Vayalar Ramavarma | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1928-03-25)25 March 1928 |
| Died | 27 October 1975(1975-10-27) (aged 47) |
| Occupation | Lyricist, poet |
| Genre | Poetry, lyrics |
| Years active | 1956–1975 |
| Notable works |
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| Notable awards | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4, includingVayalar Sarath Chandra Varma |
| Parents |
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Vayalar Ramavarma (25 March 1928 – 27 October 1975), also known asRama Varma Vayalar or simply,Vayalar,[1] was an Indian poet and lyricist ofMalayalam language. He is known for his poems, includingSargasangeetham,Mulankaadu,Padamudrakal,Aayisha, andOru Judas janikkunnu, and for around 1,300 songs he penned for 256Malayalam films. He received theNational Film Award for Best Lyrics in 1972 and was the winner of theKerala State Film Award for Best Lyricist in its year of inception which he received three more times. He was also a recipient of theKerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry in 1962. [2][3][4] His collaborations withG. Devarajan produced the golden era of Malayalam film music and many songs written and composed by this duo remain classics in Malayalam. Ramavarma is regarded as one of the most successful and critically acclaimed lyricist in the history ofMalayalam cinema.[5][6]
Ramavarma was born on 25 March 1928, atVayalar, a small village inAlappuzha district of the south Indian state ofKerala[7] to Vellarappilli Kerala Varma and Raghavaparambil Ambalika Thamburatti.[8] He lost his father at an early age and his education in the traditionalgurukula way, was supervised by his uncle, which was followed by formal education at the Sanskrit School as well asCherthala English School.[9] He started writing poetry while in school, publishing the first poem in "Swarat" magazine, which he continued after discontinuing education after 9th standard and published poems in periodicals such as "Arunodayam" and "Chakravalam". He started a weekly in 1951, under the name,Janadhipathyam, but the weekly, which published articles promoting communist ideals, did not last long. Subsequently, he served as the editor of a publication from Madras.[9]
Ramavarma married Puthekovilakathu Chandramathi Thamburatti in 1951 but the couple were issueless.[9] Subsequently, he married Bharathi Thamburatti, the younger sister of Chandramathi Thamburatti, and the couple had a son,Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma, a noted poet and lyricist,[10] and three daughters, Indulekha, Yamuna and Sindhu.[11] His death came on 27 October 1975, at the age of 47, following a surgery at theGovernment Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram where he had been admitted for the treatment ofCirrhosis. Later revelations by poet,Ezhacherry Ramachandran, that the actual cause of death was medical negligence, created a controversy,[12] but Ramachandran later refused to stand by his earlier statement.[13] The memoirs of his wife, Bharathi Thamburatti, titledIndradanussinte Theerathu,[14] also became controversial due to certain remarks made in the book aboutK. J. Yesudas.[15]
Ramavarma's first poetry anthology wasPadamudrakal, in 1948 which reflected his affinity towards Gandhian ideals in those days. Later he changed his thought towards communism and keep close contact with the communist party of India. There are notable literature works against cast and communal systems in Kerala even though he is from an upper caste family. But he had a good affinity towards Indian culture which is reflected in the poem Sargga Sangeetham.[9] Between 1950 and 1961, he published a number of anthologies includingKonthayum Poonoolum (1950),Naadinte Nadam,Enikku Maramamilla,Mulankadu (1955),Oru Judas Janikkunnu (1955),Ente Mattolikavithakal (1957), andSargasangeetham (1961), a khandakavyam titledAyisha, two short story anthologies,Raktham Kalarnna Mannu andVettum Thiruthum as well as a travelogue by name,Purushantharangaliloode,[16] which detailed his experiences during his first trip toDelhi in 1956 to participate in the Asian Writers' Conference. With the popularity of his poems, he was known to have brought poetry to the common man's domain.[17]
Ramavarma shifted his base to Madras to take up the editorship of a magazine and this move to the city helped him to get associated with Malayalam film industry which was based there during those days.[9] In 1956, he got the opportunity to write the lyrics forKoodappirappu, aJ. D. Thottan film, for which 10 songs composed byK. Raghavan were written by him.[18] Overall, he wrote over 1300 songs[19] for 245Malayalam movies, 135 songs for 29 music albums and for several plays,[20] of which 755 songs were composed byG. Devarajan.[21] One among the three major lyricists of his times,P. Bhaskaran andO. N. V. Kurup completing the trio, Rama Varma's lyrics were known to have brought the Malayalam film songs closer to poetry.[22]
Ramavarma received theKerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry in 1962 for his poetry anthology,Sargasangeetham.[2]Kerala State Chalachitra Academy selected his songs for the films,Nadhi andKadalpalam for the inauguralKerala State Film Award for Best Lyricist in 1969; he would receive the award three more times, in 1972 forChemparathy, in 1974 forNellu and Athidhi and in 1975 forChuvanna Sandhyakal andSwami Ayyappan.[23] In between, he received theNational Film Award for Best Lyrics for the song,Manushyan mathangale srushtichu in the film,Achanum Bappayum in 1972.[8]
An annual literary award,Vayalar Award, has been instituted in his memory by Vayalar Rama Varma Memorial Trust.[24] The award is given on 27 October, the poet's death anniversary and the recipients includeLalithambika Antharjanam,Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai,Sugathakumari,M. T. Vasudevan Nair,Ayyappa Paniker andK. Satchidanandan.[25] The trust has constructed a memorial for Ramavarma at his residence in Vayalar, which houses a literary museum, library, office, auditorium, martyr square and conference room.[26] Vayalar Ramavarma Samskarika Vedi, another Thiruvananthapuram-based eponymous organization, has instituted an annual award,Vayalar Ramavarma award, to recognize excellence in television programmes.[27] The organization has instituted two more awards,Vayalar Ramavarma Sangeetha Puraskaram andVayalar Ramavarma Natya Ratna Puraskaram, music and dance awards respectively, in honour of the poet.[28] The Government of Kerala installed a bust of Rama Varma atManaveeyam Veedhi, the road between Althara junction to the Museum-Vellayambalam road in Thiruvananthapuram, on 24 November 2005.[29]
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