Ittyanath Kunjikrishna Menon (9 December 1919 – 12 January 2011), better known as I. K. K. Menon or I. K. K. M., 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 ...

writer 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. He also served as Secretary to the

Election Commission of India The Election Commission of India (ECI) is a constitutional body. It was established by the Constitution of India to conduct and regulate elections in the country. Article 324 of the Constitution provides that the power of superintendence, di ...

(ECI).

Life

Menon was born on 9 December 1919 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 ...

was a member of Ittyanath family, Villadom, Thrissur. Menon was educated in Thrissur and erstwhile

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 ...

. He went to

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 ...

in 1945 and joined government of India service as an officer at the Constituent Assembly Secretariat. He retired as Secretary to the Election Commission of India in 1977. Menon wrote 150 articles, 175 short stories, five short story collections, novels, stories for children, and biographies in English and Malayalam. His works include ''Meghangalkidayil Mayil, Nigoodaniswanangal, IKKMinte Kathakal, Wild Flur, Palayanam, Kunjhalimarakkar, Folk Tales of Kerala, Story of Ayurveda, Parakkunna Raniyum Koottukarum'', and biographies of

Appu Nedungadi Appu Nedungadi (11 October 1863 6 November 1933) is the author of ''Kundalatha'', which was published in 1887, making it as the first novel published in Malayalam. He was the founder/editor of literary publications ''Kerala Pathrika'', ''Kerala ...

Cartoonist Shankar Kesava Shankar Pillai (31 July 1902 – 26 December 1989), better known as Shankar, was an Indian cartoonist. He is considered the father of political cartooning in India. He founded ''Shankar's Weekly'', India's ''Punch'' in 1948. ''Shankar's ...

and Sultana Razia. Menon won 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 2003. I.K.K. Menon was married to Chaenkalath Leela. Their daughter Visalakshi Menon was Associate Professor of history at

Jesus and Mary College Jesus and Mary College (JMC) is a women-only college of the University of Delhi located in New Delhi, India. The college offers bachelor's degrees in Commerce, Arts, and Mathematics. The college offers honors degrees in Elementary Education, H ...

Delhi University Delhi University (DU), formally the University of Delhi, is a collegiate university, collegiate Central university (India), central university located in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly and ...

. Menon died on 12 January 2011, at his residence in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

."Writer IKK Menon passes away"
. ''Mathrubhumi'' . 13 January 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menon, I. K. K. 1919 births 2011 deaths Writers from Thrissur Malayali people Indian male novelists Indian children's writers Indian columnists Malayalam-language writers Malayalam novelists Malayalam short story writers Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award 20th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian short story writers Novelists from Kerala 20th-century Indian male writers