Potheri Kunjambu Vakil (1857-1919) was one of the earliest
Malayalam poets and a
Novelist,
Social worker
Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...
and
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
from
Kannur district.
Potheri Kunjambu is a writer who has written and worked for the upliftment of the downtrodden. He is best known for his novel ''Saraswati Vijayam''.
[Bagyaseelan Chalakkad(2009), ''"Kalvilakkukal"''. Vangmaya books, Kannur]
In his writings, he propagated the idea that the upliftment of the downtrodden was possible through education and the eradication of superstitions. He is said to have been the first to give the Pulaya bride the name ''Panchamar''.
Biography
Potheri Kunjambu was born on June 6, 1857 at Pannenpara,
Pallikunnu
Pallikkunnu is a small township in Kannur, Kerala state, in South India. It is in Kannur corporation, on the National Highway between Kannur and Taliparamba. It is three kilometers away from Kannur city.
Pallikunnu houses several educational i ...
near Kannur. After studying at Ezhuthupalli run by his father Potheri Kunjakkan, he was educated in
Sanskrit and
Malayalam. He later studied at the Government
English School, Kannur, passed matriculation and dropped out of higher education due to poverty.
Kunjambu worked as a court clerk for a short time and later passed the legal examination and proved his prowess as a lawyer in Taliparamba and Kannur. He rose to become a famous lawyer and was the legal advisor of the
Chirakkal royal family
Chirakkal Raja (King of Chirakkal) was the title of the most senior king of the Chirakkal branch of the Palli division of the Kolathiri dynasty, who ruled over the erstwhile feudal state of Kolathunadu, which was located in the modern-day Indian ...
.
The lawyer, who was traveling in a royal chariot, was also the landlord who owned several acres of land. Kunjambu Vakil was a fan of
Sree Narayana Guru.
[ ]
Kunjambhu has been married three times. His first wife Chiruthei had three children. Two of these were sons.
He married his third wife following the death of his second wife by lightning.
Works
He understood the problems of the evil community in which he was born. Kunjambu was more worried about the lives of the downtrodden brides than the Theas. He wrote sharp essays on religious reform and Sadhujana upliftment in newspapers like KeralaPatrika, Keralasanchari and Bhashaposhini.
He argued that a board should be formed for the administration of Hindu temples and that a certain percentage of the temple revenue should be used for the educational advancement of brides. In 1890, he established his own primary school for brides. Since the teachers did not even come forward from Theera, he assigned his own brother to teach there. Aware of the importance of women's education, Kunjambu sent her daughter to Madras Medical College to become a doctor and a role model for the society. Paruvamma, the daughter of a lawyer, was the first woman doctor in Malabar. Kunjambu also set up a printing press called Edward Press in Kannur. He has been the Chairman of Kannur Municipality for ten years. In his writings, he propagated the idea that the upliftment of the downtrodden was possible through education and the eradication of superstitions. He is said to have been the first to give the bride the name Panchamar.
Bibliography
*Saraswativijayam
See also
*
Muliyil Krishnan
References
{{Authority control
Malayalam poets
Poets from Kerala
People from Kannur district
19th-century Indian male writers
20th-century Indian male writers
19th-century Indian poets
20th-century Indian poets
1857 births
1919 deaths