Vennikkulam Gopala Kurup (1902–1980) was an Indian poet, playwright, translator, lexicographer and story writer of
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 ...
. He was the author of a number of poetry anthologies, besides other works, and he translated '' Abhijnana Shakuntalam'', '' Tulsi Ramayana'', ''
Tirukkuṛaḷ
The ''Tirukkuṟaḷ'' ( ta, திருக்குறள், lit=sacred verses), or shortly the ''Kural'' ( ta, குறள்), is a classic Tamil language text consisting of 1,330 short couplets, or kurals, of seven words each. The text ...
'', the poems of
Subramania Bharati
C. Subramania Bharathi Birth name: C. Subramaniyan, the person's given name: Subramaniyan, father's given name: Chinnaswami. (C. Subramaniyan by the prevalent patronymic initials as prefix naming system in Tamil Nadu and it is Subramaniyan C ...
and two cantos of ''
The Light of Asia
''The Light of Asia'', or ''The Great Renunciation'' (''Mahâbhinishkramana''), is a book by Sir Edwin Arnold. The first edition of the book was published in London in July 1879.
In the form of a narrative poem, the book endeavours to describ ...
'' of
Edwin Arnold
Sir Edwin Arnold KCIE CSI (10 June 183224 March 1904) was an English poet and journalist, who is most known for his work ''The Light of Asia''.Odakkuzhal Award
''Odakkuzhal'' is a 1975 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by P. N. Menon and produced by M. P. Navakumar. The film stars Sheela, Jose Prakash, P. J. Antony and Alummoodan in the lead roles. The film has musical score by M. K. Arjunan ...
and Thirukural Award, Kurup received the
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry
The Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry is an award given every year by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy) to Malayalam writers for writing poetry of literary merit. It is one of the twelve categories of the Kerala Sahitya A ...
in 1966.
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...
Vennikulam
Vennikulam (വെണ്ണിക്കുളം)is a small town situated in the bank of Manimala River Near Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, South India. Town is located midway between Pullad and Mallapally towns. It Is Part Of T ...
in
Pathanamthitta district
Pathanamthitta District (), is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. The district headquarters is in the town of Pathanamthitta. There are four municipalities in Pathanamthitta: Adoor, Pandalam, Pathanamthitta and Thiruval ...
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 Cherukattumadathil Padmanabha Kurup and Lakshmi Kunjamma. After learning the basics of
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 ...
from his father, he completed his primary education under Kochu Pilla, a local teacher, and joined the local school at Vennikulam, where he had the opportunity to learn under Kaviyoor Vekitachalam Iyer and A. Sahasranama Iyer to pass the 7th standard. Subsequently, he started his career as a teacher in 1917, but continued his studies to pass the vidwan examination after which he joined the English school vennikulam started by Kandathil Varghese Mappillai in 1918. Later, he shifted to
Tiruvalla
Thiruvalla, alternately spelled Tiruvalla, is a town in Kerala and the Headquarters of the Taluk of the same name located in Pathanamthitta district in the State of Kerala, India. The town is spread over an area of . It lies on the banks of ...
to join M.G.M. High School in 1924 where he stayed for 25 years until joining the Malayalam Lerxicon and State Manuscripts Library, the present-day
Oriental Research Institute & Manuscripts Library
The Oriental Research Institute & Manuscripts Library, University of Kerala, is one of the leading centres of Indology in India. It is located at Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The institute carry out researches on Indian language ma ...
, as a librarian. During his stint at Tiruvalla, he was also associated with
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 ...
, assisting in selecting poems for publishing in the weekly, an assignment he got when
K. C. Mammen Mappillai
K. C. Mammen Mappillai (1873 – 31 December 1953) was an Indian journalist, who became editor of the Malayalam language daily Malayala Manorama after his paternal uncle Kandathil Varghese Mappillai died. Besides being a noted journalist, he was ...
became fascinated with one of the speeches Kurup made at
Orthodox Theological Seminary, Kottayam
The Orthodox Theological Seminary also known as Old Seminary (Pazhaya Seminari) is a seminary of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. It was founded in 1815 by Colonel John Munro with the help of the priest-monk Pulikkottil Joseph Ittoop Ramban ...
in 1926. He superannuated from official service in 1961.
Gopala Kurup was married to Mepral Mangattuveettil Madhavi Pilla, the marriage taking place in 1932.Sahithyakara Directory ; Kerala Sahithya Academy,Thrissur He died on August 29 , 1980, at the age of 78.
His tomb is at Vennikulam Manimala River Shore.
Legacy
Kurup's oeuvre comprises 19 poetry anthologies, two plays viz. ''Kalidasante Kanmani'' and ''Priyamvada'', one book of folk tales, ''Thacholi Othenan'', and a book of children's literature titled ''Katha Nakshathrangal''. Known to have been influenced by
Vallathol Narayana Menon
Vallathol Narayana Menon (Malayalam: വള്ളത്തോൾ നാരായണ മേനോൻ) (16 October 1878 – 13 March 1958) was a Malayalam poet and one of the triumvirate of modern Malayalam poetry, along with Asan and Ulloor ...
, his poems are noted for their spiritual undertone. While working at the manuscripts library, he was involved in the preparation of ''Kairali Kosham''. Besides, he translated '' Abhijnana Shakuntalam'', '' Tulsi Ramayana'', ''
Tirukkuṛaḷ
The ''Tirukkuṟaḷ'' ( ta, திருக்குறள், lit=sacred verses), or shortly the ''Kural'' ( ta, குறள்), is a classic Tamil language text consisting of 1,330 short couplets, or kurals, of seven words each. The text ...
'', the poems of
Subramania Bharati
C. Subramania Bharathi Birth name: C. Subramaniyan, the person's given name: Subramaniyan, father's given name: Chinnaswami. (C. Subramaniyan by the prevalent patronymic initials as prefix naming system in Tamil Nadu and it is Subramaniyan C ...
under the title, ''Bharatiyude Kavithakal''. and two cantos of ''
The Light of Asia
''The Light of Asia'', or ''The Great Renunciation'' (''Mahâbhinishkramana''), is a book by Sir Edwin Arnold. The first edition of the book was published in London in July 1879.
In the form of a narrative poem, the book endeavours to describ ...
'' of
Edwin Arnold
Sir Edwin Arnold KCIE CSI (10 June 183224 March 1904) was an English poet and journalist, who is most known for his work ''The Light of Asia''. He also published his autobiography under the title, ''Athmarekha''.
Awards and honours
The
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 ...
selected Kurup's poetry anthology, ''Manikyaveena'', for their annual award for poetry in 1966. Three years later, his translation, ''Tulasidaasaramayanam'', fetched him the 1969
Odakkuzhal Award
''Odakkuzhal'' is a 1975 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by P. N. Menon and produced by M. P. Navakumar. The film stars Sheela, Jose Prakash, P. J. Antony and Alummoodan in the lead roles. The film has musical score by M. K. Arjunan ...
.
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...
, the National academy of letters, honoured him with their annual award in 1974, work ''Kamasurabhi'' earning him the honours. He was awarded the titles ''Sahithya Nipunan'' by the
Maharaja
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...
of
Kochi
Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...
and 'Sahithyakalanidhi' by the Kerala chapter of the
Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha
Dakshina Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha is an organisation whose main goal is to improve Hindi language, Hindi literacy among the non-Hindi speaking people of South India. The headquarters are located at Thanikachalam Road, T. Nagar, Chennai.
The ...
. Kurup, who represented Kerala at the national poets' meetings held at
Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
,
Calcutta
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...
and
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
, was also a recipient of the Thirukkural Award and 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 from the Kanpur University.
List of Malayalam-language authors by category
The field of Malayalam writers include the following people, from various disciplines and periods.
Art criticism
*Mani Madhava Chakyar (1899–1990)
Poetry
* Arnos Paathiri (1681–1732)
*Cherusseri Namboothiri
*Irayimman Thampi
* Kattakaya ...
*
List of Malayalam-language authors
List of Malayalam-language authors lists writers in Malayalam who already have Wikipedia pages. References for the information appear on the linked Wikipedia pages. The list is incomplete – please help to expand it by adding Wikipedia page-own ...