Kainikkara Kumara Pillai (1900–1988) was an Indian teacher, actor, short story writer, essayist and playwright 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 ...

, best known for his plays such as ''Harichandra'', ''Mathruka Manushyan'' and ''Mohavum, Mukhtiyum''. He was the younger brother of

Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai (1898–1976), popularly identified as Swathithirunal Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai after his magnum opus, ''Swathithirunal'', was an Indian author of Malayalam literature, actor, speaker, teacher and thinker. He was ...

, a noted author and thinker. An author of 18 books, Kumara Pillai was awarded the

Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Drama The Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Drama is an award given every year by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy) to Malayalam writers for writing a drama of literary merit. It is one of the twelve categories of the Kerala Sahitya A ...

in 1970. The

Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy is located in Thrissur city, of Kerala, in India. It was established on 26 April 1958, inaugurated by then Indian Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. The academy started a cultural centre at the Bahrain Kerala ...

inducted him as a distinguished fellow in 1975 followed by the

Kerala Sahitya Akademi The Kerala Sahitya Akademi or Academy for Malayalam literature is an autonomous body established to promote the Malayalam language and Malayalam literature, literature. It is situated in City of Thrissur, Kerala in India. History The academy ...

in 1986.

Biography

Kainikkara Kumara Pillai was born on 27 September 1900 at

Perunna Perunna aka Perunnai is a suburb of Changanassery town in Kottayam District, Kerala, India. The nearest big city, Kottayam, is 21 km away from Perunna. Perunna is also located at the intersection of MC Road (SH1) and Alappuzha-Changanass ...

Changanassery Changanassery or Changanacherry is a municipal town in Kottayam district in the state of Kerala, India. History The first recorded history on the origin of Changanacherry is obtained from Sangam period literature. According to Sangam era d ...

, in

Kottayam district Kottayam (), is one of 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. Kottayam district comprises six municipal towns: Kottayam, Changanassery, Pala, Erattupetta, Ettumanoor, and Vaikom. It is the only district in Kerala that neither borders the ...

of the south Indian state of

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 ...

to Perunayil N. Kumara Pillai, a lawyer and an

Ayurvedic 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 rep ...

physician and Haripattu Poothottal L. Parvathy Pilla. After completing his schooling at a number of schools like

Government Middle School, St, Berchman's High School,

Mannar Mannar may refer to the following places: India * Mannar, Alappuzha, a town in Chengannur Taluk, Kerala Sri Lanka * Mannar District, one of 25 districts in Sri Lanka ** Mannar Island, an island within the district **Mannar Bridge, a bridge connect ...

Nair Samajam School and

Thiruvalla Thiruvalla, alternately spelled Tiruvalla, is a town in Kerala and the Headquarters of the Taluk of the same name located in Pathanamthitta district in the State of Kerala, India. The town is spread over an area of . It lies on the banks of ...

SCS High School, he completed his pre-university course at

Maharaja's College, Ernakulam The Maharaja's College is a government college of higher education located in Kochi, Kerala. Established in 1875, it is one of the oldest colleges in India. Located in the heart of the city, the college is spread over a campus of on the ban ...

and obtained a BA in Philosophy from

Government Arts College, Kumbakonam The Government Arts College, previously known as the Government Arts College for Men, is an autonomous college based in the town of Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, India. This college is functioning under Bharathidasan University. The Vice-Chancellor ...

to start his career as a teacher at the NSS school in Kainikkara. Later, he served as the principal of the

Karuvatta Karuvatta is a village in Alappuzha District of Kerala region of India. It lies in between Haripad and Thottappally in Alappuzha, on National Highway 66. Karuvatta has a railway station, and the nearest airports are Trivandrum Internation ...

High School from 1924 to 1943, as the Head Master of Palkulangara High School in Thiruvananthapuram. and as the principal of

Mahatma Gandhi College Mahatma Gandhi College is a college in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. It was founded by to Mannathu Padmanabhan, the founder of the Nair Service Society. The college is affiliated to Kerala University and is managed by Nair Service Society. ...

Trivandrum 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 ...

(1955–56). Among other positions, he was a Director of Educational Services of

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All a ...

, Trivandrum. Kumara Pillai was married to Bagheearthi Kunjamma. He died on 9 December 1988 at the age of 88.

Legacy and honours

Kumara Pillai was one of the pioneers of modern Malayalam theatre and was a part of the Progressive Writers'Association whose members included

Vaikom Muhammad Basheer Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (21 January 1908 – 5 July 1994), popularly referred to as Beypore Sulthan, was a writer of Malayalam literature. He was a writer, humanist, freedom fighter, novelist and short story writer, noted for his path-breaking, ...

Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (17 April 1912 – 10 April 1999), popularly known as Thakazhi after his place of birth, was an Indian novelist and short story writer of Malayalam literature. He wrote over 30 novels and novellas and over 7 shor ...

Joseph Mundassery Joseph Mundassery (17 July 1903 – 25 October 1977) was a literary critic and Indian politician from Kerala state. He specialised in the Malayalam language and literature. In Kerala politics, he is remembered as the Education Minister who wa ...

and

P. Kesavadev P. Kesava Pillai (20 July 1904 – 1 July 1983), better known by his pen-name P. Kesavadev, was a novelist and social reformer of Kerala, India. He is remembered for his speeches, autobiographies, novels, dramas, short stories, and films. ''Oday ...

. He started his literary career with ''Duranthasanka'', an adaptation of

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

, which preceded eighteen books, composed of plays, short stories and essay compilations. A noted actor of the times, he also translated

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's ''Othello'' and ''Antony and Cleopatra'', and adapted the play ''A New Way to Pay Old Debts'' by

Philip Massinger Philip Massinger (1583 – 17 March 1640) was an English dramatist. His finely plotted plays, including ''A New Way to Pay Old Debts'', ''The City Madam'', and '' The Roman Actor'', are noted for their satire and realism, and their politi ...

, with the title ''Manimangalam''. ''

Manyasree Viswamithran ''Manyasree Viswamithran'' is a 1974 Indian Malayalam-language Satire (film and television), satirical film, directed and produced by Madhu (actor), Madhu, and written by Kainikkara Kumara Pillai. The film stars Madhu (actor), Madhu, Sheela, Jay ...

'', a Malayalam film made by

Madhu Madhu (Sanskrit: ) is a word used in several Indo-Aryan languages meaning ''honey'' or ''sweet''. It is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European ''*médʰu'', whence English '' mead''. Metaphorical use ''Madhu'' has been used for millennia si ...

in 1974, was based on a story by Kumara Pillai and it was he who wrote the screenplay and dialogues for the film. He taught Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai in school and encouraged the aspiring writer to take up prose which helped him in his literary career. He was associated with ''Vidyalaya Poshini'', an educational journal, serving as its chief editor for a while and was with the All India Radio, heading its educational programs. He also contributed to the development of public library movement in Kerala.

selected ''Mathruka Manushyan'', a play written by Kumara Pillai, for their annual award for drama in 1970, the play would later be included in the curriculum of the

University of Travancore University of Kerala, formerly the University of Travancore, is a state-run public university located in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chit ...

and

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 ...

. The Akademi honoured him again in 1986 with the distinguished fellowship in 1986, and in between, he was elected as a fellow by the

in 1975. He was also a recipient of the Puthezhan Award, Guruvayurappan Trust Award and SPCS Award.

Selected works

Plays

* * * * * * * * * * *

Essays

* * * * * *

Short stories and novel

* * *

Translations

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pillai, Kainikkara Kumara 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Malayali people Dramatists and playwrights from Kerala Malayalam-language writers 1900 births 1988 deaths Malayalam-language dramatists and playwrights Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award People from Thiruvananthapuram district Indian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian male writers Maharaja's College, Ernakulam alumni All India Radio people 20th-century Indian short story writers 20th-century Indian essayists 20th-century Indian translators