Punalur Balan (1927–1987) was an Indian writer and a poet in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

. He was born on 3 January 1927 in

Punalur Punalur is a Municipality in Kollam district of Kerala State in India. It is the headquarter of the Punalur Taluk and Punalur Revenue Division. It's situated in the eastern part of Kollam district of Kerala, on the banks of the Kallada River an ...

Kollam district Kollam district (), (formerly Quilon district) is one of 14 List of districts in Kerala, districts of the state of Kerala, India. The district has a cross-section of Kerala's natural attributes; it is endowed with a long coastline, a major Lac ...

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 ...

. From his student days he was associated with the Communist movement and shot to fame during the ' Pink Decade' in

poetry. Balan wrote lyrics and songs profusely for the cultural forums of the Communist Party and when the Kerala People's Arts Club (KPAC) staged its first play ''Ente Makananu Sari'' Balan penned the lyrics. After taking his B.A. and B.Ed. he became a school teacher. He took his M.A. in Malayalam and became a journalist. Later he joined the State Institute of Languages as a Research Officer.

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 was given to his collection ''Kottayile Pattu'' in 1975. His poems are marked by a unique force which stems from the use of condensed language aimed at expressing the subtle human experiences of the modern man viewed through the Marxist angle tinged with piercing social satire. He died on 19 March 1987.

Selected works

*''Thudikkunna Thaalukal'' *''Raaman Raaghavan'' *''Kottayile Paattu'' *''Mruthasanjeevani'' *''Aram'' *''Iruttil Pothinja Thirinaalam''

References

*''Punalur Balan Porushathinte Shakthigaadha'', Vilakkudi Rajendran; Current Books,

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 ...

. *''Malayala Kavitha Sahithya Charithram'', M. Leelavathy, Kerala Sahithya Akademy, Thrissur. *

External links

www.kerala.gov.in
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balan, Punalur 1927 births 1987 deaths Malayalam-language writers Malayalam poets Indian Marxist poets Indian Communist poets Sree Narayana College, Kollam alumni People from Kollam district Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award 20th-century Indian poets Poets from Kerala Indian male poets