Thirunalloor Karunakaran (8 October 1924 – 5 July 2006) was a poet, scholar, teacher and leftist intellectual 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 ...

, India.

Biography

Early life

Thirunalloor (variously spelled in English as Thiru''nelloor'', Thiru''nellur'' and Thiru''nallur'') Karunakaran was born in the village of

Perinad Perinad is a village in Kollam district in the state of Kerala, India. India census, Perinad had a population of 32,864 with 16,032 males and 16,832 females. Perinad is a fast-growing village at the outskirts of Kollam city. National Highway ...

Kollam Kollam (), also known by its former name Quilon , is an ancient seaport and city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city i ...

(

Quilon Kollam (), also known by its former name Quilon , is an ancient seaport and city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city i ...

) district in

to P. K. Padmanabhan and N. Lakshmy. He started learning

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 ...

in the traditional way before joining primary school and he associated with the working-class political movement early in his life. He published his first book, the

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

translation of a poem by

Oliver Goldsmith Oliver Goldsmith (10 November 1728 – 4 April 1774) was an Anglo-Irish novelist, playwright, dramatist and poet, who is best known for his novel ''The Vicar of Wakefield'' (1766), his pastoral poem ''The Deserted Village'' (1770), and his pl ...

, while in school. He wrote several poems while he was a student, as well as

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, a ...

and articles in various periodicals. He made his mark during the '' Pink Decade'' in Malayalam poetry. By the time he began college, his close contacts with Communist leaders like R. Sugathan and

M. N. Govindan Nair M. N. Govindan Nair (10 December 1910 – 27 November 1984), popularly known as MN, was an Indian communist politician born in Pandalam, in Pathanamthitta district, India. He is known as ''"Kerala Khrushchev"''. Political life M.N. began hi ...

made him a staunch sympathiser 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 ...

.Obituary reports on ''Thirunalloor Karunakaran'' published in various news papers on 6 July 2006

Career

After earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from S. N. College in Kollam, he worked as a tutor there for a brief period. Soon he joined a

University college In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

for post-graduate studies in Malayalam, where he completed some advanced study of Kerala history under

Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai Elamkulam P. N. Kunjan Pillai (8 November 1904 – 4 March 1973), known as Elamkulam, was an Indian historian, linguist and academic from southern Kerala, India. He was a pioneering scholar of southern Indian history, Kerala history, in partic ...

, a historian and scholar who was a major influence on Thirunalloor's intellectual life. After completing his Master of Arts in Malayalam, he joined the

government service A public service is any service intended to address specific needs pertaining to the aggregate members of a community. Public services are available to people within a government jurisdiction as provided directly through public sector agencies ...

as a college lecturer and taught at Government Arts College and University College. He served as a member of the

Kerala Public Service Commission The Kerala Public Service Commission (KPSC) is a body created by the Constitution of India to select applicants for civil service jobs in the Indian state of Kerala according to the merits of the applicants and the rules of reservation. The He ...

for 6 years. Later, he worked as the editor of ''

Janayugam ''Janayugom'' is a Malayalam daily newspaper published in Kerala, India. It is the official organ of the Kerala State Council of the Communist Party of India. It is the first newspaper in India using free software. Originally started in 1947 a ...

'', a weekly cultural magazine of the

. In 1973, he visited the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

as a member of the delegation of Indian writers who participated in the

Afro-Asian Writers Conference Afro-Asians, African Asians or simply Black Asians, often referred to as Blasians, are persons of mixed Asian and African ancestry. Historically, Afro-Asian populations have been marginalised as a result of human migration and social conflict ...

held in

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

. Awards conferred on him include the Asan Award (1984),

Vayalar Award The Vayalar Award is given for the best literary work in Malayalam. The award was instituted in 1977 by the Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Trust in memory of the poet and lyricist Vayalar Ramavarma (1928-1975). A sum of 25,000, a silver plate and ce ...

(1988), Muloor Award (1992), Abudabi Shakthi Award, and the

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 ...

Award for lifetime contributions (2000).

Final years

Though he lived in the city of

for more than three decades, Thirunalloor chose to spend the rest of his life in his native village of

on the banks of

Ashtamudi lake Ashtamudi Lake (''Ashtamudi Kayal''), in the Kollam District of the Indian state of Kerala, is the most visited backwater and lake in the state. It possesses a unique wetland ecosystem and a large palm-shaped (also described as octopus-shaped) ...

, which had been a constant source of inspiration for his poetry. He died on 5 July 2006 at his residence in

. He was buried without any customary religious rites or ceremonies, as he had wished. During his final years, he was engaged in writing a long poem titled 'Seetha' (

Sita Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She ...

), reinterpreting the

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th ...

legend. A three-day-long cultural festival called '

Thirunalloor Kavyolsavam Thirunalloor Kavyolsavam-is an annual cultural festival held in Quilon district in Kerala, India to commemorate poet Thirunalloor Karunakaran(1924-2006). It is organized from May 1 to 3 every year by Thirunalloor Smrithikendram, a memorial trust. A ...

' is held every year from 1 May (

International Workers' Day International Workers' Day, also known as Labour Day in some countries and often referred to as May Day, is a celebration of labourers and the working classes that is promoted by the international labour movement and occurs every year on 1 May, ...

) on the banks of the

to perpetuate his memory.

Writings and philosophy

Having studied

Marxism Marxism is a Left-wing politics, left-wing to Far-left politics, far-left method of socioeconomic analysis that uses a Materialism, materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to understand S ...

and

Indian philosophy Indian philosophy refers to philosophical traditions of the Indian subcontinent. A traditional Hindu classification divides āstika and nāstika schools of philosophy, depending on one of three alternate criteria: whether it believes the Veda ...

in depth, Thirunalloor, worked to combine the best aspects of both; this vision is a central theme in all of his poems. In many of his poems, he depicts the physical and spiritual experience of collective human labour as a creative process of self-assertion and the self-emancipation of mankind. ''Tharisu nilangalilekku'' (To the barren fields), ''Parayudappukar''(The Granite crushers), ''Adyathe Theevandi'' (The First Train), and ''Kayamkulam Kayal''(Kayamkulam Lake) all bear the stamp of this vision. The

and life on its shores was a key source of inspiration for his writings, and his poetry abounds with varied themes, characters, and imagery taken from this environment. He wrote also wrote short

dealing with soft transitory feelings and moods, as well as long

narrative poems Narrative poetry is a form of poetry that tells a story, often using the voices of both a narrator and characters; the entire story is usually written in metered verse. Narrative poems do not need rhyme. The poems that make up this genre may be s ...

that contain diverse characters and complex social situations.Articles and features on ''Thirunalloor Karunakaran'' published in various magazines and journals in July 2006 Several of his works, like lyrics written for various media and art forms like

Kadhaprasangam Kadhaprasangam (''lyrical narrative'' or ''story telling performance'') is a performing art of Kerala, India. Performance It combines speaking, acting, and singing to present a story. Costumes, make-up, or settings are not used. The main ar ...

and stageplays, as well as marching songs, articles, and writings in

, are yet to be compiled. This includes the Sanskrit translation of Kumaran Asan's ''Chandala Bhikshuki'' and studies in Indian

aesthetics Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed thr ...

. Thirunalloor was an atheist, who believed that Indian philosophy is essentially

materialistic Materialism is the view that the universe consists only of organized matter and energy. Materialism or materialist may also refer to: * Economic materialism, the desire to accumulate material goods * Christian materialism, the combination of Chris ...

and areligious. He strongly called for a critical evaluation of the

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; sa, श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता, lit=The Song by God, translit=śrīmadbhagavadgītā;), often referred to as the Gita (), is a 700- verse Hindu scripture that is part of the epic ''Mahabharata'' (c ...

and the philosophy of

Shankaracharya Shankaracharya ( sa, शङ्कराचार्य, , "Adi Shankara, Shankara-''acharya''") is a religious title used by the heads of amnaya monasteries called mathas in the Advaita Vedanta tradition of Hinduism. The title derives from Adi ...

(

Adi Shankara Adi Shankara ("first Shankara," to distinguish him from other Shankaras)(8th cent. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya ( sa, आदि शङ्कर, आदि शङ्कराचार्य, Ādi Śaṅkarācāryaḥ, lit=First Shanka ...

) to expose their darker sides. He said that Shankaracharya was a supporter of the

caste system Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...

and the Bhagavad Gita was an open sanction of violence.PachaMalayalam Monthly; January 2005,pp18-24; Quilon

Publications

Poetry and plays

*"Samagamam" (Long poem) *''Manjuthullikal'' (Collection of poems) *"Premam Madhuramanu Dheeravumanu" (Long narrative poem) *''Soundaryathinte padayalkal'' (Collection of poems) *"

Rani ''Rani'' in Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, sometimes spelled ''Ranee'', is a Hindu/Sanskrit feminine given name. The term is the female form of the term for princely rulers in South and Southeast Asia and applies equally to the wife of a ...

(Long narrative poem) *"Rathri" (Long narrative poem) *''Anthi Mayangumbol'' (Collection of lyrics) *"Tashkent" (Long narrative poem) *''Thirunalloor Karunakarante Kavithaka''l (Collection of poems) *"Vayalar" (Long narrative poem) *''Greeshma sandhyakal'' (Collection of poems) *''Puthumazha'' (Collection of poems for children) *''Meghasandesam'' (Translation of '' Meghaduta'' by

Kalidasa Kālidāsa (''fl.'' 4th–5th century CE) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on the Vedas, the Rāmāyaṇa, the Mahābhārata and ...

) *''Omarghayyaminte Gadhakal'' (Translation of '' Rubaiyat'' by

Omar Khayyam Ghiyāth al-Dīn Abū al-Fatḥ ʿUmar ibn Ibrāhīm Nīsābūrī (18 May 1048 – 4 December 1131), commonly known as Omar Khayyam ( fa, عمر خیّام), was a polymath, known for his contributions to mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, an ...

) *''Gypsikal'' (Translation of ''Gypsies'' by

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...

) *''AbhijnanaShakunthalam'' (Translation of '' Abhijnanasakuntalam'' by

)

Prose

*''Malayalabhashaparinamam Sidhanthangalum Vasthuthakalum'' (A study on the origin and evolution of

Malayalam language Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

) *''Oru Mahayudhathinte Paryavasanam'' (''

The Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

'' retold through an independent angle) *''Praacheena Bharathathile Bhouthikavaadam'' (Translation of ''In Defence of Materialism in Ancient India'' by

Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya (19 November 1918 – 8 May 1993) was an Indian Marxist philosopher. He made contributions to the exploration of the materialist current in ancient Indian philosophy. He is known for '' Lokayata: A Study in Ancient ...

) *''Anusmaranangal'' (Collection of articles)

Notes

References

External links

-Thirunalloor flays Parameswaran's commentst&type=Archive- Thirunalloor for movement to spread 'real Indian culture'-Thirunalloor laid to rest
* ttp://www.labourfile.org/ArticleMore.aspx?id=874 -Labour Revolution and Literature;P. Govinda Pillaibr>-www.devaragam.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Karunakaran, Thirunalloor Indian male poets Scholars from Kerala Indian materialists Malayalam poets Indian atheists Malayali people Poets from Kerala Malayalam-language writers Malayalam-language lyricists Indian Marxist writers Indian Marxist poets Indian Sanskrit scholars Indian Communist poets Communist Party of India politicians from Kerala Translators of Kalidasa Translators of Omar Khayyám Sree Narayana College, Kollam alumni Translators of Alexander Pushkin University College Thiruvananthapuram alumni University College Thiruvananthapuram faculty Writers from Kollam People from Kollam district 1924 births 2006 deaths 20th-century Indian translators 20th-century Indian poets