Olappamanna Mana Subramanian Namboothirippad (January 10, 1923 – April 10, 2000), better identified by his family name, Olappamanna , was an Indian poet 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 ...
. A former chairman of
Kerala Kalamandalam
Kerala Kalamandalam, deemed to be University of Art and Culture by the Government of India, is a major center for learning Indian performing arts, especially those that developed in the Southern states of India, with the special emphasis on K ...
and an author of 20 books of poetry, his poems were noted for their explicit social expressions. He received two awards from
Kerala Sahitya Academy
The Kerala Sahitya Akademi or Academy for Malayalam literature is an autonomous body established to promote the Malayalam language and literature. It is situated in City of Thrissur, Kerala in India.
History
The academy was inaugurated on 15 ...
and another from
Kendra Sahitya Academy, besides honours such as Government of Madras Poetry Prize,
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. Arjunan ...
, N. V. Puraskaram,
Asan Smaraka Kavitha Puraskaram
Asan Memorial Poetry Prize or Asan Smaraka Kavitha Puraskaram is a literary award instituted in 1985 by Madras-based Asan Memorial Association in memory of Malayalam poet Kumaran Asan. It is given annually to honour outstanding poets in Malayal ...
and Ulloor Award.
Biography
Olappamanna was born on January 10, 1923 in
Vellinezhi
Vellinezhi is a small but culturally crucial village located in Palakkad district of Kerala in southern India.
Geography
The sylvan, rugged land is located on the banks of the Kunti, a slender rivulet that forms tributary to the broad, west-f ...
in
Palakkad
Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated municipal ...
district 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 ...
in
Olappamanna Mana
Olappamanna Mana is a heritage building, the ancestral home of a Nambuthiri family by name, ''Olappammanna''. The building, an ''Ettukettu'', constructed in Architecture of Kerala, Kerala architectural style, is situated in Vellinezhi, a village ...
, a wealthy family with a feudal past known for its patronage of artists and musicians
to Neelakantan Nambuthirippad and Devasena Antharjanam.After the customary early education of
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 ...
and
vedas
upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''.
The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...
, he completed schooling in 1944, studying in
Ottappalam
Ottapalam, (also spelled Ottappalam) is a town, taluk and municipality in the Palakkad District, Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ottapalam taluk. Ottapalam is located about 36 km from district headquarters Palakkad. ...
School, P. M. G. High School, Palakkad and
B. E. M. High School, Palakkad, and joined the
Government Victoria College, Palakkad
The Government Victoria College in Palakkad, is the oldest institution of higher learning in the Malabar region of Kerala. It holds a rich educational heritage in the history of malabar region. It is affiliated to the Calicut University and p ...
for his undergraduate studies in History but did not complete it.
Later, he was engaged in timber and rubber businesses and was involved in local politics, presiding over Ezhakkad Panchayat and
Kottoppadam Panchayath, during the period from 1950 to 1964.
Olappamanna, who was married to Sreedevi, died on 10 April 2000, at the age of 77, succumbing to a massive heart attack.
O. M. Anujan
O. M. Anujan (born 20 July 1928) is an Indian poet, Kathakali scholar, and academic from Kerala. He was one of the founding members of International Center for Kathakali, New Delhi. In 2018, he received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Lifetime Achiev ...
, the noted scholar and poet was his brother
while
Leela Nambudiripad
Leela Nambudiripad (16 May 1934 – 27 April 2021), known by her pen name Sumangala, was an Indian author of children's literature in Malayalam. Some of her notable works included ''Neypaayasam, Mithayippoti,'' as well as translations of the ''Pa ...
, the writer of children's literature, popularly known as ''Sumanagala'', and
O. M. C. Narayanan Nambuthirippad, the Sanskrit scholar were his niece and nephew respectively.
Legacy
Olappamanna published his first poem in 1942 and his oeuvre comprises 21 books of poetry
which include award winning titles such as ''Kathakavithakal'' and ''Nizhalana''.
Three of his books, ''Theethailam'', ''Panchali'' and ''Nangemakutty'' are
Khanta Kavyam
Khanta is a village in the Harishchandrapur II CD block in the Chanchal subdivision of Malda district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Geography
Location
Khanta is located at .
The map of Harishchandrapur II CD block on page 153 of Distri ...
s and ''Amba'', is an
attakatha.
Orkkuka Vallappozhum
''Orkkuka Vallappozhum'' (Remember Once A while) is a Malayalam movie released in 2009. This 120-minute feature has Thilakan as Sethumadhavan - a seventy-year-old enjoying his retired life and trying to rediscover the innocence of his past. It m ...
, the 2009 Malayalam film, has one of Olappamanna's poems, adapted as a song by
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 wo ...
, and sung by himself and
Sujatha Mohan
Sujatha Mohan (credited as Sujatha) is an Indian playback singer who is popular for singing in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu movies. She has also sung for Kannada, Badaga, Hindi and Marathi movies. In a career spanning 48 years, she has recorde ...
.
[009 009 may refer to:
* OO9, gauge model railways
* O09, FAA identifier for Round Valley Airport
* 0O9, FAA identifier for Ward Field, see List of airports in California
* British secret agent 009, see 00 Agent
* BA 009, see British Airways Flight 9
* ...]
, holding the position of its vice chairman and later chairing the institution during 1978–84.
He was also associated with Yogakshema Sabha and Purogamana Sahithya Samkhadana for a brief period
and sat in the director board of Sahitya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sangham, a writers'cooperative, from 1965 to 1974 and in the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi from 1979 to 1984.
Olappamanna received the Government of Madras Poetry Prize in 1950 for his work, ''Ashareerikal''.
in 1988, his book, ''Nizhalana'', fetching him the award.
.
Six years after receiving the N. V. Puraskaram in 1992,
.
He was also a recipient of the Ulloor Award.
* Veena
* Kilungunna Kaiyamam
* Asareerikal
* Panchali
* Elathalam
* Rubberwifum Mattu Kavithakalum