C. J. Thomas | |
|---|---|
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| Born | (1918-11-14)14 November 1918 |
| Died | 14 July 1960(1960-07-14) (aged 41) |
| Occupation | Playwright, academic, artist |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Notable works |
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| Spouse | Rosy Thomas |
| Children | Two sons and a daughter |
| Relatives |
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Chollampel JohnThomas (1918–1960), popularly known by his initialsC. J., was an Indian playwright and literary critic ofMalayalam literature. He was best known for his plays,Aa Manushyan Nee Thanne,Avan Venndum Varunnu and1128-il Crime 27 which introduced modernity into Malayalam theatre. He was also a leader of theVimochana Samaram, an anti-communist uprising against theFirst E. M. S. Namboodiripad ministry inKerala.
C.J. was a miracle, both as a human being and as a playwright. He enriched the language, the society and culture during the short span of his life, saysGeorge Onakkoor, Thomas' biographer.[1]
C. J. Thomas was born on 14 November 1918 in the Chollampel House[2] atKoothattukulam, inErnakulam district of the south Indian state ofKerala to aJacobite Syriac Orthodox Christian priest, Yohannan Mar Episcopa and Annama.[3] Following his father's advice, Thomas prepared to become a priest and after his schooling at the Government High School, Koothattukulam and Vadakara High School, he was ordained a deacon of the Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church, and completed his pre-university studies atCMS College Kottayam where free education was provided for deacons. Later, he graduated from theUnion Christian College, Aluva in 1937 and it was during this time, he quit the priestly vocation.[4] He joined a primary school inVadakara as a teacher but, having drawn to theIndian independence movement, his relationship with the school management became worse, leading to his resignation from the job. Subsequently, he studied law at theGovernment Law College, Thiruvananthapuram, and on graduation in 1943, he started practicing as an advocate under N. V. Chacko, a leading lawyer of the times. However, he did not continue with the job and after two months, he quit to become a full-time member of Communist party.[3]
It was around this time, Thomas metM. P. Paul, the renowned critic, and became a faculty of the tutorial college run by Paul but relinquishing the job in 1949, he made an unsuccessful attempt to study for MLitt.[3] He met M Govindan in Madras and worked in the USIS. His next assignment was at the Sahithya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sangham, a writers' cooperative, a job Thomas got through his friend,D. C. Kizhakemuri, where he designed the covers of the book published by the society. Shortly afterwards, he returned to M. P. Paul's College and had the opportunity to meetRosy Paul, the daughter of M. P. Paul. After a brief period of romance, he married Rosy, amidst the disapproval of many, on 8 January 1951.[5] After the death of Paul in 1952,[6] He managed the college for a while and ran his own college for a brief period before joining theAll India Radio as a producer in 1957 on a three-year contract but left the job after one year. He also worked as the production officer at theDakshin Bharat Book Trust, at theirChennai andKochi offices, starting from 1958 and a year later, he was diagnosed withbrain tumour. Though he underwent treatment at theChristian Medical College & Hospital, Vellore, he died following a surgery, on 14 July 1960,[3] survived by his wife, their two sons, Binoy and Paulsy and a daughter, Beena.[5][7] His life has been documented in a biography titledManalkaattinte Sabdam (The voice of a sandstorm), byGeorge Onakkoor.[1]
Thomas' oeuvre consists of 11 plays which included translations, 4 literary criticisms, 6 essay compilations and a novel.[8] His play,Avan Veendum Varunnu (Behold! He Comes Again), published in 1949, was the first modern play in Malayalam language[9] and the three most notable among his plays,Avan Veendum Varunnu,Aa Manushyan Nee Thanne and1128-il Crime 27, while evidently showing the influence ofBertoldt Brecht andepic theatre, are known to have pioneered theexperimental theatre in Malayalam.[10] He based his plays on biblical themes but they deviated from the conventional biblical dramas, often criticising the religious ills.[4]
Thomas was noted for his book designing skills and he was known to have revolutionised the publishing industry in Kerala with his modern designs.[11] It was he who designed the logo, with a swan motif, of theNational Book Stall, the retail division of the cooperative society.[3] He translated a number of classics from world literature into Malayalam which includedOedipus Rex andAntigone ofSophocles,Ghosts ofHenrik Ibsen andLysistrata ofAristophanes. The famous line is Oedipus Rex, Thou art the man, Thou the accursed polluter of this land is the base for the title of his play, Aa Manushyan Nee Thanne.[4] He was also involved in theVimochana Samaram, an uprising against theFirst E. M. S. Namboodiripad ministry and whenJoseph Parecattil, the thenArchbishop of Ernakulam, called for a united front against the government, he joined a number of writers and artists such asM. Govindan,Sukumar Azhikode,M. K. Sanu andM. V. Devan, in preparing propaganda materials the government.[12] He wrote a play,Vishsvruksham (The Poisonous Tree), which was staged in 1958 and contributed to strengthening the mass protests which eventually led to the dismissal of the democratically elected government.[13]
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