Cannankara Velayudhan Raman Pillai (19 May 1858 – 21 March 1922), also known as C. V., was one of the major Indian
novelists
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while othe ...
and
playwrights
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
and a pioneering playwright and novelist of
Malayalam literature
Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puduchery, is one of the six Classical languages of India. Malayalam literature comprises those literary texts written in Malayalam, a Sou ...
. He was known for his historical novels such as ''
Marthandavarma'', ''Dharmaraja'' and ''Ramaraja Bahadur''; the last mentioned considered by many as one of the greatest novels written in
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
.
Biography
Born in Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), capital city of
Travancore
The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
, on 19 May 1858 to Panavilakath Neelakanta Pillai, a
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...
scholar and Parvathy Pillai, a scion of an ancient matrilineal family; both his parents were from middle-class families and employees at the Palace of the
Maharaja of Travancore
The Maharaja of Travancore was the principal title of the ruler of the Kingdom of Travancore in the southern part of Kerala, India. The Maharaja of Travancore was the topmost ruler of Travancore until 1949, when Travancore was annexed into Indi ...
.
Pillai got his family name, ''Cannankara'', through
matrilineal succession
Matrilineal succession is a form of hereditary succession or other inheritance through which the subject's female relatives are traced back in a matrilineal line.
Systems
*''matrilineal primogeniture'' where the eldest female child of the subjec ...
. Fondly called Ramu, he had a traditional Sanskritized education, early in life, under his father's tutelage which included lessons in
Ayurveda
Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population repo ...
and even magic and Tantra. He continued education at the first English school in
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
. Subsequently, he graduated from His Highness Maharaja's College (the present-day
University College Thiruvananthapuram
University College, Thiruvananthapuram (UCT) is a constituent college of the University of Kerala, based primarily in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the Indian state of Kerala.
The college was awarded 23rd rank by National Institutional Ran ...
), the first-ever College in Travancore,
where he reportedly had a brilliant academic career under John Ross, the principal of the institution and Robert Harvey. and obtained his BA degree from the
Madras University
The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...
in 1881, securing the 7th rank in the
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...
. It was during this period, he started his first periodical named The Kerala Patriot.
After graduation, Pillai studied law but dropped out and went to Madras to study for the government pleader examination which was also abandoned in due course.
Later, he joined the High Court as a clerk and where he rose to the position of a ''shirasthadar''. Later, joined the Government Press and held the position of a superintendent when he retired from service.
In between, he founded three publications, ''Malayali'' in 1886, ''Vanchiraj'' in 1901 and ''Mitabhashi'' in 1920.
Pillai's first marriage did not last long. He married again in 1887 at the age of 30, and his wife, Bhageerathi Amma, was only 16 at the time of the wedding. The marriage lasted till his wife's untimely death in 1904 and his third marriage was to Janaki Amma, the elder sister of Bhageerathi Amma and the widow of
C. Raja Raja Varma
C. Raja Raja Varma was an Indian painter and the youngest brother of the painter Raja Ravi Varma. He was known as a plein-air artist. He acted as assistant, secretary, and business manager to his brother.
Life
Varma was also an English langua ...
, the younger brother of
Raja Ravi Varma
Raja Ravi Varma ( ml, രാജാ രവിവർമ്മ; 29 April 1848 – 2 October 1906) was an Indian painter and artist. He is considered among the greatest painters in the history of Indian art. His works are one of the best examples ...
. He died on 21 March 1922, at the age of 63, survived by Janaki Amma.
Writing career
Raman Pillai is compared by many with
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (also Chattopadhayay) CIE (26 or 27 June 1838 – 8 April 1894) was an Indian novelist, poet, Essayist and journalist.Staff writer"Bankim Chandra: The First Prominent Bengali Novelist" ''The Daily Star'', 30 June 2011 ...
in Bengali and
Hari Narayan Apte
Hari Narayan Apte (Devanagari: हरि नारायण आपटे) (8 March 1864 – 3 March 1919) was a Marathi writer from Maharashtra, India.
Through his writings, he provided an eminent example to future Marathi fiction writers ...
in Marathi, two other greats of India literature.
His first published book was ''Chandramukhivilasam'', a satire.
He wrote his first novel, ''Marthandavarma'', in 1885 but it was published in 1891.
This followed sch historical novels as ''Dharmaraja'' and ''Ramarajabahadur'', the social novel, ''Premamritam''
as well as several farces. Modern Malayalam drama traces its origins to his works. He is credited with the first original play in Malayalam, ''Chandramukheevilasam'', written in 1884 and was staged for four days successively in 1887 at His Highness Maharaja's College, Trivandrum.
Exegetic dictionary
''C. V. Vyaakhyaana Kosham''
is a 400-plus page
lexicographic
Lexicography is the study of lexicons, and is divided into two separate academic disciplines. It is the art of compiling dictionaries.
* Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries.
* Theoretica ...
work in four volumes, based on Pillai's books. The work includes the explanations, elucidations and interpretations of over 700,000 Malayalam, Sanskrit, Tamil, Hindustani and English words used by him in his writings.
Works
Novels
Historical Novels
* ''
Marthandavarma'' (1891)
* ''Dharmaraja'' (1913)
* ''Ramaraja Bahadur'' (19181919)
Social Novels
* ''Premamritam'' (1915)
Uncategorized
* ''Dishtadamshtram'' (1922) (unfinished)
* ''Premarishtam'' (1922) (unfinished)
Plays
* ''Chandramukheevilāsam'' (1884) (not published)
* ''Mattavilāsam'' (1885) (not published)
* ''Kurupillakalari'' (1909)
* ''Tentanāmkōţţu Harischandran'' (1914)
* ''Kaimalassanţe Kadassikkai'' (1915)
* ''Docţarku Kiţţiya Micham'' (1916)
* ''Cherutēn Columbus'' (1917)
* ''Pandathē Pāchan'' (1918)
* ''Pãpi Chelluņadam Pāthālam'' (1919)
* ''Kuruppinţe Thirippu'' (1920)
* ''Butler Pappan'' (1922)
Other works
* ''Videsiyamedhavitvam'' (1922) (a collection of editorials)
As editor in newspapers
* ''The Kerala Patriot'' (1883)
* ''Malayali'' (1886)
* ''Vanchiraj'' (1901)
* ''Mitabhashi'' (1920)
Translations
* ''Marthandavarma'' (1936, 1979)
* ''Dharmaraja'' (2009)
* ''Ramaraja Bahadur'' (2003)
Honours
The
India Post
India Post is a government-operated postal system in India, part of the Department of Post under the Ministry of Communications. Generally known as the Post Office, it is the most widely distributed postal system in the world. Warren Hastings ha ...
issued a commemorative postage stamp on Pillai on 19 May 2010.
A road in Vazhuthacaud,
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
has been neamed after him as ''C. V. Raman Pillai Road''.
Chenkal
Chenkal is a village in Thiruvananthapuram district in the state of Kerala, India. Until the land-reforms ordinance enacted by the Communist regime in the 1950s, the village formed part of the estate of the jenmi (Yejamanan) of Kandamath. The ra ...
, a
panchayat
The Panchayat raj is a political system, originating from the Indian subcontinent, found mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It is the oldest system of local government in the Indian subcontinent, and historical ment ...
in Thiruvananthapuram which includes his native village of
Arayoor, was renamed as C.V.R. Puram in 1970.
Writings on Raman Pillai
*
*
*
*
*
*
K. Ayyappa Paniker, ''History of Malayalam Literature'' (''C. V. Raman Pillai'' - Chapter 34)
* N. Balakrishnan Nair, ''Saakshaal C. V.''
See also
*
Kappazhom Raman Pillai
Kappazhom Raman Pillai was from Nair community who served as the Dewan Peshkar of the Government of Travancore. As Dewan Peishcar, he held the powers of the Collector, the Magistrate and the Superintendent of Police.
Interests
Using 'Angadan' as ...
*
Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University
Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University, also called Malayalam University, is a state university in Tirur, Kerala, India.
History
It was established by the Government of Kerala and inaugurated by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on 1 Novemb ...
See Also (Social reformers of Kerala)
*
Sree Narayana Guru
Narayana Guru, , (20 August 1856 – 20 September 1928) was a philosopher, spiritual leader and social reformer in India. He led a reform movement against the injustice in the caste-ridden society of Kerala in order to promote spiritual ...
*
Dr. Palpu
*
Kumaranasan
Mahakavi Kumaran Asan (Malayalam: എൻ. കുമാരൻ ആശാൻ) (12 April 1873 – 16 January 1924) was a poet of Malayalam literature, Indian social reformer and a philosopher. He is known to have initiated a revolution in Malayalam ...
*
Rao Sahib Dr. Ayyathan Gopalan
*
Brahmananda Swami Sivayogi
Karatt Govinda Menon (26 August 1852 – 10 September 1929), better known as Brahmananda Swami Sivayogi, was an Indian ''sanyasi'' from present-day Kerala who founded the Ananda Maha Sabha in 1918. He proposed Anandadarsam or Anandamadham ...
*
Vaghbhatananda
*
Mithavaadi Krishnan
Changaramkumarath Krishnan Vakkeel was a community leader, banker, social reformer, and journalist from Kerala, India. He was a champion of implementing the revolutionary socialist reforms proposed by Sree Narayana Guru for the upliftment of th ...
*
Moorkoth Kumaran
Moorkoth Kumaran (1874–1941) was a social reformer, a teacher and a short story writer in Malayalam.
Kumaran came from a Thiyya family of Thalassery, Kannur. He was a disciple of Narayana Guru and wrote the first biography of Guru. He initiated ...
*
Ayyankali
Ayyankali (28 August 1863 – 18 June 1941) was an Indian politician, prominent social reformer, educator, economist, lawmaker, and a revolutionary leader. He worked for the advancement of the oppressed people in the princely state of Travancor ...
*
Ayya Vaikundar
Ayya Vaikundar (c.1833 –c.1851) ( ta, அய்யா வைகுண்டர், sa, अय्या वैघुण्ढर्) also known as Vaikunda Swami is the first and the foremost Purna avatar of Eka-Paran born to Lord ...
*
Pandit Karuppan
Pandit Karuppan was a poet, dramatist, and reform movement, social reformer who lived in Kerala, India.
Pandit Karuppan emerged from Ernakulam of Cochin State as a relentless crusader against untouchability and social evils. He was called ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pillai, C. V. Raman
Malayalam-language writers
Malayalam novelists
Malayalam-language dramatists and playwrights
1858 births
1922 deaths
Writers from Thiruvananthapuram
Indian historical novelists
Writers of historical romances
19th-century Indian novelists
20th-century Indian novelists
Indian male novelists
Indian male dramatists and playwrights
20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights
19th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights
19th-century Indian male writers
Novelists from Kerala
Journalists from Kerala
19th-century Indian journalists
20th-century Indian journalists
Dramatists and playwrights from Kerala
20th-century Indian male writers