Vennikkulam Gopala Kurup (1902–1980) was a poet

Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...

 from Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

, India

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...

. He was born on May 10, 1902 in Vennikkulam Pathanamthitta

Pathanamthitta

Pathanamthitta is a large town and a municipality situated in the central Travancore region in the state of Kerala, south India, spread over an area of 23.50 km2. It is the administrative capital of Pathanamthitta district. The city has a population of 38,000...

, Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

. to Cherukattumadathil Padmanabha kurup and Laksmikunjamma. He started writing poetry from the age of 15 and after passing Vidwan examination. Gopalakurup worked as teacher for 25 years at M.G.M H.S, Thiruvalla. He later worked in Malayalam Lexicon and State Manuscripts Library. He was awarded the titles 'Sahithya nipunan' by the Maharaja

Maharaja

Mahārāja is a Sanskrit title for a "great king" or "high king". The female equivalent title Maharani denotes either the wife of a Maharaja or, in states where that was customary, a woman ruling in her own right. The widow of a Maharaja is known as a Rajamata...

 of Kochi and 'Sahithyakalanidhi' by Kerala Hindiprachara Sabha. In 1967 he got the Odakkuzhal award, 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...

 award and Thirukkural award for his collection 'Manikyaveena'.

In 1974 Kendra Sahithya Academy award was given for the work 'Kamasurabhi'. He has represented Kerala in the national poets' meetings held at Delhi,Calcutta and Bangalore.
Wife : Mepral Mangattu Madhavi amma.
He died on August 29, 1980.

Works

Sarovaram

Manasaputhri

Vellithalam

Vasantholsavam

Amruthabhishekam

Manikyaveena

Keralasree

Soundaryapooja

Kadaleevanam

Kamsurabhi

Ponnampalamedu

ThulaseedasaRamayanam

Thirukkural

Sidharthacharitham