Ponkunnam Varkey ( ml, പൊൻകുന്നം വർക്കി; 1 July 1910 – 2 July 2004) was a writer and activist 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. Varkey was one of the pioneers of the progressive writers' forum and literary writers' co-operative in Kerala. He was the president of
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 ...
and
Sahithya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society
Sahithya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society (SPCS) or Sahithya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sangham is a cooperative society of writers in the south Indian state of Kerala for publication and sales of books. It was founded in 1945 by a group of twelve wri ...
.
Biography
Varkey has said that his childhood was not a protected one, but based on the dictum of the survival of the fittest.
["Ponkunnam Varkey dead"](_blank)
''The Hindu''. Retrieved 4 July 2013. While studying in school, he was attracted to
Indian independence movement
The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947.
The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...
and the subject matter of his early writings was related to this theme. After high school studies he passed the Malayalam 'Vidwaan' examination; the then prevalent qualifying test for language teachers and joined a Catholic school, near Ponkunnam. But his relationship with the management was unpleasant and he left the institution when he was appointed teacher at the Vernacular Middle School in Pampady in 1942. Soon he resigned this job and jumped into the freedom struggle and was imprisoned.
He was associated with the
Communist Party
A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...
for some time and was the secretary of
Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangham Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangham (Progressive Arts & Literary Organisation) an Association for Art and Letters, also known as the PuKaSa, is an organization of artists, writers and art and literature enthusiasts based in Kerala. The association was f ...
(progressive writers' forum) for five years.
He died on 2 July 2004, a day after his 94th birthday. His wife Claramma had died in 1991. They had four sons and three daughters.
Literary career
Varkey entered the literary field in 1939 with ''Thirumulkazhcha'', a collection of poems that got rave reviews from the stalwarts of the time.
It won the award of the
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 ...
government in 1939. Varkey soon changed his track and chose prose, finding that drama and short story were the most effective vehicles to bring the written word close to the spoken one. He was already in the vortex of the great churning that was taking place in Kerala's social arena; he used his literary prowess to launch an uncompromising struggle against social injustice. This brought him in direct conflict with the then Diwan. His short stories ''Manthrikkettu'' and ''Model'' were banned in 1946 by the government of the princely state of
Travancore
The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
(now forming southern Kerala) on the charge of treason and Varkey was imprisoned for six months.
In 1944, Varkey started the National Book Stall, with the support of people like
D. C. Kizhakemuri. But the venture was a total failure; after a few years, it merged with the
Sahithya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society
Sahithya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society (SPCS) or Sahithya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sangham is a cooperative society of writers in the south Indian state of Kerala for publication and sales of books. It was founded in 1945 by a group of twelve wri ...
(SPCS), world's first writer's publishing cooperative and Varkey functioned as its president.
Varkey has published 24 volumes of short stories, 16 volumes of plays, two collection of poems one collection of essays (profiles of some politicians and public figures) and a volume of autobiography. His short story ''Sabdikkunna Kalappa'' has always been considered one of the best short stories in Malayalam
literature. It describes the close relationship between a farmer and his ox.
The recurrent themes of Varkey's writings are the decadence in the echelons of power and the corruption among the clergy. His style is direct, simple and unostentatious and the characters of his stories are ordinary rural folk, mostly farmers and workers. The focus of his works was on human relationships and man's relationship with nature.
Varkey's writing expedited the evolution of a congenial atmosphere for social change in the first half of the 20th century in India.
In 1973 Varkey was nominated as the president of
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 1997,
Ezhuthachan Puraskaram
The Ezhuthachan Puraskaram is the highest literary honour is given by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi, Government of Kerala. The award is named after Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan, the father of the Malayalam language and consists of a cash prize of 5,00,00 ...
, the highest literary honour of the Kerala government was awarded to Varkey.
Film career
He wrote screenplays for several films and produced two films. His entry into the film industry was through ''Navalokam'', for which he penned the story and dialogue. The screenplay was heavily loaded with pro-labour dialogues and the film received heavy cuts from the Censor Board. He also worked for films like ''Asha Deepom'', ''
Snehaseema
''Snehaseema'' is a 1954 Malayalam film, directed by S. S. Rajan and written by Ponkunnam Varkey based on his own novel of the same name, which is a retelling of L. A. Tennyson's ''Enoch Arden'' in the context of Kerala culture. The lead roles w ...
'',
"SNEHASEEMA 1954"
''The Hindu''. Retrieved 4 July 2013. '' Bharya'', ''Vidhithanna Vilakku'', ''School Master'' and many others. He also produced two films – ''Makam Piranna Manka'' and ''Chalanam''. Varkey was an honorary member of Malayalam Cine Technicians' Association (MACTA).
Major works
Short stories
*''Kunakiriyam''
*''Aniyara''
*''Anthithiri''
*''Veliyil Enikku Sthalamilla''
*''Nivedanam''
*''Idivandi'ailil ninnu''
*''model''
*''Ezhakal''
*''Pottiya Izhakal''
*''Nattuvelicham''
*''Daham''
*''Daivathekkal Njan pedikkunnathu''
*''Hridayanadam''
*''Sabdikkunna Kalappa''
*''Democracy''
Plays
*''Kathirukanakkili''
*''Bharthavu''
*''Jethakkal''
*''Premaviplavam''
*''Swargam Nanikunnu''
*''Pooja''
*''Njan oradhikappattanu''
*''Vazhi Thurannu''
*''Visarikku Kattu Venda''
*''Karnan''
*''Manushya''
*''Althara''
*''Irumpumara''
*''Chalanam''
*''Thrumulkazhcha'' (Poetry)
*''Neeravi''
*''Ente Vazhithirivu '' (Autobiography)
References
External links
Negation in the works of Ponkunnam Varkey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Varkey, Ponkunnam
Malayali people
People from Alappuzha district
People from Kottayam district
Dramatists and playwrights from Kerala
Indian male short story writers
Indian male dramatists and playwrights
Malayalam-language writers
Malayalam short story writers
Malayalam-language dramatists and playwrights
Malayalam screenwriters
Malayalam poets
Malayalam film producers
1910 births
2004 deaths
Recipients of the Ezhuthachan Award
20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights
20th-century Indian short story writers
Film producers from Kerala
Indian male screenwriters
Indian male poets
20th-century Indian poets
People of the Kingdom of Travancore
20th-century Indian male writers
20th-century Indian screenwriters