K. C. Ajayakumar is a writer and translator from

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. He has published two novels, two research books and two translations in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

and has translated 22 books from Hindi to

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 ...

. He has received many notable awards including

Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize Sahitya Akademi Translation Prize or Sahitya Akademi Prize for Translation is a literary honour in India, presented by Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, given to "outstanding translations of creative and critical works" in 24 m ...

(2015).

Biography

Ajayakumar was born in Koyipram panchayat,

Pathanamthitta district Pathanamthitta District (), is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. The district headquarters is in the town of Pathanamthitta. There are four municipalities in Pathanamthitta: Adoor, Pandalam, Pathanamthitta and Thiruval ...

, Kerala to K. V. Chandran Nair and M.N. Meenakshiamma. He was the Senior Manager at Indian Overseas Bank. Later, while working as the Chief Manager of Corporation Bank, he retired from service to engage full-time writing. Currently he is living in Thiruvananthapuram.

Literary contributions

Original works in Hindi

* ''swatantrata andolan par aadharit Hindi upanyas'' (Hindi essay based on freedom movement) * ''Malayalam vyakaran ek parichay'' (book on Malayalam grammar) * ''Kavikulaguru Kalidas'' * ''Suryagayatri'' * ''Tagore- Ek jeevani'' * ''Sathyavan-Savithri''

Translations to Hindi

* ''Valmiki Ramayan, ek adyayan'' * ''Gitashastram'' - Hindi translation of Sri C. Radhakrishnan's commentary on Gitadarsanam

Original works in Malayalam

* ''Kalidasan'' (novel) - based on life of

Kalidasa Kālidāsa (''fl.'' 4th–5th century CE) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on the Vedas, the Rāmāyaṇa, the Mahābhārata and ...

() * ''Mruthyunjayam'' (Novel) * ''Rabindranath Tagore'' (Novel) - A novel adaptation of

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

's ''Swargamanas''. This novel was translated to English with the titile ''Tagore''. * ''Adi Shankara'': Introduction to Advaita Vedanta through the life story of

Adi Shankara Adi Shankara ("first Shankara," to distinguish him from other Shankaras)(8th cent. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya ( sa, आदि शङ्कर, आदि शङ्कराचार्य, Ādi Śaṅkarācāryaḥ, lit=First Shanka ...

. () This book was translated to English with the title ''Shankaracharya''.

Translations to Malayalam

* ''Karmayogam'' - Original work by Narendra Kohli based on the story of

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

(with Dr. K. C. Sindhu) * Two volumes of ''Abhyudaya'' novel by Narendra Kohli based on

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...

(with Dr. K. C. Sindhu) * Eight volumes of the ''Mahasamar'' novel by Narendra Kohli based on the

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

* ''Vivekanandam'' - Original work by Narendra Kohli * ''Gora'' - Malayalam translation of Bengali novel '' Gora'' by

* ''CV Raman Pillai'' (Short Biography) Original work by S. Guptan Nair * ''Chhatrapati Shivaji, sadbharanathinte maatruka'' - Original by Anil Madhav Dave * ''Bharatha vikasanasam, Sadyathakal Prasnangal, Pariharangal'' (Book on Indian Development Possibilities, Problems and Solutions) - Original work by Sundeep Waslekar * ''Ambedkar samoohika viplava yathra'' (book on Ambedkar's Social Revolutionary Journey) - Original work by

Dattopant Thengadi Dattopant Bapurao Thengadi, (Marathi: दत्तोपंत ठेंगडी, 1920–2004) was an Indian Hindu Ideologue, trade union leader and founder of the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh and the Bharatiya Kisan S ...

* ''Babasaheb Ambedkarrum saamoohya neethiyum'' - Original work by Ramesh Patange * ''Yathodharma sthatho jaya'' - Original work by Narendra Kohli * ''Sitamanasam'' (Malayalam translation of

Mridula Sinha Mridula Sinha (27 November 1942 – 18 November 2020) was an Indian writer and politician who served as Governor of Goa from August 2014 to October 2019. She was the first woman Governor of Goa. Mridula Sinha was also a former president of BJP ...

's novel Sita Puni Boli) * ''Narendra Modi - Udachuvarkkalinte Perunthachan, Navbharata Shilpi'' - Original by Dr. R. Balashankar * ''Narendramodiyute thiranjedutha prasangangal'' -Selected Speeches of

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...

* ''Manassil thottu paranjath'' - Translation of Narendra Modi's ''

Mann Ki Baat ''Mann Ki Baat'' (, ) is an Indian radio programme hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which he addresses the people of the nation on All India Radio, DD National and DD News. Since the first show on 3 October 2014, there have been 97 epi ...

'' speeches 2017, 2018, 2019 * ''Raveendranatham''

Awards

* 2018: ''Viswahindi samman'' award by the

Ministry of External Affairs of India The Ministry of External Affairs (abbreviated as MEA; hi, विदेश मंत्रालय, Videśa Mantrālaya, translit-std=ISO) of India is the government agency responsible for implementing Indian foreign policy. The Ministry of Ext ...

for outstanding contribution to the promotion of Hindi language and literature. * 2015:

for translation of Bengali novel ''Gora'' by

* 2002: Central Government Award for Hindi Writers from Non-Hindi Region.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ajayakumar, K. C. Malayalam-language writers People from Pathanamthitta district Translators to Malayalam Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Prize for Translation