P. Sachidanandan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | P. Sachidanandan 1936 (age 88–89) Irinjalakkuda,Kerala, India |
| Pen name | Anand |
| Occupation | Writer, author |
| Notable works | Aalkkoottam (1970) Marubhoomikal Undakunnathu (1989) Jaivamanushyan (1991) Govardhande Yathrakal (1995) |
| Notable awards | |
P. Sachidanandan (born 1936), who uses thepseudonymAnand, is an Indian writer, writing primarily inMalayalam. He is one of the known living intellectuals in India. His works are noted for their philosophical flavor, historical context and theirhumanism. He is a recipient of theSahitya Akademi Award and threeKerala Sahitya Akademi Awards (story,novel, andscholarly literature). He is also a recipient ofEzhuthachan Puraskaram,Vayalar Award,Odakkuzhal Award,Muttathu Varkey Award,Vallathol Award and Yashpal Award. He did not accept the Yashpal Award and theKerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel.
Sachidanandan was born in 1936 to a primary school teacher atIrinjalakuda in theThrissur district (Trichur) ofKerala.[1] He graduated inCivil Engineering fromCollege of Engineering, Trivandrum in 1958. He retired as Planning Director of the Central Water Commission after a career which included extended stints working inGujarat,Mumbai andBengal. He also worked in the military (North-East Frontier Agency) for four years during 1966–70 in the Short Service Commission.[2]
Anand resides in Delhi.[3]
It was the famous criticM. Govindan who helped Anand publish his maiden novelAlkkoottam.[4] At age 34, it was his first ever published work. It was a new experience for the Malayalee readers and the book received rave reviews and pungent criticisms alike. He followedAlkkoottam (Crowd) with three more equally abstract novels:Maranacertificate (Death Certificate),Abhayarthikal (Refugees) andUtharayanam. These books made Anand a writer with considerable standing in Malayalam. But it was in the late eighties and early nineties that Anand came up with two more novels,Marubhoomikal Undakunnathu andGovardhanante Yaathrakal, which made him an icon in Malayalam literature.
Contemporary Malayalam writerM. Mukundan made the following comment about Anand's style.
Anand's is the most articulate voice in Kerala today, which questions the moral premises of politics and most importantly, resists Hindu fundamentalism. His essays and novels unmistakably establish a metaphor of resistance. The prose in Anand's novels is taut - no moon will ever rise in it, nor flowers blossom or river breezes waft through. His language, stripped to the bone, sometimes challenges the reader to go through it.
Anand has also written many short stories and articles, most of which deal with plight of the ordinary people who are exploited by the people in power. His characters are not necessarily a Malayali, and often weaves in historical elements into his stories. More often they are also located outside Kerala. He is also a prolific essayist. He occasionally writes poems also.
The 'abstractness' of Anand's writing has been a cause for criticism, from people alleging he does not actually name concrete people and organizations, instead relying on a historical and abstract narrative, even in his political essays.Balachandran Chullikkadu, a well-known poet in Malayalam, once said that Anand is the messiah of NGOs.
