A.Sethumadhavan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1942-06-05)5 June 1942 (age 83) |
| Pen name | Sethu |
| Occupation | Writer, banker |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | UC College, Aluva |
| Period | 1956–1960 |
| Genre | Novel,short story,essays |
| Website | |
| Sethu.org | |
A. Sethumadhavan (born 5 June 1942), popularly known asSethu, is aMalayalam fiction writer. He has published more than 40 books.[1] He won theKendra Sahitya Akademi Award in 2007 for the workAdayalangal. He received theKerala Sahitya Akademi Awards in 1982 and 1978 for his worksPandavapuram andPediswapnangal; andVayalar Award forAdyalangal in 2006.[citation needed] He also won Odakkuzhal award for his novelMarupiravi. He also served as the chairman and CEO of theSouth Indian Bank.[2] In 2022, he won theEzhuthachan Puraskaram, highest literary honour of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi.[3]
Sethu was born inChendamangalam, a village inErnakulam district, in the year 1942. He had his school education at Paliam High School, Chendamangalam, and took his bachelor's degree in Physics from theUnion Christian College, Aluva, at the age of 18.
Sethu began his professional career at a very young age taking him to various parts of the country. This phase of his life was instrumental in shaping his literary sensibilities and came to be reflected in many of his important works.
He worked in certain Central Government departments in North India before joiningtheIndian Meteorological Department inBombay in 1962. In 1964 he took a transfer toTrivandrum and worked in the Meteorological Unit of theThumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station. Subsequently, he was promoted and posted to the newlyestablished Institute of Tropical Meteorology inPune. Then he worked in Railway Board, New Delhi for a couple of years before switching over to the banking industry in 1968. He joined the banking profession as a Probationary Officer in theState Bank Group. After holding many important positions in the Group, he took over as General Manager in theCorporation Bank and later as the Chairman of theSouth Indian Bank, a major private sector bank of the country. He served as the Chairman andChief Executive Officer of SIB from 1999 until his retirement in 2005. He was also on the board of theState Bank of Travancore for a period of three years after his retirement.
Widely travelled, he had attended many international conferences both on banking and literature in various countries.
In 2012 September, he replaced eminent historianBipan Chandra to become the chairman ofNational Book Trust, New Delhi.[4] In 2015 March, theNational Democratic Alliance government removed him from the post in a most ignominious manner, six months before his tenure was due to end.[5] Sethu was replaced by Baldevbhai Sharma, former editor of theRashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh mouthpiecePanchjanya.[6]
He had written his first short story in the attic of aKarol Bagh house in Delhi in the year 1967. He says, "It [the story] was about the severe drought in Bihar. After a visit to the worst-hit areas and scenes of human suffering I wrote the story without knowing anything about the craft of writing and it was published in theMathrubhumi Weekly by its legendary editor and writerM. T. Vasudevan Nair.".[7]
Sethu, is one of the pioneers of modern Malayalam fiction who brought about a radical transformation of sensibility through his writings during the sixties and early seventies. In a literary career spanning nearly six decades, Sethu wrote over 22 novels, 20 collections of short stories and four Childrens books. Many of his novels and stories have been translated into English and other Indian languages. His well known novel Pandavapuram has been translated into 10 languages including English, French, German and Turkish apart from Hindi, Tamil,Telugu,Kannada, Oriya and Marathi. His prominent works includePandavapuram, Niyogam, Kaimudrakal, Vilayattam, Atayalangal, Kilimozhikalkkappuram, Aramathe Penkutti, MarupiraviAliya, Kilikkoodu and Anthakavallikal (Novels),Petiswapnangal, Doothu, Chilakalangalil Chila Gayathrimar, Arundhathiyute Virunnukaran andSethuvinte Kathakal (Short stories), andSanidasa, Yathrakidayil (Essays).
His novelAliya (2013), on the migration of Jews is one of the path-breaking novels in Malayalam. His later novelThe Cuckoo's Nest, is the story of Madam Agatha, a former devout nun who, after renouncing the order, decides to take up the cudgels for the cause of tolerance and pluralism. She decides to set up a unique institution called 'Nest' for empowering the hapless girls from all over the country, discarded by society. The paramount condition set by her is that none of the resident girls will be allowed to talk of their religion or caste inside the campus. The novelist attempts to portray the kind of challenges she has to face from vested interests all around while working towards secularism, and how she manages to swim against the tide. His latest novelAnthakavallikal ( Invasive Creepers) is on the vital subject ofenvironmental concerns and the importance of organic farming. He has also written a Children's novelIlakalum Pookkalum (Leaves and Flowers) on the importance of organic farming.
Sethu has been honoured with many prestigeous awards including the Ezhuthachan Award,Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award,Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for both novel and short story,Vayalar Award,Odakkuzhal Award, Mathrubhumi Award andMuttathu Varkey Award. Four of his works have been made into films including the much acclaimedPandavapuram, which was also made into Bengali titledNirakar Chhaya.
English Translations
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