K. Ravindran (1945–2011), better known by his pen-name Chintha Ravi, was an Indian writer, journalist, film critic and film director.

Biography

Born in Kannadikkal in

Kozhikode 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 ...

as the son of Kunnummal Krishnan and Lakshmi, Ravindran studied at Kozhikode Malabar Christian School,

Malabar Christian College The Malabar Christian College (MCC), established in 1909, is one of the oldest institutions located in Kozhikode, Kerala, India. History It was established by Protestant Christian missionaries from Basel, Switzerland with the aim to impart educa ...

, and did a journalism course at the

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is an Indian educational trust. It was founded on 7 November 1938 by Dr K.M Munshi, with the support of Mahatma Gandhi. The trust programmes through its 119 centres in India, 7 centres abroad and 367 constituent instit ...

Mumbai 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- ...

. He started his sojourn into literature with ''Athiranippookkal'' a children's book published by National Book Stall. He was only a pre-degree student then. Although he was not too politically active during his school and college days, Ravindran's association with reading rooms and libraries with Leftist leanings led him to the path of discussion and thought. He began his professional writing career with ''Searchlight'' where cinema was a specific subject of his words. He soon joined

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 ...

's ideological journal ''Chintha'' and later became a member of the editorial board of the weekly, which earned him the pen-name Chintha Ravi. He also worked for a while with the ''

Kalakaumudi ''Kalakaumudi'' ( is an illustrated weekly news magazine published in Malayalam language from Kerala, India. It is printed in Thiruvananthapuram and distributed throughout Kerala by Kalakaumudi Publications Pvt. Ltd. ''Kalakaumudi'' was launc ...

'' weekly. His association with ''Kalakaumudi'' led him to the world of travelogues with "Ente Yathrakal". As a writer, he is best known for his travelogues like ''Swiss Sketchukal'', ''Akalangalile Manushyar'' and ''Buddha Patham''. ''Akalangalile Manushyar'' (''Men in Distant Places'') was the result of his journeys to remote villages of India. ''Buddha Patham'' not only focused on India, but also his tours abroad, including the heart of Europe. He also made the first television travelogue ''Ente Keralam'', that visualised

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 ...

's natural and cultural features by touring every nook and cranny of the state. ''Ente Keralam'' won 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 ...

Award for Best Travelogue. His ''Cinemayude Rashtreeyam'', a book on art criticism and cinema, won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Book on Cinema in 1990. He debuted as a director with the Telugu film ''Harijan''. His film ''

Ore Thooval Pakshikal ''Ore Thooval Pakshikal'' ( en, Birds of the Same Feather) is a 1988 Malayalam film written, directed and produced by Chintha Ravi. The film, in a docu-drama style, depicts the last days of the British Raj. It stars Balan K. Nair, Tom Alter, Ni ...

'' (1988), featuring music by

G. Aravindan Govindan Aravindan (23 January 1935 – 15 March 1991) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, musician, cartoonist, and painter. He was one of the pioneers of parallel cinema in Malayalam. He was known for his unorthodox way of filmma ...

, won many accolades including the

Kerala State Film Award for Best Film The Kerala State Film Award for Best Film is an award presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India to the best film in Malayalam cinema. The awards are managed directly by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy under the Department ...

. He also directed several documentaries including the

national award The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate ...

-winning ''Maunam Sowmanasyam'', a documentary on G. Aravindan. His films were inspired by the Neo-Gramscianist theories. He also acted a small part in P.A. Backer's ''

Kabani Nadi Chuvannappol ''Kabani Nadi Chuvannappol'' (''When the River Kabani Turned Red'') is a 1975 Malayalam feature film directed by P. A. Backer, produced by Pavithran, and starring T. V. Chandran, Shalini, Raveendran and J. Siddiqui. This leftist political drama ...

'' (1975). His visual travelogue serial entitled ''Ente Keralam'' was telecast in

Asianet Asianet may refer to: Disney Star channels *Asianet Communications, an Indian media company wholly owned by Disney Star **Asianet (TV channel), a Malayalam language general entertainment channel **Asianet Plus, a Malayalam language general entertai ...

for many years. Ravi traveled even to the remote villages of Kerala for this programme. Chintha Ravi died on 4 July 2011, aged 65, at a private hospital in

Thrissur Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...

. He was under treatment for lung cancer. He is survived by wife N Chandrika, daughter of writer Devaki Nilayangode, and son Thathagathan, an anthropology research scholar in the University of Texas.

Bibliography

; Travelogues * ''Akalangalile Manushyar'' * ''Digaruvile Aanakal'' * ''Swiss Sketchukal'' * ''Mediterranean Venal'' * ''Vazhikal Vyakthikal Ormakal'' * ''Budhapatham'' * ''Seethakala Yathrakal'' * ''Ente Yathrakal'' * ''Raveendrante Yathrakal'' (collection of all travelogues) ; Others * ''Athiranippookkal'' * ''Kadine Nokkumbol Ilakale Kannunnathu'' * ''Antonio Gramsci'' * ''Cinemayude Rashtreeyam'' * ''Kalavimarsam: Marxist Manadandam

Filmography

* ''Harijan'' * ''Iniyum Marichittillatha Nammal'' (1980) * ''

'' (1988)

References

External links

*
Chintha Ravi
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

Movie Database
Profile of Chintha Ravi
at Cinemaofmalayalam.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Ravi, Chintha 1945 births 2011 deaths Deaths from lung cancer Indian film critics Journalists from Kerala Malayalam film directors Writers from Kozhikode Indian male film actors Indian Marxist journalists Malayalam screenwriters Malayalam-language writers Kerala State Film Award winners Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award Malabar Christian College alumni 20th-century Indian journalists Indian travel writers Film directors from Thrissur 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Screenwriters from Kerala 20th-century Indian film directors Malayalam film producers Film producers from Kerala