PADMASHRI Sooranad P. N. Kunjan Pillai is a historian, researcher, lexicographer, poet, essayist, literary critic, orator, socio-cultural leader, grammarian, educationist, and scholar of Malayalam language

Malayalam language

Malayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people...

. In 1984 he was honoured with Padmashri award for his contribution to Malayalam literature

Malayalam literature

The term Malayalam literature refers to Literature written in Malayalam language. Malayalam is the language spoken by around 35 million people, mainly the inhabitants of the state of Kerala and the union territory of Lakshadweep Islands in India. Malayalam is a Dravidian language and thus has close...

 and education.

Biography

He was born to Neelakanta Pillai and Karthiyanipillai Amma on 26 November 1911 in Sooranad

Sooranad

Sooranad or Sooranadu is a village located in the northern part of Kollam district in Kerala, India. Sooranad North and Sooranad South are collectively known as Sooranad....

 South in Kollam

Kollam

Kollam , often anglicized as ', is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city lies on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake on the Arabian sea coast and is situated about north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram...

 district. He married Bhagavathi Amma[of the panniyarathala family in Jagathy, d. 2007] in 1935. He is survived by three daughters and a son.

Education

He did his schooling in Thevalakkara

Thevalakkara

Thevalakkara is a village in Kollam district in the state of Kerala, India.-Demographics:The natives believe that word thevalakara is derived from devalokakara, i.e., the land of gods. The old name is Thevelikara like Mavelikara, Peruvelikara. Books written by foreigners quoted tevelikara...

 Malayalam School, Chavara

Chavara

Chavara is approximately 14 km north of Kollam City on the Kollam-Alappuzha highway in India. Tonnes of mineral sand, mainly titanium, are exported from Chavara to various countries. The Kovilthottam port is situated within the limits of Chavara Panchayat.Kovilthottam is a strip of land ...

 English School, and later joined the Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...

 Arts College. He took his Master's degree in English in 1933 and subsequently received his Master's in 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...

 (1934) and Malayalam (1935). He specialized in Archaeology

Archaeology

Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...

 also.

Positions Held

He started his professional career as an English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 Teacher

Teacher

A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...

 in St. Joseph School, Trivandrum and retired from Govt Service in 1971 as the Chief Editor of Malayalam Lexicon, University of Kerala, where he entered in 1953. He served as the Secretary of Text Book Committee; Travancore State Manual Assistant [to Sadasya Tilakam T K Velu Pillai]; Asst Secretary to Govt for Education; Honorary Director, Kerala University Manuscripts Library; Member, Indian Historical Records Commission, Member, Faculty of Oriental Studies, University of Kerala, Editor, Kerala Archives News Letter Board, Chief Advisor of Navasahithi Biographical Encyclopedia. He was Member of the Phd Evaluation Board of University of Kerala,He served as the President of Sahithya Parishad; Exe.Member of Central Sahitya Akademi, Kerala Sahitya Akademi, History Association; President, Kanfed; Editor,Journal of Indian History; Member of the first Jnanpith Award Committee.

Writer

Kunjan Pillai who was a versatile writer in Malayalam has written books in English and Sanskrit as well. He had knowledge in Tamil and Hindi too. He published his first work Smashanadeepam (Collected Poems) in 1925 when he was still in school. He has prepared more than 150 text books for High School classes. He has written more than 1000 forewords for the books of many contemporary writers of Malayalam. He has also written the Malayala nikhandu (Malayalam Dictionary).

Major works

• Amba Devi (Novel) 1930
• Kalyana Sowdam (Novel) 1936
• Smashanadeepam (Collected poems) 1930
• Hridayarpanam (Collected poems) 1971
• Ratnasamragyam (Stories)1948
• Sourabhan (Stories)1947
• Panchathantrakathamanigal (Stories)
• Prachinakeralam (Biographies)1931
• Veeraraghavashasanam (Biography) 1954
• Thiruvuthankoorile Mahanmar (Biographies) 1946
• Swathi Thirunal Maharaja(Biography)(English)
• Malabar in the Eyes of Travellers, 1940
• Sahithyabhooshanam (Collected Essays)
• Kairali Pooja (Collected Essays) 1962
• Pushpanjali (Collected Essays) 1957
• Mathrupooja (Collected Essays) 1954
• Kairali Samaksham (Literary Criticism)1979
• Bharathapooja, 1983
• Bhashadeepika, 1955
• Jeevithakala, 1939
• Krisishastram
• Thirumulkazcha, 1938
• Thiruvuthankoor - Kochi Charithra Kathakal, 1932
• Malayala Lipi parishkaram- Chila Nirdeshangal, 1967
• Sree Sankaracharyar (Biography) 1945
• Hridayaramam, 1966

Awards

He was given the title 'Sahithya Nipunan' by Kochi Maharajah. In 1984 he was honoured with Padmashri by Govt. of India. He received the Fellowship of Kerala Sahithya Academy

Kerala Sahithya Academy

Kerala Sahitya Akademi or Academy for Malayalam literature is an autonomous body established to promote Malayalam language and literature. It is situated in Thrissur, Kerala in India. The academy was inaugurated on October 15, 1956, by Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, the former king of...

 and was made a Fellow of the History Association. He was honoured with D.Litt by the Meerut University in 1991 and University of Kerala in 1992. He received the Vallathol Puraskaram in 1992 and the first Ezhuthachan Puraskaram instituted by Govt. of Kerala in 1994. His many contributions to art, society and culture and services rendered to the people of Kerala, India and the Sanskrit and Malayalam languages resulted in the bestowing of the second highest civilian award, the 'Padmashri' award to him in 1984.