Sanjayan | |
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| Born | (1903-06-13)June 13, 1903 Thalassery,Kannur, British India |
| Died | September 13, 1943(1943-09-13) (aged 40) |
| Occupation | Writer, satirist, journalist |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Notable works |
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| Spouse | Karthyayani Amma |
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Mannikoth Ramunni Nair (1903–1943), better known by his pseudonym,Sanjayan, was aMalayalam writer, journalist and one of the pioneers ofsatirical writing inMalayalam literature. Along withE. V. Krishna Pillai, another of the notable Malayalam satirists, Sanjayan is known to have developed the genre of light essays in the language. Besides satires, he also wrote literary criticisms and translatedOthello into Malayalam language.
Recently I happened to see a report in the newspaper about a person circling the world in a single-bullock cart. I understand that the unusually hot weather this year has had this kind of effect on many people. The depth to which people are ready to stoop to get their names and photos in papers is amazing. Let me in all humility ask a question: if you circle the world in a single-bullock cart who should get the credit for it- you or the single bullock?, Excerpts fromHunting for fame by Sanjayan.[1]
Sanjayan was born on June 13, 1903, inThalassery, a town inKannur District of the south Indian state ofKerala to Madavil Kunjiraman Vaidyar and Manikkoth Paru Amma.[2] His father died when the boy was eight years old and he was brought up by his mother. He did his schooling at Brennan Branch School, the present day Government Brennen Higher Secondary School, after which he studied atGovernment Brennen College, Thalassery,Victoria College, Palakkad andMadras Christian College from where he earned anhonours degree in English language and literature.[3] By this time, he had already masteredSanskrit language and had acquired a working knowledge ofGerman andFrench languages. Though he started his career as a clerk in government service soon after his graduation, he resigned the job after a short while to move to teaching by joiningMalabar Christian College as a member of faculty.[4] During this period, he had a change of mind and started studying for law, passing the FL examination. However, he could not continue his studies due to personal issues but resumed the studies in 1932, studying forBachelor of Law, which was also abandoned due to ill health; he contractedtuberculosis. While undergoing treatment and during his convalescence, he studiedVedanta andHindu astrology. After recovering from the disease, he moved his residence toKozhikode in 1935 to take up the editorship ofKerala Pathrika, a newspaper founded byChengalathu Kunhirama Menon but in 1938, joinedMalabar Christian College again as a faculty where he worked until 1942.[4]
Sanjayan married Karthyayani Amma, his cousin, in 1927 and had a son from the marriage which was short-lived as his wife died in 1930.[2] He also lost his only son in 1939. He died on September 13, 1943, at the age of 40, at his Thalassery residence.[4]
Sanjayan's contribution to theMalayalam literature were mainly satirical essays criticizing the contemporary social state.[5] Along withE. V. Krishna Pillai, he is considered as the pioneer of humorous and light essays in Malayalam literature.[6][7] Somarajan Padinjarittam, who translated Sanjayan's writings into English under the title,Selected Works - Sanjayan, compared him to writers such asP. G. Wodehouse,Stephen Leacock,James Thurber, andMark Twain.[8] It is reported that, even when criticising the socio-political issues, he did not resort to personal slagging. His oeuvre is composed of satirical verses such as inHasyanjali, literary criticisms compiled asSahitya Nikasham andAaru Niroopanangal and books such asVyamayanam andAdhyopaharam.[9] he also translatedOthello ofWilliam Shakespeare into Malayalam.[4][10]
Sanjayan's career as a journalist started with his assignment as the editor ofKerala Pathrika in 1935 which lasted for only a year until he foundedSanjayan, aneponymous humour journal, in 1936.[4] Later, he was the editor-in-chief ofViswaroopam, a satirical magazine where he made satirical remarks even on such names asVallathol Narayana Menon.[11][12] He also wrote inMathrubhumi and one of his satirical pieces on the atrocities of theBritish Army earned the newspaper a temporary ban.[13]
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