Pattathuvila Karunakaran (1925–1988) was an Indian film producer and short story writer of Malayalam literature. He was best known for his book, ''Vimarsham'' and for his association with the film, ''

Uttarayanam ''Uttarayanam'' ( en, Throne of Capricorn) is a 1975 Malayalam-language film directed by G. Aravindan and written by Thikkodiyan. Aravindan debuted with this film. The film, which exposes opportunism and hypocrisy set against the backdrop of the ...

'', the directorial debut of noted filmmaker,

G. Aravindan Govindan Aravindan (23 January 1935 – 15 March 1991) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, musician, cartoonist, and painter. He was one of the pioneers of parallel cinema in Malayalam. He was known for his unorthodox way of filmmak ...

, as the film's producer and story writer. Kerala Sahitya Akademi awarded him their annual award for story in 1972.

Biography

Karunakaran was born on 7 July 1925 in ''Pattathuvila'' family in Quilon 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 ...

to Kochukunju and Kochukunjali. After schooling at Craven School, Quilon and subsequent graduation from Presidency College

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

, he joined the Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram but did not complete the course. He started his career as a journalist with ''

Kerala Kaumudi ''Kerala Kaumudi'' is a Malayalam language daily newspaper published from Kerala, India. It was founded in 1911 by C. V. Kunhiraman as a periodical. His son K. Sukumaran later served as the newspaper's editor. Kerala Kaumudi Daily is among the ...

'', but soon quit the job to pursue studies in business administration at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

in the USA from where he earned a master's degree in business administration. On his return to Kerala, he joined the

Calicut 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 la ...

branch of Pierse Leslie India Ltd. as a manager and settled down in Kozhikode, where he spent the rest of his life as a part of the celebrated ''

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 la ...

Cultural Circle'', which included such noted writers and artists like

Vaikom Muhammed 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, ...

, M.T.Vasudevan Nair,

Thikkodiyan P. Kunjanandan Nair (February 15, 1916 – January 28, 2001), better known by his pseudonym, Thikkodiyan, was an Indian playwright, novelist, lyricist and screenwriter of Malayalam. He was known for his contributions to the genre of radio p ...

V. K. N. Vadakkke Koottala Narayanankutty Nair, commonly known as V.K.N. (7 April 1929 – 25 January 2004), was a prominent Malayalam writer, noted mainly for his highbrow satire. He wrote novels, short stories and political commentaries. His works are ...

N. P. Mohammed N. P. Mohammed (July 1, 1928 – January 3, 2003), popularly known by his initials N. P., was an Indian novelist, short story writer and screenwriter of Malayalam language. Along with his contemporaries like M. T. Vasudevan Nair, O. V. Vijayan, ...

and

M. V. Devan Madathil Vasudevan, popularly identified as M. V. Devan (15 January 1928 – 29 April 2014), was an Indian Painting, painter, sculptor, writer, art critic and orator. Besides his artistic works, he was also known for his architectural design ...

. Karunakaran was married to Saraswathi, fondly called Sara, the marriage taking place in 1955 and the couple had two daughters, Anitha and Anuradha. He died on 6 May 1987, at the age of 61.

Legacy and honours

Karaunakaran was known to have been a private person, seldom appearing in public forums and wrote only short stories while many of his contemporaries turned to writing novels. In 1973, his short story anthology, ''Muni'', was selected for the

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

. He published a number of short story anthologies, including ''Vimarsham'', ''Bourgeois Snehithan '' and ''Nattellikalude Jeevitham'' and his stories portrayed personal identity crisis, reflecting the recurring themes of betrayal and sacrifice, seen from a cynical perspective. His stories have also been translated into English. Karaunakaran could not fulfill his early desire to study film-making,Interview with Saraswathi Karunakaran ;''Pattathuvilayude Kadhakal''; DC Kottayam he was a part of the group which made ''

'', the 1974 film made by

in the capacity of the producer. The film went on to received a number of awards such as the Kerala State Film Award for Best Film and the

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of seve ...

. He was also a member of the ''Aswini Film Society'', a Kozhikode-based sister organization of Chitralekha Film Society of Adoor Gopalakrishnan, where

M. T. Vasudevan Nair Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Nair (born 1933 July 15 ), popularly known as MT, is an Indian author, screenplay writer and film director. He is a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and is one of the masters of post-I ...

and G. Aravindan were also members. Pattathuvila Karunakaran Memorial Trust, an eponymous organization, has instituted an award, ''Pattathuvila Karunakaran Memorial Award'', to recognise the excellence in literature and

Prabha Varma Prabha Varma (born 2 August 1959) is a poet, lyricist, journalist and television presenter. Biography PRABHA VARMA Poet, littérateur, lyricist and editor who works with traditional as well as electronic media, cultural activist – Prabha ...

and

Perumal Murugan Perumal Murugan (born 1966) is an Indian author, scholar and literary chronicler who writes in Tamil. He has written twelve novels, six collections of short stories and four anthologies of poetry. Five of his novels have been translated into Eng ...

have been among the recipients.

Bibliography

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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Karunakaran, Pattathuvila Malayalam-language writers Malayalam short story writers People from Kollam district 1925 births 1988 deaths Writers from Kerala Indian male short story writers 20th-century Indian short story writers 20th-century Indian male writers Presidency College, Chennai alumni

Biography

Legacy and honours

Bibliography

See also

References

External links