hindi writer. There are over 50 published works in his name, ranging from poetry to plays. He received several literary awards, most notably the Sahitya Akademi Award in Hindi in 1988 for his poetry collection Aranya and the Jnanpith Award in 1992.
Among the numerous schools of poetry which sprang up in the 1950s was Nakenwad, a school deriving its nomenclature from the first letters of the names of its three pioneers - Nalin Vilochan Sharma, Kesari Kumar, and Naresh Mehta.[1]
1993:
Sitakant Mahapatra
| Sitakant Mahapatra | |
|---|---|
Sri Mohapatra in 2015
| |
| Born | 17 September 1937 Mahanga, Cuttack, Odisha |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | poet, literary critic, bureaucrat |
| Notable work | Sabdar Akash (The Sky of Words) (1971) Samudra (1977) |
Sitakant Mahapatra (born 17 September 1937) is a notable Indian poet [1]and literary critic in Odia as well as English.[2][3] He has also been in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) since 1961 until retiring in 1995, and has since held ex officio posts such as the Chairman of National Book Trust, New Delhi.
He has published over 15 poetry collection, 5 essay collections, a travelogue, over 30 contemplative works, apart from numerous translations. His poetry collection have been published in several Indian languages. His notable works are, Sabdar Akash (1971) (The Sky of Words), Samudra (1977) and Anek Sharat (1981).[4][5][6]
He was awarded the 1974 Sahitya Akademi Award in Odia for his poetry collection, Sabdar Akash (The Sky of Words).[7] He was awarded the Jnanpith Award in 1993 "for outstanding contribution to Indian literature" and in its citation the Bharatiya Jnanpith noted, "Deeply steeped in western literature his pen has the rare rapturous fragrance of native soil"; he was also awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2002 and Padma Vibhushan in 2011[8] for literature apart from winning the Soviet Land Nehru Award, Kabeer Samman and several other prestigious awards.[4]
Early life and education[edit]
Born in 1937 in village Mahanga, situated on the banks of Chitrotpala, a tributary of the great Mahanadi,[9] Sitakant Mahapatra grew up reciting a chapter of Odia version ofBhagwad Gita in a traditional household. After his schooling from Korua government high school, he chose to join Ravenshaw College, Cuttack (then affiliated with Utkal University), where he did his B.A. in History Honours 1957, this was followed by master's degree in Political Science from Allahabad University in 1959. During that time, he was the editor of the university journal. It was here that he started writing both in English and Odia, though later he decided to write poetry solely in his native, Odia realising that "a poet can express himself only in the language in which he dreams", his scholastic works however are in English.[6][10]
In 1969, he did a Dip. Overseas Development Studies at Cambridge University, under the Colombo Plan Fellowship.[6][11]
Subsequently, in 1988 he spent a year in Harvard University as a participant in the Ford Foundation fellowship programme.
Career[edit]
He took to teaching for two years at Post-Graduate Department of Utkal University, before taking the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) examination.
He joined the IAS in 1961 as the first Odia to top the statewide examination, and went on to hold several key post, including Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Government of India, and President, UNESCO's World Decade for Cultural Development (1994–1996). . He has held many other ex officio positions including those of Senior Fellow of Harvard University; Honorary Fellow of International Academy of Poets, Cambridge University, and Chairman of the National Book Trust, New Delhi.[10] He is the recipient of many awards including the Orissa Sahitya Academy Award, 1971 and 1984; Sahitya Akademi Award, 1974; Sarala Award, 1985; culminating in India's highest literary honour the Jnanpith Award in 1993.
His first collection of poetry in Odia, Dipti O Dyuti was published in 1963, his second anthology, Ashtapadi came out in 1967, and won him the Odisha Sahitya Academy award, while his third and most celebrated anthology, Sara Akash (1971), got him the Sahitya Akademi Award, given by Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters.[9] Since then he has published over 350 poems in Odia and about 30 publications in English on literary criticism and culture. He spent two years studying tribals of Eastern India on aHomi Bhabha Fellowship (1975–1977).[12] He has also two books on social anthropology published by the Oxford University Press, these books deal with the ambivalent relationship between the old ritual based society and state-sponsored development, and explores the reason behind developmental programmes failing in tribal areas despite state efforts. Close ties with the tribals, and his fluency with the Santal tribal culture and the Santali language has led to the publication of nine anthologies of oral poetry of the tribals, which he not only collected, but also translated.[6]
Among notable works are: Ashtapadi, 1963, Shabdara akasha, 1971, Ara drushya, 1981, Shrestha kavita, 1994, (all poetry); Sabda, Svapna O nirvikata, 1990 (essays), Aneka sarata, 1981 (travelogue); Ushavilasa, 1996 (palm leaf manuscript); In English: The ruined Temple and other poems, 1996 (poetry, translation); and Unending Rhythms (Oral poetry of Indian Tribals in translation).
Awards and recognition[edit]
He is the recipient of many awards including the Orissa Sahitya Academy Award, 1971 and 1984; the Sahitya Akademi Award, 1974; Sarala Award, 1985; culminating in India's highest literary honour the Jnanpith Award in 1993. In 2002, he was honoured by the Government of India with a Padma Bhushan. In 2011, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award of India. Recently got Lifetime achievement award for literature at the 49th SAARC Literature festival held at Agra.
Bibliography[edit]
- Quiet violence. Writers Workshop, Kolkatta 1970. ISBN 0-89253-605-5.
- The Empty distance carries ...: Oraon & Mundari tribal songs transcreated, with an introduction by Edward Tuite Dalton. Writers Workshop, Kolkatta 1972.
- The other silence'. Writers Workshop, Kolkatta 1973.
- The Wooden sword. Utkal Sahitya Bikash, 1973.
- Old man in summer and other poems. United Writers, 1975.
- Staying is nowhere: an anthology of Kondh and Paraja poetry. Ind-U. S. Incorporated, 1976.
- The Curve of meaning: studies in Oriya literature. Image Publications, 1978.
- Barefoot into reality. United Writers, 1978.
- Forgive the words: the poetry in the life of the Kondhs in Orissa. United Writers, 1978.
- Bākhen: ritual invocation songs of a primitive community. Prachi Prakashan, 1979.
- The jester and other poems. Writers Workshop, Kolkatta 1979.
- Gestures of intimacy. United Writers, 1979.
- The song of Kubja and other poems. Samkaleen Prakashan, 1980.
- Men, patterns of dust. Bookland International, 1981.
- Bhima Bhoi (Makers of Indian literature). Sahitya Akademi, 1983.
- Primitive poetry as love and prayer. Prasārānga, University of Mysore, 1983.
- The Awakened wind: the oral poetry of the Indian tribes. Vikas, 1983. ISBN 0-7069-2153-4.
- An anthology of modern Oriya poetry. Vikas Publishing House, 1984. ISBN 978-0-7069-2583-8.
- Selected poems. Prachi Prakashan, 1986.
- Modernization and ritual: identity and change in Santal society. Oxford University Press, 1986.
- Tradition and the modern artist. Sterling Publishers, 1987.
- Jagannatha Das (Makers of Indian literature). Sahitya Akademi, 1989.
- Tribal wall paintings of Orissa. Orissa Lalit Kala Akademi, 1991.
- Death of Krishna and other poems. Rupa & Co., 1992. ISBN 8171670741.
- Reaching the other shore: the world of Gopinath Mohanty's fiction. B.R. Pub. Corp., 1992. ISBN 81-7018-746-X.
- Unending rhythms: oral poetry of the Indian tribes. Inter-India Publications, 1992. ISBN 812100277X.
- The Realm of the sacred: verbal symbolism and ritual structures. Oxford University Press, 1992.
- The Tangled web: tribal life and culture of Orissa. Orissa Sahitya Academy, 1993.
- Discovering the inscape: essays in literature. B.R. Pub. Corp., 1993. ISBN 81-7018-768-0.
- Beyond the word: the multiple gestures of tradition. Motilal Banarsidass Publ., 1993. ISBN 81-208-1108-9.
- The Ruined temple and other poems. HarperCollins Publishers India, 1996. ISBN 81-7223-222-5.
- The Sky of words and other poems. Sahitya Akademi, 1996. ISBN 81-7201-816-9.
- The role of tradition in literature. Vikas Pub. House, 1997. ISBN 8125902465.
- A child even in arms of stone. Sahitya Akademi, 2000. ISBN 81-260-0769-9.
- Beyond narcissism and other essays. UBS Publishers', 2001. ISBN 8174763643.
- Let Your Journey be Long. Rupa and Co., 2001. ISBN 81-7167-520-4.
- They sing life: anthology of oral poetry of the primitive tribes of India. UNESCO. Inter-India Publications, 2002. ISBN 81-210-0407-1.
- The alphabet of birds: hymns for the lord of the blue mountain. National Book Trust, 2003. ISBN 81-237-4098-0.
- Anek sharat: (travelogue). Bhartiya Jnanpith, 2003. ISBN 8126309431.
- A screen from sadness. Current Books, 2004. ISBN 812401390X.
- The rainbow of rhythms: folk art tradition of Orissa. Prafulla, 2005. ISBN 81-901589-8-8.
- Ethnicity and the state: Raghunath Murmu and emergence of Jharkhand. UBS Publishers', 2008. ISBN 8174766138.
- Memories Of Time : Selected Poems. Pratiksha Publishers', 2011.
1994:
U. R. Ananthamurthy
| U. R. Ananthamurthy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 21 December 1932 Melige, Tirthahalli taluk,Shimoga District, Kingdom of Mysore, British India |
| Died | 22 August 2014 (aged 81) Bangalore, Karnataka, India |
| Occupation | Professor, writer |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Genre | Fiction, literary criticism |
| Literary movement | Navya |
Early life[edit]
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Ananthamurthy was born in Melige, in Tirthahalli taluk in the Shimoga District. His education started in a traditional Sanskrit school in Doorvasapura and continued in Tirthahalli and Mysore. After receiving a Master of Arts degree from the University of Mysore, U. R. Ananthamurthy taught in the English department at University of Mysore (pictured) for a while before embarking to England for further studies on a Commonwealth Scholarship. He earned his doctorate from the University of Birmingham in 1966 for his dissertation thesis entitled "Politics and Fiction in the 1930s".[7][8]
Career[edit]
Ananthamurthy started his career as a professor and instructor in 1970 in English department of University of Mysore. He was the Vice-Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University inKottayam, Kerala from 1987 to 1991.[9] He served as the Chairman of National Book TrustIndia for the year 1992. In 1993 he was elected as the president of Sahitya Academy. He served as a visiting professor in many renowned Indian and foreign universities includingJawaharlal Nehru University, Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, University of Iowa, Tufts University and Shivaji University.[1]Ananthamurthy served twice as the chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India.[10] In 2012 he was appointed the first Chancellor of Central University of Karnataka.[10]
Ananthamurthy has participated and delivered lectures in numerous seminars as writer and orator both in and outside the country. He was the member of the committee of Indian writers and visited countries like the Soviet Union, Hungary, France and West Germany in 1990. He visited Moscow in 1989 as board member for a Soviet newspaper. Ananthamurthy was the leader for the committee of writers who visited China in 1993.
Literary works[edit]
Ananthamurthy's works have been translated into several Indian and European languages and have been awarded with important literary prizes.[1] His main works include Samskara, Bhava, Bharathi Pura, and Avasthe. He has written numerous short stories as well. Several of his novels and short fictions have been made into movies.
Most of Ananthamurthy's literary works deal with psychological aspects of people in different situations, times and circumstances. His writings supposedly analyse aspects ranging from challenges and changes faced by Brahmin families of Karnataka to bureaucratsdealing with politics influencing their work.
Most of his novels are on reaction of individuals to situations that are unusual and artificial. Results of influences of socio-political and economic changes on traditional Hindu societies of India and clashes due to such influences – between a father and a son, husband and wife, father and daughter and finally, the fine love that flows beneath all such clashes are portrayed by Ananthamurthy in his works. This is evident in his stories like Sooryana Kudure (The Grasshopper), Mowni (Silent Man), Karthika' etc. It does not mean that Ananthamurthy is just clinging to portraying only such somewhat standard subjects of Indian literature of his period. His novelette"Bara" (Drought) portrays the dynamics of a drought-stricken district of Karnataka and the challenges and dilemmas a bureaucrat may face in such situations.
The central figure of the novel Sooryana Kudure – Venkata is shunned by his son and wife for his easy-going attitude that does not take him anywhere. Venkata is a non-achiever who could not achieve any material or monetary success in his life. However, he is a simpleton who does not take life's suffering to his heart too much. He likes to see life as living in the love of Amma (or mother-goddess). In all sufferings of life, he has the child-like curiosity about the smallest things in life – like a grasshopper (Sooryana Kudure). The evening after his son revolts and leaves the house, he would be engrossed in a sight in his yard – a grasshopper shining in the sun's light.
Personal life[edit]
U. R. Ananthamurthy met his future wife Esther in 1954 and they were married in 1956. They had two children, Sharat and Anuradha. He resided in Bangalore for most of his later life.
Political career[edit]
U. R. Ananthamurthy made an unsuccessful run for the Lok Sabha in 2004 in which he stated that his prime ideological objective in opting to contest the elections was to fight theBharatiya Janata Party (BJP).[11]
A Janata Dal (Secular) leader and former Prime Minister of India H. D. Deve Gowda had made an offer for Murthy to contest for his party. However, after the Janata Dal (Secular) worked a power sharing agreement with the BJP, Murthy said:
| “ | I will never forgive my friends in the Janata Dal (Secular) for joining hands with the BJP.[12] | ” |
Ananthamurthy also contested for the Rajya Sabha elections from state assembly in 2006.[13]
The idea proposed by Ananthamurthy to rename ten cities in Karnataka including Bengaluru from their colonial forms to actual native forms was accepted by the Government of Karnataka and the cities were renamed on the occasion of the golden jubilee celebrations of the formation of Karnataka.[14]
Controversies[edit]
In June 2007 Ananthamurthy declared that he would not take part in literary functions in future in the wake of strong criticism for his reaction on S.L. Bhyrappa's controversial novel Aavarana that appeared in a section of the media.[15] However Murthy's comment that Bhyrappa "does not know how to write novels" was criticized by some section of the media.
In 2013, Murthy's statement that there is a reference in the Mahabharata to Brahmins consuming beef drew flak from Hindu religious leaders. Vishwesha Teertha Swami of Pejawar Math commented that there was no reference to Brahmins consuming beef in the conversation between Bhishma and Yudhishtira or anywhere else in the Mahabharata and Murthy's statement came as a surprise to him.[16]
A vocal critic of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Bharatiya Janata Party/Jan Sangh for over 50 years, Murthy said in 2013 that he would not live in the country ruled by BJP leader Narendra Modi.[14] He later clarified that those remarks were made when he was "overcome by emotion" and said that he had no such plan, though he continued to oppose BJP.[17] Murthy was given special police protection after he began receiving threatening phone calls.[18] Later when Modi became the Prime Minister he was given a free ticket to Pakistan by a group of Modi supporters called "NaMo Brigade".[19] After Murthy's death was announced on 22 August 2014, several BJP and Hindu Jagarana Vedike were booked for celebrating his death by bursting crackers at four places in Mangalore and one spot in Chikmangalur.[20] He took leading role in changing city names from Bangalore to Bengaluru and Mysore to Mysuru.
Awards[edit]
- 1984: Rajyothsava Award
- 1994: Jnanpith Award[2]
- 1998: Padma Bhushan[4]
- 2004: Sahitya Akademi Fellowship[21]
- 2008: Nadoja Award by Kannada University[22]
- 2011: Shortlisted for The Hindu Literary Prize (Bharathipura)[23]
- 2012 D. Litt. Honoris Causa of the University of Calcutta[24]
- 2013: Nominated, Man Booker International Prize[5]
Karnataka State Film Awards
- 1970-71 - Best Story Writer – Samskara (1970)
- 1977-78 - Best Story Writer – Ghatashraddha (1977)
- 1987-88 - Best Dialogue Writer – Avasthe (1987)
- 2002-03 - Best Story Writer – Mouni (2003)
Death[edit]
Ananthamurthy died of cardiac arrest on 22 August 2014 at Manipal Hospital, in Bangalore, India, aged 81.[25] He had been suffering from kidney related disease for some years, and was undergoing dialysis treatment with diabetes and heart problem. He was admitted to Manipal Hospital on 13 August with an infection and fever, and underwent treatment on a multi-support system.[26]
Several luminaries including the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, paid their condolences to Ananathamurthy's death.[27][28]
Bibliography[edit]
Short story collections[edit]
- Endendhigu Mugiyada Kathe
- Mouni
- Prashne
- Pacche Resort
- Aakaasha mattu Bekku
- Eradu dashakada kategalu
- Aidu dashakada kategalu
Novels[edit]
- Samskara (ಸಂಸ್ಕಾರ)
- Bharathipura (ಭಾರತೀಪುರ)
- Avasthe
- Bhava (ಭವ)
- Divya (ದಿವ್ಯ)
Plays[edit]
- Avahane
Collection of poems[edit]
- 15 Padyagalu
- Mithuna
- Ajjana hegala sukkugalu
Literary criticism and essays[edit]
- Prajne mathu Parisara
- Sannivesha
- Sanamkshama
- Poorvapara
- Yugapallata
- Valmikiya Nevadalli
- Maatu Sotha Bharatha
- Sadya Mattu Shashvata
Autobiography[edit]
- Suragi
Journalism[edit]
- Editor – Rujuvathu,(ರುಜುವಾತು),
1995:
M. T. Vasudevan Nair
| M. T. Vasudevan Nair | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 9 August 1933 [1] Kudallur, Ponnani Taluk,Malabar District, Madras Presidency, British India |
| Occupation | Novelist, short story writer,screenplay writer, film director |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | Victoria College, Palakkad |
| Genre | Novel, short story, children's literature, travelogue, essays |
| Subject | Social aspects, Oriented on the basic Kerala family and cultures |
| Literary movement | Realism |
| Notable works | Naalukettu, Randamoozham,Manju, Kaalam, Asuravithu, "Iruttinte Athmavu" |
| Notable awards | Padma Bhushan, Jnanpith,Sahitya Akademi Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award |
| Spouse |
|
| Signature |  |
Madathil Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair (born 9 August 1933), popularly known as MT, is an Indian author, screenplay writer and film director.[2] He is a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and is one of the masters of post-Independence Indian literature.[3][4] He was born in Kudallur, a small village in the present day Palakkad district (Palghat), which was under theMalabar District in the Madras Presidency of the British Raj. He shot into fame at the age of 20 when, as a chemistry undergraduate, he won the prize for the best short story in Malayalam at World Short Story Competition conducted by The New York Herald Tribune. His debut novel Naalukettu (Ancestral Home- translated to English as The Legacy), wrote at the age of 23, won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1958. His other novels include Manju (Mist), Kaalam (Time), Asuravithu (The Prodigal Son - translated to English as The Demon Seed) and Randamoozham (The Second Turn). The deep emotional experiences of his early days have gone into the making of MT's novels. Most of his works are oriented towards the basic Malayalam family structure and culture and many of them were path-breaking in the history of Malayalam literature. His three seminal novels on life in the matriarchal family in Kerala areNaalukettu, Asuravithu, and Kaalam. Randamoozham, which retells the story of the Mahabharatha from the point of view ofBhimasena, is widely credited as his masterpiece.
M. T. Vasudevan Nair is a script writer and director of Malayalam films. He has directed seven films and written the screenplay for around 54 films. He won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay four times for: Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989), Kadavu(1991), Sadayam (1992), and Parinayam (1994), which is the most by anyone in the screenplay category. He was awarded the highest literary award in India, Jnanpith, in 1995 for his overall contribution to Malayalam literature. In 2005, India's third highest civilian honour Padma Bhushan was awarded to him.[5] He has won numerous other awards and recognition including Sahitya Akademi Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award, Vayalar Award, Vallathol Award, Ezhuthachan Award and Mathrubhumi Literary Award. He was awarded the J.C. Daniel Award for lifetime achievement in Malayalam cinema for the year 2013. He served as the editor of Mathrubhumi Illustrated Weekly for several years.
Early life and family[edit]
Vasudevan was born on 9 August 1933 in Kudallur in the present day Palakkad district.[6] He was the youngest of four children born to T. Narayanan Nair and Ammalu Amma.[1]His father was in Ceylon and he spent his early days in Kudallur and in his father's house in Punnayurkulam, a village in the present day Thrissur district.[1] He completed his schooling from Malamakkavu Elementary School and Kumaranelloor High School. He had to break education after high school, and when he joined college in 1949, he was advised to opt for the science stream as it was felt that a degree in science secured a job faster than any other degree.[7] He obtained a degree in chemistry from Victoria College, Palakkad in 1953.[7] He taught mathematics in Pattambi Board High School and Chavakkad Board High School for over a year and worked in M.B. Tutorial College, Palakkad during 1955-56.[8] He also worked as a gramasevakan at a block development office in Taliparamba, Kannur for a few weeks before joining Mathrubhumi Weekly as subeditor in 1957.[7]
MT has been married twice. He married writer and translator Prameela in 1965. They separated after 11 years of marriage.[8] In 1977 he married dance artist Kalamandalam Saraswathy[9] with whom he has a daughter, dancer Aswathy Nair.[10] He has a daughter from his first marriage, Sitara, who works as a business executive in the United States.[8]
Literary career[edit]
Short stories[edit]
MT began writing at a very young age, inspired by his elder brothers who wrote time and again in several literary journals and poetAkkitham Achuthan Namboothiri who was his senior at high school.[8] He initially wrote poems but soon changed to prose writing.[8] His first published work was an essay on the diamond industry of ancient India, titled "Pracheenabharathathile Vaira Vyavasayam", which appeared in Keralakshemam, a biweekly published by C. G. Nair from Guruvayoor. His first story "Vishuvaghosham" was published inMadras-based Chitrakeralam magazine in 1948. The story which explores the feelings of a boy too poor to have crackers of his own, as he stands listening to the sounds of crackers coming from the houses of the rich celebrating the new year festival of Vishu: an overwhelming sense of loss, the painful realization that this is the way things are and the way they’re likely to stay.[11] His first book,Raktham Puranda Manaltharikal was published in 1952.[1]
MT’s first literary prize came to him while he was a student at Victoria College, Palakkad - his short story "Valarthumrigangal" (Pet Animals) won first prize in the World Short Story Competition conducted by The New York Herald Tribune, Hindustan Times and Mathrubhumi in 1954.[7] It was a short story delineating the pathetic plight of the artists in circus. The numerous stories which followed dealt with themes culled from widely different milieus and contexts but were uniformly successful and popular.
The noted collections of his stories are Iruttinte Athmavu, Olavum Theeravum, Bandhanam, Varikkuzhi, Dare-e-Salam, Swargam Thurakkunna Samayam, Vaanaprastham andSherlock.[12] "Iruttinte Athmavu" ("Creature of Darkness"), one of the most celebrated among his short stories, is the heart wrenching story of a 21-year-old man, regarded as a lunatic by everyone and treated abominably. The story reveals the insanity behind the civilised and supposedly sane world.
M. T. Vasudevan Nair, along with T. Padmanabhan, serve as bridges between the early modern short story writers in Malayalam, of the so-called renaissance, and the new short story of the late fifties and sixties.[13]
Naalukettu and Asuravithu[edit]
Main articles: Naalukettu (novel) and Asuravithu (novel)
MT's debut novel Pathiravum Pakalvelichavum (Midnight and Daylight) was serialised in Mathrubhumi Weekly in 1957.[1] His first major work Naalukettu (The Legacy; 1958) is a veritable depiction of the situation which prevailed in a typical joint family when its fortunes is on a steady decline. The title attributes to Nālukettu, a traditional ancestral home (Taravad) of a Nair joint family. The novel remains a classic in Malayalam fiction. It contributed to the renewal of a literary tradition initiated by S. K. Pottekkatt, Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, Vaikkom Muhammad Basheer and Uroob in the 1950s.[14] It was given the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1959. It has had 23 reprints and was translated into 14 languages and had a record sale of a half a million copies (as of 2008) and still features in the best-seller lists.[15][16] MT himself adapted the novel into a television film forDoordarshan in 1995. It won the Kerala State Television Award for the year 1996.[17]
Asuravithu (The Demon Seed; 1972) which is set in a fictional Valluvanadan village named Kizhakkemuri can be considered almost as a sequel to Naalukettu. It has the same geophysical and socio-cultural setting. The novel describes the plight of the protagonist Govindankutty, the youngest son of a proud Nair tharavadu, as he is trapped between the social scenario, social injustice and his own inner consciousness. In Asuravithu there are clear indications of the damaging impact of an alien culture in the pollution of the indigenous culture and the disintegration of the family and the community. These two early novels—Naalukettu and Asuravithu—depict a phase in which the economic and cultural scenario of Kerala manifested symptoms which were to develop into dangerous ecocidal tendencies at a later stage.
Manju and Kaalam[edit]
Main articles: Manju (novel) and Kaalam
His later novels, such as Manju (Mist; 1964) and Kaalam (Time; 1969), are characterised by profuse lyricism which cannot to be found in Naalukettu or Asuravithu. The eco-feminist theme of patriarchal domination and exploitation gains more prominence in Manju, MT's only novel with a female protagonist (Vimala). Set in the splendid landscape ofNainital, it stands apart as set in a milieu different from the usual one, the Valluvanadan village. The plot of the novel is allegedly similar to a Hindi story Parinde (Birds, 1956), byNirmal Verma. However both MT and Verma have rejected these claims.[18]
In the novel Kaalam, MT returns to his favourite milieu, the dilapidated joint-family Nair tarwad set against the wider backdrop of the Valluvanadan village in the backdrop of the crumbling matrilineal order of Kerala in a newly independent India. Sethu, the protagonsit, is toppled over by the eddies of social, cultural and economic transformation. Kaalam, though not strictly autobiographical, has a strong autobiographical element in it. Manju had a film adaptation in 1983, written and directed by MT himself.[19] The novel also had aHindi-language film adaptation titled Sarath Sandhya.
Randamoozham[edit]
Main article: Randamoozham
Randamoozham (The Second Turn; 1984), widely regarded as the author's masterpiece, retells the story of the Mahabharatha from the point of view of Bhimasena, supposed to be the son of Vayu; this is demystified or demythified in the novel. In this novel, Bhima gains, through the author's ironic undertones, a new psychological depth. "I have not changed the framework of the story by the first Vyasa, Krishna-Dwaipayana. I have read between his lines and expanded on his pregnant silences," says the author.[2]
Varanasi[edit]
MT's latest novel is Varanasi (2002) which is an emotional journey to Varanasi, a pilgrim centre in North India. Varanasi opens with Professor Srinivasan’s letter to Sudhakaran, the protagonist, referring to his unfinished thesis among his old books. The professor invites him to his home in Varanasi. Sudharkaran, in his sixties, and recovering from a prostrate procedure, decides to take the professor by surprise. He realises on arrival that the professor has recently died. The story evolves with a series of reminiscences, like a REM stream, in time transitions. The narration involves the third, first, and second person. In the train to Varanasi, Sudhakaran fishes out the book Kashi: The Eternal City bySumita Nagpal, in which he is also acknowledged. By the time Sudhakaran finishes the book, he has traversed his life, his women, seen the demise of his well-wishers, moved through Varanasi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Paris, and Madras. He sees no need to complete his thesis — 'about the possibilities of Caliban' as once suggested by his professor for a scholarship at the university — and lets it go into the Ganga. He does the professor’s last rites as also his own Atma Pindom (One's own funeral rites in anticipation of death). At the Dashashwamedh Ghat, Sumita, now an elderly woman, merely passes him by, not even recognising him.[20] With no intricate plot, the novel is an experiment. It was well received in the literary circles but received criticism from critic and painter M. V. Devan.[21]
Other works[edit]
MT wrote the novel Arabipponnu (The Gold of Arabia) along with N. P. Mohammed. MT and Mohamed stayed in a rented house in Karuvarakkundu village, Kozhikode for a period of two weeks to complete this work.
MT has authored two books on the craft of writing—Kaathikante Panippura and Kaathikante Kala—and his anecdotal columns articles on various topics and speeches on different occasions have been compiled under the titles Kilivaathililude, Kannanthalippookkalude Kaalam, Vakkukalude Vismayam and Eekakikalude Sabdam. Manushyar Nizhalukal andAalkkoottathil Thaniye are his travelogues.
He occupied and continues to occupy many important and powerful positions in various literary bodies including the presidency of Kerala Sahitya Akademi and the chairmanship of Tunchan Memorial Trust. He was an Executive Member of the Kendra Sahitya Akademi. The Library of Congress has in its collection sixty-two books, mostly by MT and some on him. Also, some of them are translations of his works into English. MT joined the Mathrubhumi Group of Publications in 1956. When he retired from there in 1998, he was their editor of periodicals and Chief Editor of Mathrubhumi Illustrated Weekly. On 2 June 1996, he was bestowed with honorary D.Lit degree by the Calicut University.
Film career[edit]
M. T. Vasudevan Nair is one of the most distinguished and well accepted script writers and directors in Malayalam cinema.[22] He has directed seven films and written the screenplay for around 54 films. He won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay four times for: Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (1989), Kadavu (1991), Sadayam (1992), and Parinayam (1994), which is the most by anyone in the screenplay category.[3]
MT was the first and foremost script writer in Malayalam who wrote screenplays after having learnt cinema as a distinctive visual art which has its own language, grammar and structure.[22] It was only after he began writing screenplays the Malayali viewers began to consider film script as a distinctive genre which has its own genuine features. Also it was M.T who elevated this medium of writing as a literary from.[22]
MT's screenplays have won social attention for the portrayal of the social and cultural crisis in the contemporary life of Kerala. The disintegration of human values and relationship which creates identity crisis, sense of loss, dehumanisation, alienation from one's own surroundings etc. have been presented in its depth by MT more than any other writers. The best examples are Kanyakumari, Varikkuzhi,Vilkkanundu Swapnangal, Edavazhiyile Poocha Mindappoocha, Akshrangal, Aalkkoottathil Thaniye, Aaroodam etc.[22] A salient aspect of MT's screenplays is the effective presentation of the ecological or geographical factors and elements making use of the visual possibilities of their portrayal.[22] Another unique feature is the language employed in them. Some of his screenplays are known for giving new interpretations to historical characters and historical stories. For instance, he gives the legends woven around the popular story of Perumthachan a new interpretation in his screenplay, based on his own assessment of Perumthachan's character.[23] According to the folklore Vadakkanpattu (Northern Ballads), Chandu is said to have betrayed his cousin because he was jealous of Aaromal's popularity and abilities. But MT's Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha presents an alternative version of the same legend, as it presents the incident from Chandu's perspective, suggesting that grave injustice has been done to Chandu by wrongly accusing him of replacing the rivets.[22]
In 1973, M. T. Vasudevan Nair made his directorial debut with Nirmalyam which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film.[24] The film is about a village oracle whose services are no longer needed by the community and whose family begins to fall apart.[25] MT scripted and directed many more films including the award-winning Bandhanam,Kadavu and Oru Cheru Punchiri. Kadavu won awards at the Singapore International Film Festival and Tokyo International Film Festival.[3] His cinema work also includes three documentaries and one TV series. He has written songs for the 1981 film Valarthumrugangal which were set to tune by M. B. Sreenivasan.[26]
M. T. Vasudevan Nair was the chairman of Indian Panorama of the 46th National Film Awards (1998).[27] He has also been a member of Film Finance Corporation, National Film Development Corporation and Film Censoring Committee. He has also served as a faculty in the Film and Television Institute, Pune.
Literary style and themes[edit]
MT was born and brought up in a sylvan village on the banks of Nila. The writer has so often acknowledged his indebtedness to the ethos of his village and to Nila which has ever been the mainspring of his creative inspiration. Nila occurs and re-occurs in MT's fiction, as a presence and as a symbol, endorsing this view.[28][29] The staple locale of his fiction is the Valluvanadan village. The landscape and ethos of the Valluvanad region and the transformations undergone by them in the course of the century, involving relics of the tarawad and the communal tensions provide a challenging theme for the highly evocative style of Vasudevan Nair's narrative art. The temporal milieu of MT's fiction stretches over the second half of the twentieth century, a period of tremendous social, cultural and economic changes.[13][30]
It was in the sixties that MT rose to prominence as a writer. The phase of social realism had come to an end.[13] In his opinion, class-war the ideal which had inspired the writers belonging to the preceding generation had almost lost its relevance by the time he entered the literary career. The prominent Malayalam writers of the pre-independence phase—Thakazhi, Vallathol and Kesavadev—were all stimulated by the progressive leftist ideals. They focussed their attention on social conflict as the theme for their writings—Conflict between capital and labour, between the landlord and the tenant, between the oppressor and the oppressed. MT felt that this theme of conflict was an outdated phenomenon in the context of present Kerala. The protagonists of MT are men out of society and at war with themselves, a sharp contrast to the heroes of Kesavadev or Thakazhi who fight a losing war against the hostile forces in the society. MT, in spite of his broad and deep sympathy for the marginalized, doesn't identify himself with any particular political ideology or movement.[13]
Awards and honours[edit]
Honorary[edit]
- 1996: Honorary Doctorate by University of Calicut[31]
- 1996: Honorary Doctorate by Mahatma Gandhi University[32]
- 2005: Padma Bhushan[33]
- 2008: Honorary Doctorate by Netaji Subhas Open University[34]
Literary awards[edit]
- 1958: Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel – Naalukettu[35]
- 1970: Kendra Sahitya Academy Award – Kaalam[36]
- 1982: Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Drama – Gopura Nadayil[37]
- 1985: Vayalar Award for Randamoozham[38]
- 1986: Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story – Swargam Thurakkunna Samayam[39]
- 1993: Odakkuzhal Award - Vanaprastham[40]
- 1994: Muttathu Varkey Award[41]
- 1995: Jnanpith Award for his contributions to Malayalam literature[42]
- 1998: Padmarajan Award - Kaazhcha[43]
- 2001: Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam Sahithya Award[44]
- 2003: Lalithambika Antharjanam Smaraka Sahitya Award[45]
- 2005: Kerala Sahitya Akademi Fellowship[46]
- 2005: Vallathol Award[47]
- 2005: Mathrubhumi Literary Award[48]
- 2011: Ezhuthachan Award[49]
- 2011: T. K. Puraskaram[50]
- 2011: Suvarnamudra Award[51]
- 2011: Mayilpeeli Award[52]
- 2013: Sahitya Akademi Fellowship[53]
- 2013: Sree Chithira Thirunal Award[54]
- 2013: K. P. S. Menon Award[55]
- 2014: Suvarnamudra Award by Guruvayur Naadha Brahmolsavam[56]
- 2014: A. R. Raja Raja Varma Award[57]
- 2014: Kakkanadan Award[58]
- 2014: Balamani Amma Award[59]
- 2014: Tata-Landmark Literature Live! Lifetime Achievement Award[60][61]
- 2015: O.M.C. Narayanan Namboodiripad Memorial Devi Prasadam Trust’s Award for Literature[62]
- 2015: Thakazhi Award[63]
Film awards[edit]
- 1973: Best Film – Nirmalyam[64]
- 1989: Best Screenplay – Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha[65]
- 1991: Best Screenplay – Kadavu[66]
- 1991: Best Feature Film in Malayalam – Kadavu[66]
- 1992: Best Screenplay – Sadayam[67]
- 1994: Best Screenplay – Parinayam[68]
- 2000: Best Film on Environment Conservation/Preservation – Oru Cheru Punchiri[69]
- 1970: Best Screenplay – Olavum Theeravum[70]
- 1973: Best Film – Nirmalayam[70]
- 1973: Best Director – Nirmalayam[70]
- 1973: Best Screenplay – Nirmalayam[70]
- 1978: Best Film – Bandhanam[70]
- 1980: Best Story – Oppol[70]
- 1981: Best Screenplay – Thrishna, Valarthu Mrigangal[71]
- 1983: Best Story – Aaroodam[71]
- 1985: Best Story – Anubandham[71]
- 1986: Best Screenplay – Panchagni, Nakhakshathangal[71]
- 1987: Best Screenplay – Amrutham Gamaya[71]
- 1989: Best Screenplay – Oru Vadakkan Veeragadha[71]
- 1990: Best Screenplay – Perumthachan[71]
- 1991: Best Film – Kadavu[72]
- 1991: Best Director – Kadavu[72]
- 1991: Best Screenplay – Kadavu[72]
- 1994: Best Story – Sukrutham[72]
- 1994: Best Screenplay – Parinayam[72]
- 1998: Best Screenplay – Daya[72]
- 2000: Best Director – Oru Cheru Punchiri[73]
- 2009: Best Screenplay – Pazhassi Raja[74]
- Other film awards
- 1991: Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South[75]
- 1992: Singapore International Film Festival - Special Jury Award – Kadavu[76]
- 1992: Tokyo International Film Festival - Asia Future Prize – Kadavu[76]
- 1996: Kerala State Television Award – Naalukettu[77]
- 2003: Asianet Film Awards – Lifetime Achievement Award[78]
- 2013: J. C. Daniel Award by the Government of Kerala[79]
List of works[edit]
Novels[edit]
- Naalukettu (1958, The Legacy)
- Pathiravum Pakalvelichavum (1958, Midnight and Daylight)
- Arabipponnu (1960, The Gold of Arabia; written with N. P. Mohammed)
- Asuravithu (1962, The Demon Seed)
- Manju (1964, Mist)
- Kaalam (1969, Time)
- Vilapayathra (1978, The Funeral Procession)
- Randamoozham (1984, The Second Turn)
- Varanasi (2002)
Short story collections[edit]
- Raktham Puranda Mantharikal (1952, Blood-soaked Sand)
- Veyilum Nilavum (1954, Sunlight and Moonlight)
- Vedanayude Pookkal (1955, Flowers of Sorrow)
- Ninte Ormaykku (1956)
- Olavum Theeravum (1957, Ripple and Shore)
- Iruttinte Athmavu (1957, The Soul of the Darkness)
- Kuttyedathy (1959)
- Nashtappetta Dinangal (1960)
- Bandhanam (1963, The Binding)
- Kaliveedu (1966, Playhouse)
- Pathanam (1966, The Fall)
- Varikkuzhi (1967, The Trap)
- Dar-S-Salam (1972)
- Ajnjathante Uyaratha Smarakam (1973)
- Abhayam Thedi Veendum (1978)
- Swargam Thurakkunna Samayam (1980, When the Heaven's Gates Open)
- Vanaprastham (1992, Into the Forest)
- Sherlek (1997)
Children's literature[edit]
- Manikyakallu (1957)
- Daya Enna Penkutty (1987)
- Thanthrakkari (1999)
Essays[edit]
- Kilivaathililude (1992)
- Eekakikalude Sabdam (1994)
- Ramaneeyam Oru Kaalam (1998)
Memoirs[edit]
- Kannanthalippookkalude Kaalam
- Snehadarangalode (2003)
- Ammaykku (2005)
- Chithratheruvukal
Plays[edit]
- Gopuranadayil (1980)
- Parinayam[80]
Speeches[edit]
- Vakkukalude Vismayam (1999)
- Jalakangalum Kavadangalum (2011)
Studies[edit]
- Kaathikante Panippura (1963)
- Hemingway: Oru Mukhavura (1968)
- Kaathikante Kala (1984)
Translations[edit]
- Jeevithathinte Granthathil Ezhuthiyath (1984)
- Pakarppavakasha Niyamam (1988)
- Lokakatha (written with N. P. Mohammed)
Travelogues[edit]
- Aalkkoottathil Thaniye (1982)
- Manushyar Nizhalukal (1996)
- Vankadalile Thuzhavallakkar (1996)
Films[edit]
| Year | Film | Direction | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Kadhaveedu | Portmanteau film based on four stories written by himself, Vaikkom Muhammad Basheer and Madhavikutty | |
| 2013 | Ezhamathe Varavu | Adaptation/Remake of his earlier unreleased film Evideyo Oru Shathru | |
| 2009 | Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja | ||
| 2009 | Neelathamara (Blue Lotus) | Remake of the 1979 film of the same name with revised screenplay | |
| 2001 | Theerthadanam (Pilgrimage) | Based on the story "Vanaprastham" | |
| 2000 | Oru Cheru Punchiri (A Slender Smile) | Yes | Based on the story "Mithunam" by Telugu writer Sriramana |
| 1998 | Daya (Compassion) | Based on a story from One Thousand and One Nights | |
| 1998 | Ennu Swantham Janakikutty | Based on the story "Cheriya Cheriya Bhookampangal" | |
| 1998 | Thakazhi | Yes | Documentary on renowned Malayalam writer Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai[81] |
| 1995 | Naalukettu | Tele-Serial based on the novel of the same name | |
| 1994 | Sukrutham | ||
| 1994 | Parinayam (Wedding) | ||
| 1992 | Sadayam (With Compassion) | ||
| 1991 | Kadavu ( The Ferry) | Yes | Based on the story "Kadathuthoni" by S. K. Pottekkatt |
| 1991 | Venal Kinavukal (Summer Dreams) | ||
| 1990 | Midhya | ||
| 1990 | Perumthachan | ||
| 1990 | Thazhvaram (The Valley) | ||
| 1989 | Utharam (Answer) | Based on the story "No Motive" by Daphne du Maurier | |
| 1989 | Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha (A Northern Story of Valor) | ||
| 1988 | Aranyakam | ||
| 1988 | Vaishali | ||
| 1987 | Amrutham Gamaya | ||
| 1986 | Kochu Themmadi (The Little Rascal) | ||
| 1986 | Abhayam Thedi (In Search of a Shelter) | ||
| 1986 | Rithubhedam | ||
| 1986 | Nakhakshathangal | ||
| 1986 | Panchagni (Five Fires) | ||
| 1985 | Rangam | ||
| 1985 | Idanilangal | ||
| 1985 | Anubandham | ||
| 1984 | Aalkkoottathil Thaniye (Alone in a Crowd) | ||
| 1984 | Adiyozhukkukal | ||
| 1984 | Aksharangal (Alphabets) | ||
| 1984 | Uyarangalil (At the Top) | ||
| 1984 | Vellam (Water) | ||
| 1983 | Aaroodam | ||
| 1983 | Manju (Mist) | Yes | Based on the novel of the same name |
| 1982 | Varikuzhi (The Trap) | Yes | Based on the story of the same name |
| 1981 | Trishna (Thirst) | ||
| 1981 | Valarthu Mrugangal | ||
| 1980 | Vilkkanundu Swapnangal | ||
| 1980 | Oppol (The Elder Sister) | ||
| 1979 | Edavazhiyile Poocha Minda Poocha | ||
| 1979 | Neelathamara (Blue Lotus) | ||
| 1978 | Bandhanam (Bond) | Yes | Based on the story of the same name |
| 1977 | Mohiniyattam | Yes | Documentary film about the Indian art form Mohiniyattam |
| 1974 | Kanyakumari | ||
| 1974 | Paathiravum Pakalvelichavum | ||
| 1973 | Nirmalayam (The Offering) | Yes | Based on the story "Pallivalum Kalchilambum" Also produced the film under the banner of Novel Films |
| 1971 | Kuttiyedathi | ||
| 1971 | Mappusakshi | ||
| 1971 | Vithukal (Seeds) | ||
| 1970 | Nizhalattam (Shadow Play) | ||
| 1969 | Olavum Theeravum | Based on the story of the same name | |
| 1968 | Asuravithu | Based on the novel of the same name | |
| 1967 | Nagarame Nandi | Partially based on the films The Conquerors of the Golden City (1965) and Birds of Exile (1964)[82] | |
| 1966 | Iruttinte Athmavu | Based on the story of the same name | |
| 1966 | Pakalkkinavu | ||
| 1965 | Murappennu | ||
| — | Evideyo Oru Shathru | An incomplete feature film starring Sukumaran and Venu Nagavalli. The screenplay was published in Chilla magazine and later released as a book by Mathrubhumi Books. This book has some stills from the movie. |
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