Cherukad Govinda Pisharodi (26 August 1914 – 28 October 1976), commonly known as Cherukad, was a

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 ...

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or w ...

and political activist, associated with the

Communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, ...

movement in

Kerala state 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 Can ...

, India.

Biography

Cherukad was born in Chemmalasseri in Perinthalmanna taluk to Kizheettil Pisharath Karunakara Pisharody and Cherukad Pisharath Narayani Pisharasiar. He got elementary training in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

from Guru Gopalanezhuthachan. After completing high school education, he joined as a teacher in Chemmala Aided Mappila School. He passed Vidvan Examination from

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 ...

and worked in many schools as teacher before joining Pattambi Sanskrit College as Lecturer. In 1936, Cherukad married Kizheettil Pisharath Lakshmi Pisharasiar. Their son K. P. Mohanan is a noted writer. Cherukad's politically charged writing was influential in defining the

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 S ...

of the fifties and sixties. His political life was connected with the lives of the leading politicians and patriots of Kerala. Cherukad was one of the founding members of the Deshabhimani Study Circle, a progressive literary movement in Kerala and the predecessor of the

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 ...

. Some of his important works are ''Jeevithappatha'', ''Tharavaditham'', ''Manushyabandhangal'', ''Namal Onnu'', ''Manushya Hridayangal'', ''Janmabhumi'', ''Devalokam'', ''Manninte Maril'' (''On the Bosom of the Soil''), '' Muthassi'' and ''Sanidasa''. His autobiography ''Jeevithappatha'' (1974) received the

Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award is given each year, since 1958, by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy), to Malayalam writers for their outstanding books of literary merit. The awards are given in various categories.

in 1975 and

Kendra 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 1977. Cherukad died on 28 October 1976. The

Cherukad Award Cherukad Award is an annual award given for literary works in Malayalam. The award was instituted in 1978 by Cherukad Smaraka Trust at Perinthalmanna, Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November ...

is an annual literary award given in his memory.

Works

Novel

* '' Muthassi'' * ''Manninte Maaril'' * ''Bhooprabhu'' * ''Maranapathram'' * ''Sanidasa'' * ''Devalokam''

Play

* ''Snehabandhangal'' * ''Manushyahridayangal'' * ''Kutti Thampuran'' * ''Vaalnakshatram'' * ''Visuddha Nuna'' * ''Chittu Vilakku'' * ''Tharavaditham'' * ''Nammalonnu'' * ''Swathanthra'' * ''Mulankoottam'' * ''Adima'' * ''Janmabhumi'' * ''Anakkettu'' * ''Rakteswari'' * ''Kodumkaattu'' * ''Kutti Thampuratti'' * ''Doctor Kachan'' * ''Odukkathe Onam''

Short story

* ''Chekkuthante Koodu'' * ''Theruvinte Kutti'' * ''Mudra Motiram'' * ''Chuttan Moori'' * ''Oru Divasam'' * ''Cherukadinte Kathakal''

Poetry

* ''Manushyane Maanikkuka'' * ''Anthappuram'' * ''Methaapp'' * ''Aradhana'' * ''Thiramala''

Autobiography

* ''Jeevithappatha''

References

External links

Article by C Radhakrishnan
* Public Relations Department,

Government of Kerala Government of Kerala is the subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decisio ...

. Retrieved 11 April 2011

''Deshabhimani Weekly'' special issue on the birth centenary of Cherukad
{{authority control 1914 births 1976 deaths Indian Marxist writers Indian male short story writers Indian political writers Indian male dramatists and playwrights Indian Marxists Poets from Kerala Malayalam-language writers Malayalam-language dramatists and playwrights Malayalam novelists Malayalam short story writers Malayalam poets Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Malayalam 20th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian poets 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian short story writers People from Malappuram district Dramatists and playwrights from Kerala Novelists from Kerala Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award