C. V. Raman Pillai
Encyclopedia
Cannankara Velayudhan Raman Pillai(C.V.Raman Pillai) (Malayalam:സി.വി. രാമന്പിള്ള) (May 19, 1858- March 21, 1922) was one of the great India
n novelists and playwrights and the greatest novelist and pioneering playwright and journalist in Malayalam. He is often called and known as C.V.
, on november 8, 1858 to Neelakanta Pillai, a Sanskrit
scholar and Parvathy Pillai, who were both from middle class families and were employees at the Palace of the Maharaja of Travancore. C. V.'s mother, Parvathi Pillai, was a scion of an ancient matriarchal family. Her matriarchal ancestral family abode, was called Cannankara, the "C" in C.V. Named Raman and fondly called Ramu by near and dear ones, the boy had a traditional Sanskritized education, early in life, under his father's tutelage which included lessons in Ayurveda and even magic and Tantra. When he was 12 years old, under the patronage of Sri Kesavan Thampi,great grandson of Raja Kesava Das, a former great Dewan of Travancore, and Kaaaryakkaar (Manager) of Bhajanappura Madhom Palace, residence of the heir-apparent to the throne of the then Travancore State, Raman entered the first English school in Thiruvananthapuram and later graduated from H. H. Maharaja's College in Thiruvanathapuram, the first-ever College in Travancore, and at the end of a brilliant academic career under European Professors, Principal John Ross of Scotland and Dr. Robert Harvey of England,whose favorite disciple C.V. was, and took his B. A. Degree from the Madras University in 1881, securing the 7th rank in the Madras Presidency
.
His foray into journalism was pioneering. Gifted alike in English and Malayalam, he was an early builder of Kerala's Fourth Estate. His sharp and incisive pen brought forth first, The Kerala Patriot, then the ' 'Malayali and finally the Mitabhashi.
in Marathi. In the grand epic sweep of his great classics, Marthandavarma, Dharmaraja and Ramarajabahadur, he is in the class of the great Vyasa
. In world literature, he ranks with Dostoevsky and Shakespeare.
Modern Malayalam drama traces its origins to C.V.'s works. His very first attempt at literary creation, was the first original play in Malayalam. Candramukheevilasam was written in 1884 and was staged for four days successively in 1887 at His Highness Maharaja's College, Trivandrum. This was also the first staging of a play in Malayalam by educated amateur actors. In fact, original Malayalam drama in prose began with his eleven farces, nine of which were published. They set the tone and paved the way for the Kerala theatre that it is now.
Kerala's folklore and Kathakali became an integral part of his literary metier. He drew out myriad forgotten episodes from his country's history and the genius in him wove them into unforgettable epics. Marthandavarma
, his first novel, called by him a "historical romance, which was also the first historical novel in Malayalam, was written by him in 1885 but could not be published owing to lack of finance. It was published by Addison & Co., in Madras in 1891 only after "Indulekha" by Chandu Menon was brought out in 1889 and became the first-ever original novel in Malayalam. Marthanda Varma, however, was an instant hit and editorially hailed by The Hindu of Madras, on December 21, 1891. It continues to be a popular classic even today and has gone through more than 125 editions.
For nearly twenty years from 1891, C.V. did not produce any major literary work. 1909 saw the production of his major comedy, Kurupillakalari. It was in 1913, a year after he resigned from the post of Superintendent of the Government Press, in protest against the State Government's anti-people policies that he wrote his second novel, Dharmaraja, the first of a trilogy, that he conceived on an epic scale. The novel marked him out as a master craftsman in fiction. In 1915 he wrote a social novel, Premamritam which is the first satirical fiction in Malayalam. C.V.'s masterpiece, however, is Ramarajabahadur, published in 1918 and hailed by outstanding critics as the greatest novel in Malayalam.
of its kind in any Indian language and perhaps in other world languages, has been accomplished with the
publication of C. V. Vyaakhyaana Kosham in four volumes of 400-odd pages each, explaining, elucidating and
interpreting in their contextual setting of all the more than seven hundred thousand words, of which a large
number besides Malayalam are in Sanskrit, Tamil, Hindustani and English, used by C. V. in his four novels
and nine published farces. This is also enriched by including brief critical and analytical studies of all the
major and minor characters of C. V., numbering about 300.
, younger brother of the famous artist, Raja Ravi Varma, and himself a well-known artist and penman. A paragon of beauty and virtue, Janaki Amma became C.V.Raman Pillai's wife and took great care of him. She was a fount of inspiration for C.V. being well-versed in Malayalam epics, Ramayanam, Mahabharatham and Bhagavatham and also in the Puranas
and folk lore. Indeed she not only inspired C.V. Raman Pillai to write his later novels, Dharmaraja, Premamritham and Ramarajabahadur but also voluntarily became his scribe.
C.V. Raman Pillai died on March 21, 1922. Chenkal Panchayat, which includes Arayoor, the village in which C.V's mother lived, respecting the heartily expressed feelings of the people there, named the area as C. V. R. Puram in 1970. The Malayalam actor, Adoor Bhasi
is his grandson through his youngest daughter, Maheswariamma.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n novelists and playwrights and the greatest novelist and pioneering playwright and journalist in Malayalam. He is often called and known as C.V.
Early life
Born in Thiruchunapalli (Trivandrum), capital city of the erstwhile native State of TravancoreTravancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
, on november 8, 1858 to Neelakanta Pillai, a Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
scholar and Parvathy Pillai, who were both from middle class families and were employees at the Palace of the Maharaja of Travancore. C. V.'s mother, Parvathi Pillai, was a scion of an ancient matriarchal family. Her matriarchal ancestral family abode, was called Cannankara, the "C" in C.V. Named Raman and fondly called Ramu by near and dear ones, the boy had a traditional Sanskritized education, early in life, under his father's tutelage which included lessons in Ayurveda and even magic and Tantra. When he was 12 years old, under the patronage of Sri Kesavan Thampi,great grandson of Raja Kesava Das, a former great Dewan of Travancore, and Kaaaryakkaar (Manager) of Bhajanappura Madhom Palace, residence of the heir-apparent to the throne of the then Travancore State, Raman entered the first English school in Thiruvananthapuram and later graduated from H. H. Maharaja's College in Thiruvanathapuram, the first-ever College in Travancore, and at the end of a brilliant academic career under European Professors, Principal John Ross of Scotland and Dr. Robert Harvey of England,whose favorite disciple C.V. was, and took his B. A. Degree from the Madras University in 1881, securing the 7th rank in the Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
.
His foray into journalism was pioneering. Gifted alike in English and Malayalam, he was an early builder of Kerala's Fourth Estate. His sharp and incisive pen brought forth first, The Kerala Patriot, then the ' 'Malayali and finally the Mitabhashi.
Writing career
C.V. Raman Pillai, popularly known as C.V., is classed with the greats in Indian literature like Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in Bengali and Hari Narayan ApteHari Narayan Apte
Hari Narayan Apte was a Marathi writer from Maharashtra, India.Through his writings, he provided an eminent example to future Marathi fiction writers in respect of writing effective novels and short stories which faithfully reflect different aspects of contemporary society...
in Marathi. In the grand epic sweep of his great classics, Marthandavarma, Dharmaraja and Ramarajabahadur, he is in the class of the great Vyasa
Vyasa
Vyasa is a central and revered figure in most Hindu traditions. He is also sometimes called Veda Vyasa , or Krishna Dvaipayana...
. In world literature, he ranks with Dostoevsky and Shakespeare.
Modern Malayalam drama traces its origins to C.V.'s works. His very first attempt at literary creation, was the first original play in Malayalam. Candramukheevilasam was written in 1884 and was staged for four days successively in 1887 at His Highness Maharaja's College, Trivandrum. This was also the first staging of a play in Malayalam by educated amateur actors. In fact, original Malayalam drama in prose began with his eleven farces, nine of which were published. They set the tone and paved the way for the Kerala theatre that it is now.
Kerala's folklore and Kathakali became an integral part of his literary metier. He drew out myriad forgotten episodes from his country's history and the genius in him wove them into unforgettable epics. Marthandavarma
Marthandavarma (novel)
Marthandavarma is a novel by C.V. Raman Pillai published in 1891. It is presented as a historical romance recounting the history of Venad during the final period of Rajah Rama Varma’s reign and subsequently to the accession of Marthanda Varma.The action of story takes place in Kollavarsham 901-906...
, his first novel, called by him a "historical romance, which was also the first historical novel in Malayalam, was written by him in 1885 but could not be published owing to lack of finance. It was published by Addison & Co., in Madras in 1891 only after "Indulekha" by Chandu Menon was brought out in 1889 and became the first-ever original novel in Malayalam. Marthanda Varma, however, was an instant hit and editorially hailed by The Hindu of Madras, on December 21, 1891. It continues to be a popular classic even today and has gone through more than 125 editions.
For nearly twenty years from 1891, C.V. did not produce any major literary work. 1909 saw the production of his major comedy, Kurupillakalari. It was in 1913, a year after he resigned from the post of Superintendent of the Government Press, in protest against the State Government's anti-people policies that he wrote his second novel, Dharmaraja, the first of a trilogy, that he conceived on an epic scale. The novel marked him out as a master craftsman in fiction. In 1915 he wrote a social novel, Premamritam which is the first satirical fiction in Malayalam. C.V.'s masterpiece, however, is Ramarajabahadur, published in 1918 and hailed by outstanding critics as the greatest novel in Malayalam.
Exegetic Dictionary
A monumental lexicographic work, an exegetic dictionary of a single author's literary works, firstof its kind in any Indian language and perhaps in other world languages, has been accomplished with the
publication of C. V. Vyaakhyaana Kosham in four volumes of 400-odd pages each, explaining, elucidating and
interpreting in their contextual setting of all the more than seven hundred thousand words, of which a large
number besides Malayalam are in Sanskrit, Tamil, Hindustani and English, used by C. V. in his four novels
and nine published farces. This is also enriched by including brief critical and analytical studies of all the
major and minor characters of C. V., numbering about 300.
Personal life
He was married to Bhageerathi Amma, who died in 1905, leaving behind six children. Fortunately, the responsibility of looking after the children, who were quite young, was taken over by Bhageerathi Amma's elder sister, Janaki Amma (34), the childless widow of C. Raja Raja VarmaC. Raja Raja Varma
C. Raja Raja Varma was an accomplished Indian painter. He is more famous as the youngest brother of the famous painter Raja Ravi Varma. He acted assistant, secretary, and business manager of Raja Ravi Varma....
, younger brother of the famous artist, Raja Ravi Varma, and himself a well-known artist and penman. A paragon of beauty and virtue, Janaki Amma became C.V.Raman Pillai's wife and took great care of him. She was a fount of inspiration for C.V. being well-versed in Malayalam epics, Ramayanam, Mahabharatham and Bhagavatham and also in the Puranas
Puranas
The Puranas are a genre of important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography.Puranas...
and folk lore. Indeed she not only inspired C.V. Raman Pillai to write his later novels, Dharmaraja, Premamritham and Ramarajabahadur but also voluntarily became his scribe.
C.V. Raman Pillai died on March 21, 1922. Chenkal Panchayat, which includes Arayoor, the village in which C.V's mother lived, respecting the heartily expressed feelings of the people there, named the area as C. V. R. Puram in 1970. The Malayalam actor, Adoor Bhasi
Adoor Bhasi
Adoor Bhasi was an Indian film actor and film director from Kerala. Adoor Bhasi was almost always cast as the man who stands next to the hero. His hilarious actions and roles became the cynosure of comic scenes in the Malayalam films of the 1950s, 60s, 70s and 80s. He is also famous for his...
is his grandson through his youngest daughter, Maheswariamma.
Novels
- MarthandavarmaMarthandavarma (novel)Marthandavarma is a novel by C.V. Raman Pillai published in 1891. It is presented as a historical romance recounting the history of Venad during the final period of Rajah Rama Varma’s reign and subsequently to the accession of Marthanda Varma.The action of story takes place in Kollavarsham 901-906...
(1891) - Dharmaraja (1913)
- Premamritam (1915)
- Ramarajabahadur (1918)
- Dishtadamshtram (1922) (unfinished)
- Premarishtam (1922) (unfinished)
Plays
- Candramukheevilāsam (1884) (not published)
- Mattavilāsam (1885) (not published)
- Kurupillakalari (1909)
- Tentanāmkōţţu Hariscandran (1914)
- Kaimalassanţe Kaţassikkai (1915)
- Docţarku Kiţţiya Miccam (1916)
- Cerutēn Columbus (1917)
- Panţattē Pāccan (1918)
- Pãpi Cellaņaţam Pātālam (1919)
- Kuruppinţe Tirippu (1920)
- Butler Pappan (1922)
As editor in Newspapers
- The Kerala Patriot (1882)
- Malayali (1886)
- Vanchiraj (1901)
- Mitabhashi (1920)
Translations
- Marthandavarma (1936, 1979)
- Dharmaraja (2009)
- Ramarajabahadur (2003)