Vellayani Arjunan (10 February 1933 – 31 May 2023) was an Indian writer, scholar, and linguist from
Kerala.
He served two terms at the
State Institute of Encyclopaedic Publications
The State Institute of Encyclopaedic Publications (SIEP) is a cultural institution founded in 1961 under the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala, India with the objective of disseminating knowledge to the people of Kerala in the ...
as chief editor from 1975 to 1988
and as director from 2001 to 2004.
During his tenure at the institute, seven volumes of the 12-volume
Malayalam encyclopedia
Viswasahityavijnanakosam
The Encyclopaedia of World Literature ( ml, വിശ്വസാഹിത്യ വിജ്ഞാനകോശം) is a 10-volume specialized encyclopaedia published by the State Institute of Encyclopaedic Publications in India. The work on the e ...
were published.
He is credited with several publications, including children's literature and critical studies.
His book ''Gaveshana Mekhala'' has been a prescribed text for the post graduate course
M.A. Malayalam at the
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University (abbreviated as AMU) is a Public University, public Central University (India), central university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Orie ...
.
A recipient of the Paramacharya Award from Sarojini Bhaskaran Memorial Charitable Public Trust, he was honored by the
Government of India in 2008 with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of
Padma Shri.
In 2015,
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University (abbreviated as AMU) is a Public University, public Central University (India), central university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Orie ...
awarded him a third
D.Litt. degree for his thesis in Malayalam on ''Influence of Sree Narayana Guru on Malayalam Poetry''. He was the first Indian to hold three D.Litt. degrees.
Early life and education
Vellayani Arjunan was born on 10 February 1933 to G. Shankara Panicker, an agriculturalist and Narayani, a housewife, at
Vellayani in the erstwhile
Kingdom of Travancore. After receiving a
Master of Arts degree in
Malayalam, he went on to teach Malayalam Language and Literature at Sree Narayana College in Kollam. He later became the first Malayalam lecturer in
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University (abbreviated as AMU) is a Public University, public Central University (India), central university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, which was originally established by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan as the Muhammadan Anglo-Orie ...
, from which he gained his PhD degree in 1964. After leaving Aligarh Muslim University, he was appointed director of the
State Institute of Encyclopaedic Publications
The State Institute of Encyclopaedic Publications (SIEP) is a cultural institution founded in 1961 under the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala, India with the objective of disseminating knowledge to the people of Kerala in the ...
in
Kerala.
Other Degrees
Death
Arjunan died in
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on 31 May 2023, at the age of 90.
See also
*
State Institute of Encyclopaedic Publications
The State Institute of Encyclopaedic Publications (SIEP) is a cultural institution founded in 1961 under the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala, India with the objective of disseminating knowledge to the people of Kerala in the ...
*
Viswasahityavijnanakosam
The Encyclopaedia of World Literature ( ml, വിശ്വസാഹിത്യ വിജ്ഞാനകോശം) is a 10-volume specialized encyclopaedia published by the State Institute of Encyclopaedic Publications in India. The work on the e ...
References
Further reading
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External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arjunan, Vellayani
1933 births
2023 deaths
People from Thiruvananthapuram district
Scholars from Kerala
20th-century Indian linguists
Malayalam-language writers