S. K. Pottekkatt
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sankarankutty Kunjiraman Pottekkatt (14 March 1913 – 6 August 1982) was an Indian writer 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 ...
and a politician 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 India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. He was also a great traveller among the Keralites, who wrote many travelogues for the people who have been unintroduced to the outside world. He was the author of nearly sixty books which include ten novels, twenty-four collections of short stories, three anthologies of poems, eighteen
travelogue Travelogue may refer to: Genres * Travel literature, a record of the experiences of an author travelling * Travel documentary A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or t ...
s, four plays, a collection of essays and a couple of books based on personal reminiscences. He is a recipient of
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel The Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel is an award given every year by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy) to Malayalam writers for writing a novel of literary merit. It is one of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award#Awards, twelv ...
,
Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...
and 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 ...
. His works have been translated into English, Italian, Russian, German and Czech, besides all major Indian languages.


Biography

S. K. Pottekkatt was born on March 14, 1913, in
Thiyya The Ezhavas () are a community with origins in the region of India presently known as Kerala, where in the 2010s they constituted about 23% of the population and were reported to be the largest Hindu community. They are also known as ''Ilhava'' ...
family
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 ...
(Kozhikode) to Kunjiraman Pottekkat, an English school teacher and his wife, Kittuli. After early schooling at Ganapath School, he
matriculated Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now. ...
from Zamorin's High School in Calicut in 1929 and passed the intermediate examination from
Zamorin's Guruvayurappan College The Zamorin's Guruvayurappan College is an aided college in Kozhikode, Kerala, India offering graduation and post-graduation courses. It is affiliated to the University of Calicut. History The original institution was founded by the Zamorin ...
, Calicut in 1934 but could not find a job for three years, a period which he utilised for studying classics from Indian and western literature. In 1937, he joined Calicut Gujarati School as a teacher where he taught for almost three years. He was involved with activities of the
Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
and attended the
Tripuri Tripuri refer to: *Tripuri people, an ethnic group in India and Bangladesh, also known as Tipra people **Tripuri language **Tripuri nationalism **Tripuri calendar **Tripuri culture **Tripuri cuisine **Tripuri dances **Tripuri dress **Tripuri games ...
session of 1939 for which he resigned from the job as the school authorities did not allow him to leave of absence. Subsequently, he moved to
Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...
and
Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and division ...
where he stayed until 1945, doing many jobs. After returning to Kerala in 1945, he travelled to many parts of India and went on his first overseas tour in 1949 when he visited
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
,
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
and
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. In 1952, he again went overseas to visit
Ceylon Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
,
Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...
, and
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
. Pottekkatt married Jayavalli in 1950 and the couple had two sons and two daughters. His wife died in 1980 and two years later, he suffered a paralytic stroke in July 1982, and he died on August 6, 1982, in a private hospital in Calicut."സഞ്ചാരിയായ എഴുത്തുകാരന്‍!"
. ''Mathrubhumi''. Retrieved 4 March 2019.


Literary career and travels

Pottekkatt published his first story, "Rajaneethi", in the college magazine of
Zamorin's Guruvayurappan College The Zamorin's Guruvayurappan College is an aided college in Kozhikode, Kerala, India offering graduation and post-graduation courses. It is affiliated to the University of Calicut. History The original institution was founded by the Zamorin ...
in 1928. "Makane Konna Madyam" (poem published in ''Athmavidya Kahalam'') and "Hindu Muslim Maithri" (story published in ''Deepam'') were some of his notable early works. The story "Vydyutha Shakthi" came in the February 1934 issue of ''
Mathrubhumi Illustrated Weekly ''Mathrubhumi Azhchappathippu'' ( en, Mathrubhumi Illustrated Weekly) is an Indian general interest weekly magazine published by the Mathrubhumi Printing and Publishing Company in Calicut. The Malayalam language magazine started publishing on 18 ...
''. He wrote his first novel, '' Naadanpremam'', a romantic story set in
Mukkam Mukkam is a major municipality town in Kozhikode, state of Kerala, India. Mukkam is one of the major regional suburb of the Kozhikode district. Mukkam is located about 27 km east of Calicut city on the bank of river Iruvanjippuzha, one of th ...
, a small hamlet in
Kozhikode district Kozhikode (), or Calicut district, is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala, along its Southwestern Malabar Coast. The city of Kozhikode, also known as Calicut, is the district headquarters. The district is 67.15% urbanised. ...
, in 1939 while he was in Bombay and the novel was eventually published in 1941. This was followed by ''Yavanikakku Pinnil'', a short story anthology, and the second novel ''Vishakanyaka''; the latter would receive a prize from the Madras government in 1949. Two travelogues were the next two publications, ''Kappirikalude Naattil'' (''In the Land of the Negroes'') and ''Innathe Europe'' (''The Europe Today''), both based on his first overseas tour. He published '' Oru Theruvinte Katha'' in 1960 and his magnum opus, ''
Oru Desathinte Katha ''Oru Desathinte Katha'' ( en, The Story of a Locale) is a 1971 Malayalam novel written by S. K. Pottekkatt. It portrays the people of Athiranippadam, drawing on history while detailing the story of one place. It won the Kendra Sahitya Academy ...
'', in 1971. Pottekkatt was a writer of strong social commitment and ideals, possessing an individualistic vision. He is reported to be the pioneer of the genre of
travelogues Travelogue may refer to: Genres * Travel literature, a record of the experiences of an author travelling * Travel documentary A travel documentary is a documentary film, television program, or online series that describes travel in general or t ...
in India and its most notable practitioner in
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 ...
which earned him the moniker, the ''
John Gunther John Gunther (August 30, 1901 – May 29, 1970) was an American journalist and writer. His success came primarily by a series of popular sociopolitical works, known as the "Inside" books (1936–1972), including the best-selling '' Insi ...
of Malayalam''. Poetry anthologies like ''Sanchariyude Geethangal'' and ''Premashilpi'', ''Achan'' (play), novels like ''Premashiksha'' and ''Moodupadam'', short story anthologies such as ''Nishagandhi'', ''Pulliman'' and ''Chandrakatham'', travelogues viz. ''Simhabhoomi'', ''Nile Diary'' and ''Pathira Sooryante Nattil'' as well as memoirs like ''Ponthakkadukal'' and ''Samsarikkunna Diarykurippukal'' are some of his other major works. His works have been translated into English, Italian, Russian, German and Czech, besides all major Indian languages. An Italian anthology of ''The Best Short Stories of the World'' published from Milan in 1971 included his ''Braanthan Naaya'' (Mad Dog). A collection of eleven of his short stories in Russian had a sensational sales of one hundred thousand copies in two weeks. His stories have made into feature films in Malayalam; ''
Naadan Premam ''Naadan Premam'' ( en, Love in the Countryside) is a Malayalam novel written by S. K. Pottekkatt in 1941. It is a short novel written when the author was in Bombay and tells the story of an innocent village belle jilted by a modern man-about-tow ...
'', ''
Moodupadam ''Moodupadam'' is a 1963 Malayalam language film directed by Ramu Kariat and scripted by K. T. Muhammed based on S. K. Pottekkatt's novel of the same name. Sathyan and Ambika play the lead roles. It is a social film about the relationship betwee ...
'', '' Pulliman'' and '' Njavalppazhangal'' are some of them. '' Kadavu'', a 1991 film written directed by
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 ...
based on his short story "Kadathuthoni", received prizes at several international film festivals. The 2015 film ''Manikyam'' was an adaptation of the novel ''Prema Shiksha''.


Political career

Pottekkatt contested twice as independent candidate in elections to
Indian Parliament The Parliament of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the ...
from
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 (Karna ...
under the banner of the
Communist Party of India Communist Party of India (CPI) is the oldest Marxist–Leninist communist party in India and one of the nine national parties in the country. The CPI was founded in modern-day Kanpur (formerly known as Cawnpore) on 26 December 1925. H ...
, the first in 1957 to the
2nd Lok Sabha The Second Lok Sabha (5 April 1957 – 31 March 1962) was elected after the 1957 Indian general election. The 2nd Lok Sabha lasted its full tenure of five years till 1962. 15 sitting members from Rajya Sabha were elected to 2nd Lok Sabha after ...
when he lost to M. K. Jinachandran by 1000 votes and the next in 1962 to the
3rd Lok Sabha List of Members of the 3rd Lok Sabha, (2 April 1962 – 3 March 1967) elected February–March 1962. The Lok Sabha (House of the People) is the lower house in the Parliament of India. The election was held for 494 seats out of which Indian nati ...
when he defeated Sukumar Azhikode by a margin of 66,000 votes; he served out his term until 1967.


Awards and honours

''Oru Theruvinte Katha'' (The Story of a Street), a novel based on Mittai Theruvu, a popular street in Kozhikode known for
sweetmeat Confectionery is the art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categories ...
and
halvah Halva (also halvah, halwa, and other spellings, Persian : حلوا) is a type of confectionery originating from Persia and widely spread throughout the Middle East. The name is used for a broad variety of recipes, generally a thick paste made ...
stalls, received the
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel The Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel is an award given every year by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy) to Malayalam writers for writing a novel of literary merit. It is one of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award#Awards, twelv ...
in 1961. His
biographical novel The biographical novel is a genre of novel which provides a fictional account of a contemporary or historical person's life. Like other forms of biographical fiction, details are often trimmed or reimagined to meet the artistic needs of the fiction ...
,
Oru Desathinte Katha ''Oru Desathinte Katha'' ( en, The Story of a Locale) is a 1971 Malayalam novel written by S. K. Pottekkatt. It portrays the people of Athiranippadam, drawing on history while detailing the story of one place. It won the Kendra Sahitya Academy ...
was selected for the
Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...
in 1972. Eight years later, in 1980, the novel earned Pottekkatt 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 honour in India. In 1982, the
University of Calicut The University of Calicut, also known as Calicut University, is a State ownership, state-run public university headquartered at Tenhipalam in Malappuram district of the state of Kerala, India. Established in 1968, it is the first university to ...
honoured him with the
honoris causa 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 ...
degree of the
Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Doctor ...
.
India Post India Post is a government-operated postal system in India, part of the Department of Post under the Ministry of Communications. Generally known as the Post Office, it is the most widely distributed postal system in the world. Warren Hastings ha ...
issued a commemorative postal stamp on him in 2003, as a part of their ''Jnanpith Award Winners''. ''
Malayala Manorama ''Malayala Manorama'' is a morning newspaper in Malayalam published from Kottayam, Kerala, India by the Malayala Manorama Company Limited. Currently headed by Mammen Mathew; it was first published as a weekly on 22 March 1888, and currently has ...
'' and ''
Madhyamam ''Madhyamam'' (meaning ''Medium'') is a Malayalam-language newspaper published in Kerala, India, since 1987.festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...
s on Pottekkatt on the occasion of his birth centenary.


Bibliography


Novels


Short stories


Travelogues


Poetry


Drama


Others


Translations into other languages

* * * * *Many works are translated to Tamil by Su Ra.


Films

* ''
Moodupadam ''Moodupadam'' is a 1963 Malayalam language film directed by Ramu Kariat and scripted by K. T. Muhammed based on S. K. Pottekkatt's novel of the same name. Sathyan and Ambika play the lead roles. It is a social film about the relationship betwee ...
'' (1963) (based on the novel ''Moodupadam'') * ''
Naadan Premam ''Naadan Premam'' ( en, Love in the Countryside) is a Malayalam novel written by S. K. Pottekkatt in 1941. It is a short novel written when the author was in Bombay and tells the story of an innocent village belle jilted by a modern man-about-tow ...
'' (1972) (based on the novel ''
Naadan Premam ''Naadan Premam'' ( en, Love in the Countryside) is a Malayalam novel written by S. K. Pottekkatt in 1941. It is a short novel written when the author was in Bombay and tells the story of an innocent village belle jilted by a modern man-about-tow ...
'') * '' Pulliman'' (1972) (based on the story "Pulliman") * '' Njavalppazhangal'' (1976) (based on the story "Njavalppazhangal") * ''Ottakam'' (1978) (based on the story "Ottakam") * ''Thaala'' (1988) * '' Kadavu'' (1991) (based on the story "Kadathuthoni") * ''Manikyam'' (2015) (based on the novel ''Prema Shiksha'')


References


Further reading

* * * * * * *


External links

* * * * * *
Ambikasuthan Mangad Ambikasuthan Mangad is an Indian Malayalam language writer. He was a professor of Malayalam at Nehru Arts and Science College, Kanhangad. His literary contributions range from short stories to novels in Malayalam. He has written more than 40 bo ...

Review of the famous story "Pulliman"
''Madhyamam Weekly. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pottekkat, Sankaran 1913 births 1982 deaths Indian travel writers Indian male novelists Indian male short story writers Indian diarists Indian memoirists Writers from Kozhikode Malayalam-language writers Malayalam novelists Malayalam short story writers Malayalam poets Recipients of the Jnanpith Award Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Malayalam Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award India MPs 1962–1967 20th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian poets Indian male poets Lok Sabha members from Kerala Politicians from Kozhikode 20th-century Indian short story writers 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Indian male dramatists and playwrights Novelists from Kerala Poets from Kerala 20th-century Indian essayists Journalists from Kerala Dramatists and playwrights from Kerala 20th-century Indian male writers 20th-century memoirists 20th-century diarists