K. Ayyappa Paniker | |
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| Born | (1930-09-12)12 September 1930 Kavalam, Kerala, India |
| Died | 23 August 2006(2006-08-23) (aged 75) Thiruvananthapuram,Kerala, India |
| Other names | Ayyappa Panicker കേശവപണിക്കർ അയ്യപ്പ പണിക്കർ |
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| Known for | Malayalam poetry |
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Ayyappa Paniker | |
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| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | |
| Thesis | Poetry of Robert Lowell |
| Doctoral advisor | Robert E. Gross. |
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Kavalam Ayyappa Paniker, sometimes speltAyyappa Panicker (12 September 1930 – 23 August 2006), was aMalayalam poet, literary critic, and an academic and a scholar in modern and post-modern literary theories as well as ancient Indianaesthetics and literary traditions. He was one of the pioneers of modernism in Malayalam poetry, where his seminal works like Kurukshethram (1960), is considered a turning point in Malayalam poetry.[1] Many of Ayyappa Paniker's poems and his several essays were an important influence on later generations of Malayalam writers.[2][3] His poems often reflected his deep concern for the environment with works such as Kadevide Makkale -Malayalam കാടെവിടെ മക്കളെ (Where are the forests?)[4][5]
In an academic career which ran in consonance with his literary one, and spanned four decades, he taught in various colleges and universities before retiring as the Director, Institute of English,University of Kerala. He published over 25 works, translated several important work to Malayalam, includingGuru Granth Sahib and a book in French; as a scholarly editor he produced numerous anthologies onIndian literature, he was the chief editor of theSahitya Akademi'sIndian Literary Encyclopaedia.[3] Another important work by himIndian Narratology, published byIGNCA, was the first of its kind to study various forms of the art of narration, inIndian literature, starting withVedic and oral literature toBuddhist and contemporary literature.[6]
Paniker (his preferred spelling) was born inKavalam nearAlappuzha to E. Naryanan of Periyamana Illam, and M. Meenakshiamma. Fourth of the eight children, six of them girls, he grew up without any paternal affection, while his mother died when he was 12 years old, this early anguish and solitude deeply reflected in his poetry, which he started writing when he was in high school.[3]
The Kavalam village, was also home to people like,K. M. Panikkar, historian and administrator, and playwright and poet,Kavalam Narayana Panicker, his cousin.[7] He published his first poem at the age of 16, published in theMathrubhoomi Weekly. He did his Intermediate atMalabar Christian College,Kozhikode, and BA Honours in English Literature at theUniversity College,Thiruvananthapuram in 1951, thereafter he received his master's degree from theUniversity of Kerala.[citation needed]
Paniker took his doctorate fromIndiana University Bloomington from 1969 to 1971 with adoctoral dissertation on the poetry ofRobert Lowell, supervised by Robert E. Gross, subsequently he did post-doctoral research inYale andHarvard University (1981–82).[8]
Leaders, selfish and opportunistic,
tell us that life is for doing good,
that good is nothing but social good.
If we are clever in spreading the net,
we can have a good haul.
Paniker joinedCMS College,Kottayam as a lecturer of English in 1951, after working there for a year, he joined theMahatma Gandhi College,Thiruvananthapuram. He started teaching at theUniversity College, in Thiruvananthapuram in 1952, and did so until 1965.[citation needed] At this point, he became a Professor at the Institute of English and Head of the department inUniversity of Kerala (1965–74). In 1974, he became Reader in English, at the Institute of English under University of Kerala, a post he held till 1980, when he became Dean of Faculty of Arts in the University of Kerala, he retired in 1990.[citation needed]
Through his long career he lectured in many national and international universities, including around 25 universities in US, where came across poetsJames Dickey,John Hollander,Czeslaw Milosz andAllen Ginsberg.[9]
Paniker was a recipient of a number of honours including thePadma Shri,[10]Kerala Sahitya Akademi award for poetry and criticism,Kendriya Sahitya Akademi Award for poetry, 2005Saraswati Samman for his collection of writingsAyyappa Panikerude Krithikal,Distinguished Teacher award,Mahakavi Ulloor award for poetry,Kabir Samman,International Man of the Year (IBC, Cambridge, United Kingdom),[11]Indira Gandhi Memorial Fellowship with lead to the book,Indian Narratology published byIGNCA,Gangadhar Meher National Award for poetry,Asan Prize andJana Sanskriti Award (Abu Dhabi),Vayalar Award, Pandalam Keralavarma award andVallathol Award. 2015 was conducted in memory of him.[citation needed]
He died inThiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) on 23 August 2006 at the age of 76 and was survived by his wife and two children.[9] He was cremated the following day in his native village,Kavalam, in a plot he had set apart twelve years ago for the purpose, on the western side of his traditional family house,Olickal tharavad. The house finds reference in several of his works, especially in his poem 'Kavalam' in the anthologyPathumanippookkal.[12]
Ayyapa Foundation was formed in 2006 in Thiruvananthapuram, to promote his work and Malayalam poetry.[13] The January 2007 issue of journalSamyukta, was dedicated entirely to him, it contained 10 critical essays on him and his work, besides three collections of his verse in English translation, one of which,Poetry at Midnight published for the first time. It also contained a 36-page bibliography of hisoeuvre.[7] In September 2009,Sitakant Mahapatra delivered the "Ayyappa Paniker commemorative speech 2009" at Thiruvananthapuram.[14] Every thing is past tense by Rati Saxena, the first book written by Rati Saxena about Ayyappa paniker. she has translated his 5 books in to HIndi. The popular poetry journalPoetry Chain was established byGopi Kottoor in memory of Ayyappa Paniker.[citation needed]
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