S. K. Pottekkatt
Born	(1913-03-14)14 March 1913 Calicut,Madras Presidency,British India
Died	6 August 1982(1982-08-06) (aged 69) Calicut,Kerala, India
Occupation	Teacher writer politician
Genre	Novel, travelogue, short story, plays, essay, poetry
Notable works	Oru Desathinte Katha Oru Theruvinte Katha Naadan Premam
Notable awards	1961 Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel 1972 Sahitya Akademi Award 1980 Jnanpith Award
Spouse	Jayavalli ​ (m. 1950)​ [1]
Children	4[1]
Relatives	Kunjiraman (father) Kittuli (mother)

Sankarankutty Kunjiraman Pottekkatt (14 March 1913 – 6 August 1982) was an Indian writer ofMalayalam literature, traveller, and politician fromKerala. Best known for his travelogues, he has authored nearly 60 books, which include 10 novels, 24 collections of short stories, three anthologies of poems, 18travelogues, four plays, a collection of essays and a couple of books based on personal reminiscences.

He is a recipient ofKerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel,Sahitya Akademi Award and theJnanpith Award. His works have been translated into English, Italian, Russian, German and Czech, besides all major Indian languages.

S. K. Pottekkatt was born on 14 March 1913, inCalicut (Kozhikode) in aThiyya family to Kunjiraman Pottekkat, an English school teacher and his wife, Kittuli.^[2] After early schooling atGanapath School, hematriculated from Zamorin's High School in Calicut in 1929 and passed the intermediate examination fromZamorin's Guruvayurappan College, Calicut in 1934 but could not find a job for three years, a period which he utilised for studying classics from Indian and western literature. In 1937, he joined Calicut Gujarati School as a teacher where he taught for almost three years.^[3] He was involved with activities of theIndian National Congress and attended theTripuri session of 1939 for which he resigned from the job as the school authorities did not allow him to leave of absence. Subsequently, he moved toBombay andLucknow where he stayed until 1945, doing many jobs.^[2]

After returning to Kerala in 1945, he travelled to many parts of India and went on his first overseas tour in 1949 when he visitedAfrica,Switzerland,Italy,Germany,France andEngland. In 1952, he again went overseas to visitCeylon,Malaya, andIndonesia.^[3]

Pottekkatt published his first story, "Rajaneethi", in the college magazine ofZamorin's Guruvayurappan College in 1928.^[4] "Makane Konna Madyam" (poem published inAthmavidya Kahalam) and "Hindu Muslim Maithri" (story published inDeepam) were some of his notable early works. The story "Vydyutha Shakthi" came in the February 1934 issue ofMathrubhumi Illustrated Weekly. He wrote his first novel,Naadanpremam, a romantic story set inMukkam, a small hamlet inKozhikode district,^[5] in 1939 while he was in Bombay and the novel was eventually published in 1941.^[3][6] This was followed byYavanikakku Pinnil, a short story anthology, and the second novelVishakanyaka; the latter would receive a prize from theMadras government in 1949.^[3] Two travelogues were the next two publications,Kappirikalude Naattil (In the Land of the Negroes) andInnathe Europe (The Europe Today), both based on his first overseas tour.^[7] He publishedOru Theruvinte Katha in 1960 and his magnum opus,Oru Desathinte Katha, in 1971.^[8][9]

Pottekkatt was a writer of strong social commitment and ideals, possessing an individualistic vision.^[3] He is reported to be the pioneer of the genre oftravelogues in India^[10] and its most notable practitioner inMalayalam literature^[11] which earned him the moniker, theJohn Gunther of Malayalam.^[12] Poetry anthologies likeSanchariyude Geethangal andPremashilpi,Achan (play), novels likePremashiksha andMoodupadam, short story anthologies such asNishagandhi,Pulliman andChandrakatham, travelogues viz.Simhabhoomi,Nile Diary andPathira Sooryante Nattil as well as memoirs likePonthakkadukal andSamsarikkunna Diarykurippukal are some of his other major works.^[13]

His works have been translated into English, Italian, Russian, German and Czech, besides all major Indian languages.^[2] An Italian anthology ofThe Best Short Stories of the World published from Milan in 1971 included hisBraanthan Naaya (Mad Dog). A collection of eleven of his short stories in Russian had a sensational sales of one hundred thousand copies in two weeks.^[1] His stories have made into feature films in Malayalam;Naadan Premam,^[14]Moodupadam,^[15]Pulliman^[16] andNjavalppazhangal are some of them.^[17]Kadavu, a 1991 film written directed byM. T. Vasudevan Nair based on his short story "Kadathuthoni", received prizes at several international film festivals.^[18] The 2015 filmManikyam was an adaptation of the novelPrema Shiksha.^[19][20]

Pottekkatt contested twice as independent candidate in elections toIndian Parliament fromThalassery under the banner of theCommunist Party of India,^[21] the first in 1957 to the2nd Lok Sabha when he lost to M. K. Jinachandran by 1000 votes and the next in 1962 to the3rd Lok Sabha when he defeatedSukumar Azhikode by a margin of 66,000 votes; he served out his term until 1967.^[2]

Pottekkatt married Jayavalli in 1950 and the couple had two sons and two daughters. His wife died in 1980 and two years later, he suffered a paralytic stroke in July 1982, and he died on 6 August 1982, in a private hospital in Calicut.^[1]

Oru Theruvinte Katha (The Story of a Street), a novel based onMittai Theruvu, a popular street in Kozhikode known forsweetmeat andhalvah stalls, received theKerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel in 1961.^[22] Hisbiographical novel,Oru Desathinte Katha was selected for theSahitya Akademi Award in 1972.^[23] Eight years later, in 1980, the novel earned Pottekkatt theJnanpith Award, the highest literary honour in India.^[24][25] In 1982, theUniversity of Calicut honoured him with thehonoris causa degree of theDoctor of Letters.^[26]India Post issued a commemorative postal stamp on him in 2003, as a part of theirJnanpith Award Winners.^[27]Malayala Manorama andMadhyamam issuedfestschrifts on Pottekkatt on the occasion of his birth centenary.^[28][29]

• Stree Thatha Anya Kahaniyam (in Hindi). 1986.
• Kadha Ek Pranthar Ki (in Hindi). Bharatheey Njanpeet Prakasan. 1981.
• Tales of Athiranippadam. Hyderabad: Orient Blackswan. 2013.ISBN 9788125051275.
• Twelve stories. Calicut: Tarjuma. 2010.ISBN 9788190895811.
• Many works are translated to Tamil by Su Ra.^[69]

• Krishnan P. (1985).S K Pottekkatt: Jeevithavum Krithiyum (in Malayalam). Kottayam: National Book Stall.
• A. P. P. Namboothiri, ed. (1982).S K Pottekkatt: Padanavum Anusmaranavum (in Malayalam). Calicut: Poorna Publications.
• S. Susmitha (2012).Folklore elements in S K Pottekkatt's works: a comparative study (in Malayalam). Calicut: University of Calicut.
• P. M. V. Panicker (2014).S K Pottekkatt Rashtreeyasancharapadham (in Malayalam). Kottayam: Sahithya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sangham.ISBN 9789384571450.
• K. Afsina (2017).S K Pottekkattinte Sthalanirmmithi: Vishakanyaka, Nadanpremam, Oru Theruvinte Kadha Ennee Novelukale Munnirthiyulla Padanam (in Malayalam). Calicut: Department of Malayalam, University of Calicut.
• George Irumpayam, ed. (1984).Pottekkatt: Vyakthiyum Sahithyakaranum (in Malayalam). Kottayam: D.C.Books.
• S K Pottekkatt: Yathra, Ezhuthu, Kazhcha (in Malayalam). Trivandrum: Kerala Bhasha Institute. 2014.ISBN 9788176389662.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toS. K. Pottekkatt.

• Rajendra Awasthy, ed. (2004)."Nishaganthi (short story by S, K. Pottekkatt (full text)".Selected Malayalam Short Stories. Diamond Pocket Books. pp. 53–.ISBN 978-81-288-0479-3.
• "നൂറ് തികഞ്ഞ യാത്ര". 4 June 2013. Archived fromthe original on 4 June 2013. Retrieved1 March 2019.Excerpts from Pottekkatt Diaries
• "അനുഭവങ്ങള്‍, ഭാവനകള്‍". 4 June 2013. Archived fromthe original on 23 August 2015. Retrieved1 March 2019.Interview with S. K. Pottekkatt: Excerpts from the bookMalayalathinte Jnanapeeda Prabhashanangal edited by R. Arsu
• S. K. Pottekkatt atIMDb
• "Portrait commissioned by Kerala Sahitya Akademi".Kerala Sahitya Akademi. 1 March 2019. Retrieved1 March 2019.
• Ambikasuthan Mangad.Review of the famous story "Pulliman".Madhyamam Weekly.

• 1913 births
• 1982 deaths
• Indian travel writers
• Indian male novelists
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• Indian diarists
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