M. Sukumaran | |
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 | |
| Born | 1943 (1943) |
| Died | 16 March 2018(2018-03-16) (aged 75) Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Genre | Short story, novel |
| Notable works |
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| Notable awards | |
| Spouse | Meenakshi |
| Children | Rajni Mannadiar |
| Relatives |
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M. Sukumaran (1943 – 16 March 2018) was an Indian writer ofMalayalam literature, best known for his novels and short stories with political undertones.Marichittillathavarude Smarakangal,Seshakriya,Chuvanna Chihnangal andJanithakam feature among his works and five of his stories have been adapted into films. A two time recipient of theKerala State Film Award for Best Story, Sukumaran received theKerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story in 1976 and theSahitya Akademi Award in 2006.
M. Sukumaran was born in 1943 atChittur inPalakkad District of the south Indian state ofKerala to Narayana Mannadiar and Meenakshi Amma.[1] After completing his school education, he started his career at a sugar factory.[2] Moving toThiruvananthapuram in 1963,[3] he joined the Accountant General's office as a clerk, after which he was also active intrade union activities as a member of theCommunist Party of India (Marxist). His political activities led to his termination i 1974,[4][5] reported to be the first time a central government employee was terminated by a Presidential order.[6] Later, he was known to have been disappointed with theleft-wing politics and his portrayal of a disillusioned politician in his novel,Seshakriya, resulted in his expulsion from the party in 1982.[7]
Sukumaran was married to Meenakshi and the couple had a daughter, Rajani.[8] He died on March 16, 2018, aged 75, atSree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram where he was undergoing treatment for heart-related illnesses.[6] Rajani, is also a writer,[3] writing under the name, Rajni Mannadiar.[9]
Have I slipped into sleep even before the story has ended? The crows have started cawing. The roosters are also crowing. The night of the one in custody is ending. The night of the one to be caught is beginning. One is interested to know. How long for the sun to rise? Excerpts from a Sukumaran story.[10]
I can hear around me the question as to why I stopped writing. I had to end my career because of a strong and ceaseless inner voice telling me that I have written whatever I had to write in this life and if I write again I will just be repeating what I have already written. An artist should never accept the fate of a bullock going round and round an oil-press. And no one else can share or resolve the dilemmas in a writer's creative life. Sukumaran wrote when he decided to quit writing in 1982.[3]
Sukumaran, who was known to have started writing from the age of 16, published his first story,Mazhathullikal, inMalayala Manorama, in 1963, when he was 20 years.[3] He continued writing until his death, occasionally taking long breaks in between, to publish three novels and over 50 short stories which includeSheshakriya,Chuvanna Chihnangal,Janithakam,Thookkumarangal Njangalkku,Marichittillaathavarude Smaarakangal,Para,Azhimukham andVanchikkunnampathi.[11] Five of his stories have been adapted into films, viz.Sanghaganam,Sheshakriya,Kazhakam,Margam andUnarthupattu[12][13] of which he wrote the screenplay forSheshakriya.[14] He also wrote a biographical book,Swadeshabhimani, Kelappan, Abdur Rahiman, which featured the biographies ofSwadeshabhimani Ramakrishna Pillai,K. Kelappan andMohammed Abdur Rahiman, as a part of a biographical series,Mahacharithangaliloode.[15]
Sukumaran received theKerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story in 1976 for his short story anthology,Marichittillathavarude Smarakam.[16] The film,Sheshakriya fetched him his firstKerala State Film Award for Best Story in 1981;[17] he would receive the award again in 1995 for the film,Kazhakam.[18] In between, he received the inauguralPadmarajan Award for his book,Pithru Tharpanam.[19]Kerala Sahitya Akademi honoured him again in 2003 with theaward for overall contributions in 2003[20] andSahitya Akademi selected his short story anthology,Chuvanna Chinnangal, for theirannual award in 2006.[21]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)| Year | Film | Contribution | Director |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1979 | Sanghaganam | story | P. A. Backer |
| 1980 | Unarthupattu | story | P. A. Backer |
| 1982 | Sheshakriya | story, screenplay | Ravi Alummoodu |
| 1996 | Kazhakam | story | M. P. Sukumaran Nair |
| 2003 | Margam | story | Rajiv Vijay Raghavan |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)[dead link]| International | |
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| National | |
