Ottaplakkal Neelakandan Velu Kurup (known as O. N. V. Kurup; 27 May 1931 – 13 February 2016) was a

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 wa ...

poet and lyricist 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 Ca ...

, India, who won the

Jnanpith Award The Jnanpith Award is the oldest and the highest Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature". Instituted in 1961, the award is bestowed only on Indian w ...

, the highest literary award in India for the year 2007. He received the awards

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

in 1998 and Padma Vibhushan in 2011, the fourth and second highest civilian honours from the

Government of India The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

. In 2007 he was awarded an

Honorary Doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

by University of Kerala,

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its List of renamed Indian cities and states, former name Trivandrum (), is the Capital city, capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as ...

. O. N. V. was known for his leftist leaning. He was a leader of

All India Students Federation The All India Students' Federation (AISF) is the oldest surviving student organisation in India, founded in 1936. Pre-independence AISF was founded on 12 August 1936, with guidance and cooperation from the Indian independence movement. The ...

(AISF). He died on 13 February 2016 at KIMS hospital 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 ...

due to age-related illnesses, aged 84.

Biography

O.N.V Kurup was born to O. N. Krishna Kurup and K. Lakshmikutty Amma, on 27 May 1931 at Chavara,

Kollam Kollam (), also known by its former name Quilon , is an ancient seaport and city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city ...

(Quilon) in Kerala. He lost his father when he was eight. His childhood days were spent in Chavara, where he attended the government school. After graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics from SN College,

, he moved to

Thiruvananthapuram city 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 populat ...

(Trivandrum) where he joined Travancore University (now Kerala University) and pursued

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in Malayalam literature. O.N.V. was a lecturer at Maharajas College –

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the Central Business District of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Many major establishments, including the Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation a ...

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

– Trivandrum, Arts and Science College –

Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second ...

, and Brennen College –

Thalassery Thalassery (), formerly Tellicherry, is a municipality, Commercial City on the Malabar Coast in Kannur district, in the state of Kerala, India, bordered by the districts of Mahé (Pondicherry), Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kasaragod and Kodagu (K ...

. He joined Government Women's College –

as the Head of Malayalam Department. He was also a visiting professor at Calicut University. He retired from service in 1986. He received the

, India's highest literary award, for the year 2007. He was the fifth Jnanpith laureate from

and the second

poet to win the prestigious award. According to a statement by Bharatiya Jnanpith, the trust which presents the award, Kurup began his career as a "progressive writer and matured into a humanist though he never gave up his commitment to socialist ideology". He was settled at Vazhuthacaud in

, with his wife Sarojini, who was also his student in his early days. His son Rajeev works with the Indian Railways Authority, and daughter Mayadevi is a noted gynaecologist in Aster Medicity, Cochin.

playback singer Aparna Rajeev is his granddaughter.

Poetry

O. N. V.'s first published poem was 'Munnottu' (Forward) which appeared in a local weekly in 1946. His first poetry collection, ''Porutunna Soundaryam'', came out in 1949. He published a book named ''Daahikunna Paanapaathram'' (The Thirsty Chalice) which was a collection of his early poems during 1946–1956.

Poetic works

*Collection of 1500 songs. **Poems for children

Prose list

Lyricist

In addition to the valuable contributions, he had given to the Malayalam literature, he was one of the leading lyricists in

Malayalam film Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, '' Elippathaya ...

/drama/album industry. He was the part of many dramas by

Kerala People's Arts Club Kerala People's Arts Club (KPAC) is a theatrical movement in Kayamkulam, Kerala, India. It was formed in the 1950s by a group of individuals having close ties with Communist Party of India in Kerala. KPAC was very influential in popularising t ...

(KPAC) which has a major remark in the revolutionary movements of Kerala. ''Kalam Marunnu'' (1956) was his first film which was also the first film by the famous Malayalam composer

G. Devarajan Paravoor Govindan Devarajan (1927–2006), popularly known as G. Devarajan or Devarajan master, was an Indian music composer and Carnatic singer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers in the history of Indian film music. He sco ...

. Since then, he has been active in film until his death and was honored with one national award and fourteen state awards (the most by a Malayalee). He has penned about 1000 songs in about 232 films and numerous songs for plays and albums. His partnerships with

Salil Chowdhury Salil Chowdhury (19 November 1925 – 5 September 1995) was an Indian music director, songwriter, lyricist, writer and poet who predominantly composed for Bengali, Hindi and Malayalam films. He composed music for films in 13 languages. This ...

and

M. B. Sreenivasan Manamadurai Balakrishnan Sreenivasan (19 September 1925 – 9 March 1988), or MBS, was a South Indian music director who worked mainly in the Malayalam and Tamil film industries. He was born to an orthodox Tamil Brahmin family on 19 Septe ...

were so popular in Malayalam film industry. He has made many hit songs with popular music directors, including

, Raveendran,

V. Dakshinamoorthy Venkateswaran Dakshinamoorthy (9 December 1919 – 2 August 2013) was a veteran carnatic musician and composer and music director of Malayalam, Tamil and Hindi films, predominantly in Malayalam films. He has set scores for the songs in over 125 ...

, M. S. Baburaj,

M. K. Arjunan M. K. Arjunan ( ml, എം.കെ. അർജുനൻ; 1 March 1936 – 6 April 2020) was an Indian film and theatre composer, known for his works in Malayalam cinema and the theatre of Kerala. He was fondly referred to as ''Arjunan Master''. E ...

K. Raghavan K. Raghavan (2 December 1913 – 19 October 2013), also fondly called Raghavan Master, was a Malayalam music composer and Carnatic Vocalist. Along with G. Devarajan, V. Dakshinamoorthy and Baburaj, Raghavan is often credited for the renaissanc ...

Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan, 3 June 1943) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, instrumentalist, lyricist and singer, popular for his works in Indian Cinema, prominently in Tamil films. Reputed to be one o ...

, Shyam,

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

Bombay Ravi Ravi Shankar Sharma (3 March 1926 – 7 March 2012), often referred to mononymously as Ravi, was an Indian music director, who had composed music for several Hindi and Malayalam films. After a successful career in Hindi cinema, he took a bre ...

, Mohan Sithara,

M. G. Radhakrishnan Malabar Gopalan Radhakrishnan (29 July 1940 – 2 July 2010) was an Indian music director and Carnatic vocalist from Kerala. Personal life M. G. Radhakrishnan was born on 29 July 1940 at Haripad, in Alappuzha district, Kerala as the eldes ...

, S. P. Venkatesh, Ouseppachan,

Vidyadharan P. S. Vidyadharan (popularly known as Vidyadharan master; Malayalam) is a music composer and playback singer who works in Malayalam cinema. In 2013, he completed 60 years of his musical career. Early life Vidyadharan was born on 6 March 1945 to ...

and

M. Jayachandran Madhusoodanan Jayachandran is an Indian composer, singer, and musician. He has won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Music Director for a record number of nine times. In 2005, he also won the state award for best male singer. In 2015, he w ...

Awards

Civilian honours

* 2011 – Padma Vibhushan * 2007 –

(honoris causa) by University of Kerala * 1998 –

Literary awards

O. N. V. has won numerous awards for his literary works. * 2015 – Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan Award * 2015 – Medal of Pushkin (Медаль Пушкина) * 2013 – P. Kesavadev Literary Award * 2011 – Kamala Surayya Award for ''Dinantham'' * 2011 – Thoppil Bhasi Award * 2010 – COSINE Award * 2009 – Ramashramam Trust Award * 2007 – Ezhuthachan Award * 2007 –

for his overall contributions to Malayalam literature (Announced on 24 September 2010) * 2006 – Vallathol Award * 2003 – Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam Sahitya Award * 2002 – P. Kunhiraman Nair Award for ''Ee Purathana Kinnaram'' * 1993 – Aasan Prize * 1990 –

Odakkuzhal Award ''Odakkuzhal'' is a 1975 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by P. N. Menon and produced by M. P. Navakumar. The film stars Sheela, Jose Prakash, P. J. Antony and Alummoodan in the lead roles. The film has musical score by M. K. Arjuna ...

for ''Mrigaya'' * 1982 – Vayalar Award for ''Uppu'' *1979-Pandalam Keralavarma Janmasathabdi Smaraka Award (Poetry) * 1981 – Soviet Land Nehru Award for ''Uppu''< * 1975 - Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award (

) for ''Aksharam'' * 1971 - Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award (Poetry) for ''Agni Salabhangal''

Film awards

; National Film Awards * 1989 - Best Lyricist – '' Vaishali'' ; Kerala State Film Awards ONV won the Kerala State Film Award for the Best Lyricist fourteen times: * 2016 – Best Lyricist (Film – ''Kambhoji'') * 2008 – Best Lyricist (Film – ''Gulmohar'') * 1990 – Best Lyricist (Film – ''Radha Madhavam'') * 1989 – Best Lyricist (Film – ''Oru Sayahnathinte Swapnathil, Purappadu'') * 1988 – Best Lyricist (Film – '' Vaishali'') * 1987 – Best Lyricist (Film – ''Manivathoorile Ayiram Sivarathrikal'') * 1986 – Best Lyricist (Film – Nakhakshathangal) * 1984 – Best Lyricist (Film –

Aksharangal ''Aksharangal'' is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language film directed by I. V. Sasi and produced by Rosamma George. The film stars Mammootty, Bharath Gopi, Seema and Suhasini. The film has musical score by Shyam. Plot Jayadevan reads a poem at a l ...

'', Ethiripoove Chuvannapoove'') * 1983 – Best Lyricist (Film – ''Adaminte Variyellu'') * 1980 – Best Lyricist (Film – ''Yagam, Ammayum Makkalum'') * 1979 – Best Lyricist (Film – Ulkkadal) * 1977 – Best Lyricist (Film – ''

Madanolsavam ''Madanolsavam'' is a 1978 Indian Malayalam-language romantic drama film written and directed by N. Sankaran Nair and starring Kamal Haasan, Jayan and Zarina Wahab. Dialogues and comedy scenes were written by Thoppil Bhasi. The film was partial ...

'') * 1976 – Best Lyricist (Film – ''Survey Kallu'') * 1973 – Best Lyricist (Film – ''Swapnam'') ; Filmfare Awards * 2009 – Best Lyricist Award – '' Pazhassi Raja'' * 2011 – Best Lyricist Award – ''Paattil Ee Pattil'' – (

Pranayam ''Pranayam'' () is a 2011 Indian Malayalam-language romantic drama film written and directed by Blessy. The film stars Mohanlal, Jaya Prada, and Anupam Kher. The plot revolves around the love bound between the characters of Mathews (Mohanlal), ...

) ; Asianet Film Awards * 2001 – Best Lyricist Award -''Meghamalhar'' * 2002 – Best Lyricist Award -''Ente Hridayatinte Udama''

Positions held

Kurup served and headed various office of state and central government organisations. Notably: * Executive Member, Executive Board of the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi from 1982–86. * Chairman, Kerala Kalamandalam – the State Akademi of Classical performing Arts (1996). * Fellow of the Kerala Sahitya Academy in 1999. He also has been the part of various delegation at international events. Some of the notable among them being: * Visited USSR as member of an Indian Writers Delegation to participate in the 150th birth anniversary of

Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich TolstoyTolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; russian: link=no, Лев Николаевич Толстой,In Tolstoy's day, his name was written as in pre-refor ...

. * Represented India in the Struga Poetry Evenings, Yugoslavia (1987) * Attended CISAC Asian Conference in Singapore (1990). * Visited USA to participate in FOKANA Conference (1993). * Visited USA to inaugurate literary seminar in Kerala Centre, New York (1995). * Presented poems on

Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...

and

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

in the Department of German,

University of Bonn The Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (german: Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn) is a public research university located in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the ( en, Rhine ...

. * Indian delegate to the CISAC World Conference held in Berlin (1998).

Death

ONV Kurup died on 13 February 2016, due to age-related ailments at KIMS Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. He was 84. He was cremated with full state honours at Thycaud Santhikavadam crematorium, which was named by him. At the time of his cremation, 84 singers representing the 84 years of his life, led by K. J. Yesudas, paid homage to him by singing his poems and songs. He is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

References

External links

O.N.V Kurip Verse List-Tribute
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kurup, O. N. V. 1931 births 2016 deaths People from Kollam district Writers from Thiruvananthapuram 20th-century Indian poets Malayalam-language writers Malayalam poets Malayalam-language lyricists Sree Narayana College, Kollam alumni University College Thiruvananthapuram alumni University College Thiruvananthapuram faculty Recipients of the Jnanpith Award Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan in literature & education Recipients of the Padma Shri in literature & education Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Malayalam Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award Recipients of the Ezhuthachan Award Kerala State Film Award winners Filmfare Awards South winners Maharaja's College, Ernakulam faculty 20th-century Indian musicians Musicians from Thiruvananthapuram Film people from Kerala Indian male songwriters Indian male poets Poets from Kerala 20th-century Indian male writers Best Lyrics National Film Award winners 20th-century male musicians