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Parutholli Chalappurathu Kuttikrishnan, popularly known by his pen name Uroob ( ml, ഉറൂബ്; 1915 – 1979) was an Indian writer of
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 ...
. Along with
Basheer Bashir or Basheer or the francicized Bachir or Bechir ( ar, بشير) is a male given name. Derived from Arabic, it means "the one who brings good news". It is also a surname. Bashir may refer to: Mononym * Bashir I, Lebanese emir of the Shih ...
,
Thakazhi Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (17 April 1912 – 10 April 1999), popularly known as Thakazhi after his place of birth, was an Indian novelist and short story writer of Malayalam literature. He wrote over 30 novels and novellas and over 7 shor ...
,
Kesavadev P. Kesava Pillai (20 July 1904 – 1 July 1983), better known by his pen-name P. Kesavadev, was a novelist and social reformer of Kerala, India. He is remembered for his speeches, autobiographies, novels, dramas, short stories, and films. ''Oday ...
, and Pottekkatt, Uroob was counted among the progressive writers in Malayalam during the twentieth century. He was known for his novels such as Sundarikalum Sundaranmarum and
Ummachu ''Ummachu'' (''Beloved'') is a Malayalam novel written by Uroob in 1954. ''Ummachu'' along with '' Sundarikalum Sundaranmarum'' are considered the best works by Uroob and are ranked among the finest novels in Malayalam. In ''Ummachu'', Uroob e ...
, short stories like ''Rachiyamma'' and the screenplays of a number of Malayalam films including ''
Neelakuyil ''Neelakuyil'' ( en, The Blue Cuckoo; ml, നീലക്കുയിൽ) is a 1954 Malayalam film jointly directed by P. Bhaskaran and Ramu Kariat. It is a neo-realistic melodrama and was based on a story written by Uroob who co-wrote the ...
'', the first Malayalam feature film to receive the
National Film 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 Directora ...
. He was a recipient of several honours including Kendra Sahithya Academy Award and the inaugural
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel The Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel is an award given every year by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy) to Malayalam writers for writing a novel of literary merit. It is one of the twelve categories of the Kerala Sahitya ...
.


Biography

P. C. Kuttikrishnan was born on June 8, 1915, to Karunakara Menon and Parukutty Amma at Pallapram, a small village near Ponnani, in
Malappuram district Malappuram (), is one of the List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala, with a coastline of . It is the most populous district of Kerala, which is home to around 13% of the to ...
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 ...
. His early education was at A. V. High School, Ponnani and after
matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now ...
, he travelled for six years, working at various places in India. During this period, he worked at a tea estate in the
Nilgiri hills The Nilgiri Mountains form part of the Western Ghats in northwestern Tamil Nadu, Southern Karnataka, and eastern Kerala in India. They are located at the trijunction of three states and connect the Western Ghats with the Eastern Ghats. At le ...
, a textile factory and K. R. Brothers Printers 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 l ...
, ''Mangalodhayam'' monthly, and joined the Kozhikode station of the
All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All ...
(AIR) in 1954. After retiring from service as a producer of AIR in 1975, he served as the editor of Kunkumam weekly for a while before joining
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 ...
in 1976 where he worked as the chief editor of ''Malayala Manorama weekly'' and Bhashaposhini. He also served as the president of the
Kerala Sahitya Akademi 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 ...
. Kuttikrishnan married Devaki Amma, the sister-in-law of
Edasseri Govindan Nair Edasseri Govindan Nair ( ml, ഇടശ്ശേരി ഗോവിന്ദൻ നായർ; 23 December 1906 – 16 October 1974) was an Indian poet and playwright of Malayalam literature. Known as one of the major poets of Malayalam, Edasseri ...
, in 1948. He died on July 10, 1979, at the age of 64, while he was being treated at the
Government Medical College, Kottayam Government Medical College, Kottayam is a government medical college in Kerala, India. The campus is about north of Kottayam in Gandhinagar-Arpookkara area in Central Kerala. History The college started functioning in December 1962 as the th ...
.


Literary and film career

Kuttikrishnan joined a literary group in Ponnani in the 1930s which had
Edasseri Govindan Nair Edasseri Govindan Nair ( ml, ഇടശ്ശേരി ഗോവിന്ദൻ നായർ; 23 December 1906 – 16 October 1974) was an Indian poet and playwright of Malayalam literature. Known as one of the major poets of Malayalam, Edasseri ...
,
Kuttikrishna Marar Karikkatt Marathu Kuttikrishna Marar (14 June 1900 – 6 April 1973) was an Indian essayist and literary critic of Malayalam literature. He was known for ''Bharathaparyaadanam'', a critical study of the Mahabharata, which is counted by many a ...
,
Akkitham Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri (18 March 1926 – 15 October 2020), popularly known as Akkitham, was an Indian poet and essayist who wrote in Malayalam. He was known for a simple and lucid style of writing, exploring themes of profound love and ...
,
Kadavanad Kuttikrishnan Kadavanad Kuttikrishnan (10 October 1925 – 19 August 1992) was a Malayalam–language poet and journalist from Kerala state, South India. He received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in the year 1978 for his poetry work ''Suprabhatham''. Bio ...
, and Moothedath Narayanan Vaidyar as its members and it was during this time he wrote his first short story, ''Velakkariyude Checkkan''. He assumed the pen name, ''Uroob'' which means ''eternal youth'' in
Persian language Persian (), also known by its endonym Farsi (, ', ), is a Western Iranian language belonging to the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian subdivision of the Indo-European languages. Persian is a pluricentric language predominantly spoken and ...
and ''dusk'' in
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
, for an article he wrote on K. Raghavan, a noted music director of
Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ''Elippathayam' ...
, to conceal his identity as the music director was his colleague at AIR and he continued with the pseudonym thereafter. His first short story anthology, ''Neerchalukal'' was published in 1945 and three years later, ''Amina'', his first novel was published. His body of work included 8 novels, 27 short story anthologies, three plays, 3 poetry anthologies and three essay compilations. ''
Ummachu ''Ummachu'' (''Beloved'') is a Malayalam novel written by Uroob in 1954. ''Ummachu'' along with '' Sundarikalum Sundaranmarum'' are considered the best works by Uroob and are ranked among the finest novels in Malayalam. In ''Ummachu'', Uroob e ...
'' published in 1954, ''Mindappennu'', published in 1956 and '' Sundarikalum Sundaranmarum'' (''The Beautiful and the Handsome'') published in 1958 among novels and ''Gopalan Nayarude Thadi'', ''Rachiyamma'' and ''Thurannitta Jalakam'' among short stories are some of his most notable works. M. Krishnan Nair, a known Malayalam literary critic, counted ''Rachiyamma'' among the best stories of world literature. ''
Ummachu ''Ummachu'' (''Beloved'') is a Malayalam novel written by Uroob in 1954. ''Ummachu'' along with '' Sundarikalum Sundaranmarum'' are considered the best works by Uroob and are ranked among the finest novels in Malayalam. In ''Ummachu'', Uroob e ...
'' has been translated into English under the title, ''The Beloved''. Several of his works have strong female characters and he was known to be an advocate of gender equality. Three of his anthologies, ''Ankaveeran'', ''Mallanum Maranavum'' and ''Appuvinte Lokam'' are children's literature and he is considered by many as one of the greats of that genre in Malayalam literature. In 1954, When
Ramu Kariat Ramu Kariat (1 February 1927 – 10 February 1979) was an Indian film director for almost three decades from the 1950s to the 1970s, who directed many acclaimed films in the Malayalam cinema. His noted films include '' Neelakkuyil'' (1954), '' ...
decided to make a feature film based on Uroob's story,
Neelakuyil ''Neelakuyil'' ( en, The Blue Cuckoo; ml, നീലക്കുയിൽ) is a 1954 Malayalam film jointly directed by P. Bhaskaran and Ramu Kariat. It is a neo-realistic melodrama and was based on a story written by Uroob who co-wrote the ...
, under the same name, he co-wrote the screenplay with P. Bhaskaran. The film went on become a landmark in Malayalam cinema and was the first feature film to receive national recognition by winning the
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Malayalam is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of seve ...
. His association with P. Bhaskaran continued to yield four more films, Rarichan Enna Pauran (1956),
Nairu Pidicha Pulivalu ''Nairu Pidicha Pulivalu'' ( ml, നായരു പിടിച്ച പുലിവാല്) is a 1958 Malayalam film directed by P. Bhaskaran and written by Uroob based on his own story "Business". Ragini and Sathyan play the lead roles, ...
(1958), Kurukshetram (1970)970 Year 970 ( CMLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 970th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' designations, the 970th year of the 1st millennium, the 70th yea ...
> and
Ummachu ''Ummachu'' (''Beloved'') is a Malayalam novel written by Uroob in 1954. ''Ummachu'' along with '' Sundarikalum Sundaranmarum'' are considered the best works by Uroob and are ranked among the finest novels in Malayalam. In ''Ummachu'', Uroob e ...
(1971).971 Year 971 ( CMLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Battle of Dorostolon: A Byzantine expeditionary army (possibly 30–40,000 men) ...
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In between, he wrote the screenplay for Mindapennu, a film by K. S. Sethumadhavan in 1970.970 Year 970 ( CMLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, the 970th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' designations, the 970th year of the 1st millennium, the 70th yea ...
>
He wrote the screenplays for two more films, Thrisandhya in 1972972 Year 972 ( CMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Spring – Emperor John I Tzimiskes divides the Bulgarian territories, recent ...
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and
Aniyara ''Aniyara'' is a 1978 Indian Malayalam film, directed by Bharathan and produced by M. O. Joseph. The film stars Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Sankaradi, Bahadoor and M. G. Soman in the lead roles. The film has musical score by G. Devarajan. Cast *Kaviyoo ...
in 1978, the latter a film by Bharathan.978 Year 978 ( CMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Battle of Pankaleia: Rebel forces under General Bardas Skleros are defeated ...
>


Awards and honours

Uroob received three awards from the
Government of Tamil Nadu Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature of Tamil Nadu was bicameral until 1986, when it was replaced by a unicameral legislature, l ...
(then Government of Madras), for ''Kathir Katta'' in 1948, ''Thurannitta Jalakam'' in 1949 and ''Kumbedukkunna Mannu'' in 1951.
Kerala Sahitya Akademi 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 ...
instituted an annual award for Novel in 1958, ''
Ummachu ''Ummachu'' (''Beloved'') is a Malayalam novel written by Uroob in 1954. ''Ummachu'' along with '' Sundarikalum Sundaranmarum'' are considered the best works by Uroob and are ranked among the finest novels in Malayalam. In ''Ummachu'', Uroob e ...
'' was selected for inaugural award. He received
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 1960 for his work, '' Sundarikalum Sundaranmarum'', in 1960, the same year as he received the M. P. Paul Award for ''Gopalan Nayarude Thady''. In 1971, he received the
Kerala State Film Award for Best Story The Kerala State Film Award for Best Story is an honour, begun in 1969, presented annually at the Kerala State Film Award of India to a writer for the best story in a Malayalam film. Until 1997, the awards were managed directly by the Departme ...
for the film adaptation of Ummachu. Two years later, '' Sundarikalum Sundaranmarum'' won him another honour, the Ashan Centenary Award. The Government of Kerala set up a museum, ''Uroob Memorial Literary Museum'', in his honour at the premises of Kiliyanad School 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 l ...
.


Major works


Novels

* * * * * * * * RJ Nayan


Short stories

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *''Kathir-Katta'' *''Lathiyum Pookalum''


Plays (theatre)

* * *


Essay compilations

* * *''Uroobinde Lekhanangal''


Children's stories

* * *


Translations in other languages

* *


Poems

* * ''Nizhalattam'' * ''Maamoolinte Mattoli''


Screenplays

*''
Neelakuyil ''Neelakuyil'' ( en, The Blue Cuckoo; ml, നീലക്കുയിൽ) is a 1954 Malayalam film jointly directed by P. Bhaskaran and Ramu Kariat. It is a neo-realistic melodrama and was based on a story written by Uroob who co-wrote the ...
'' *'' Rarichan Enna Pouran'' *''
Nairu Pidicha Pulivalu ''Nairu Pidicha Pulivalu'' ( ml, നായരു പിടിച്ച പുലിവാല്) is a 1958 Malayalam film directed by P. Bhaskaran and written by Uroob based on his own story "Business". Ragini and Sathyan play the lead roles, ...
'' *'' Kurukshetram'' *''
Ummachu ''Ummachu'' (''Beloved'') is a Malayalam novel written by Uroob in 1954. ''Ummachu'' along with '' Sundarikalum Sundaranmarum'' are considered the best works by Uroob and are ranked among the finest novels in Malayalam. In ''Ummachu'', Uroob e ...
'' *''Thrisandhya'' *''
Aniyara ''Aniyara'' is a 1978 Indian Malayalam film, directed by Bharathan and produced by M. O. Joseph. The film stars Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Sankaradi, Bahadoor and M. G. Soman in the lead roles. The film has musical score by G. Devarajan. Cast *Kaviyoo ...
''


Short film

*''Rachiyamma''


Works on Uroob

* * * * * * * * *


References


Further reading

* * *


External links

* * * {{Authority control Novelists from Kerala Malayalam-language writers Malayalam novelists People from Malappuram district Kerala State Film Award winners Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Malayalam 1915 births 1979 deaths 20th-century Indian novelists Poets from Kerala Dramatists and playwrights from Kerala