C. V. Raman Pillai | |
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| Born | Cannankara Velayudhan Raman Pillai (1858-05-19)19 May 1858 |
| Died | 21 March 1922(1922-03-21) (aged 63) Trivandrum, Travancore |
| Occupation | Novelist, playwright, journalist, social activist,sheristadar |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | His Highness Maharaja's College, Travancore University of Madras |
| Period | 1880s −1920s |
| Genre | Fiction, theatre |
| Subject | Literary, socio-cultural |
| Notable works |
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| Spouse | |
| Parents | Panavilakath Neelakanta Pillai (father) Parvathy Pillai (mother) |
| Relatives | E. V. Krishna Pillai (son-in-law) Adoor Bhasi (grandson) |
Cannankara Velayudhan Raman Pillai (19 May 1858 – 21 March 1922), also known asC. V., was one of the major Indiannovelists andplaywrights and a pioneering playwright and novelist ofMalayalam literature. He was known for his historical novels such asMarthandavarma,Dharmaraja andRamaraja Bahadur; the last mentioned considered by many as one of the greatest novels written inMalayalam.
Born in Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), capital city of the erstwhile native State ofTravancore, on 19 May 1858 to Panavilakath Neelakanta Pillai, aSanskrit scholar and Parvathy Pillai, a scion of an ancient matrilineal family; both his parents were from middle-class families and employees at the Palace of theMaharaja of Travancore.[1] Pillai got his family name,Cannankara, throughmatrilineal succession. Fondly called Ramu, he had a traditional Sanskritized education, early in life, under his father's tutelage which included lessons inAyurveda and even magic and Tantra. He continued education at the first English school inThiruvananthapuram. Subsequently, he graduated from His Highness Maharaja's College (the present-dayUniversity College Thiruvananthapuram), the first-ever College in Travancore,[2] where he reportedly had a brilliant academic career under John Ross, the principal of the institution and Robert Harvey. and obtained his BA degree from theMadras University in 1881, securing the 7th rank in theMadras Presidency. It was during this period, he started his first periodical named The Kerala Patriot.[3]
After graduation, Pillai studied law but dropped out and went to Madras to study for the government pleader examination which he also abandoned in due course.[1] Later, he joined the High Court as a clerk and rose to the position of ashirasthadar. Later, he joined the Government Press and held the position of a superintendent when he retired from service.[1] In between, he founded three publications,Malayali in 1886,Vanchiraj in 1901 andMitabhashi in 1920.[3]
Pillai's first marriage did not last long. He married again in 1887 at the age of 30, and his wife, Bhageerathi Amma, was only 16 at the time of the wedding. The marriage lasted till his wife's untimely death in 1904 and his third marriage was to Janaki Amma, the elder sister of Bhageerathi Amma and the widow ofC. Raja Raja Varma, the younger brother ofRaja Ravi Varma. He died on 21 March 1922, at the age of 63, survived by Janaki Amma.[1]
Raman Pillai is compared by many withBankim Chandra Chatterjee in Bengali andHari Narayan Apte in Marathi, two other greats of India literature.[3] His first published book wasChandramukhivilasam, a satire.[3] He wrote his first novel,Marthandavarma, in 1885 but it was published in 1891.[4] This followed sch historical novels asDharmaraja andRamarajabahadur, the social novel,Premamritam[5] as well as several farces. Modern Malayalam drama traces its origins to his works. He is credited with the first original play in Malayalam,Chandramukheevilasam, written in 1884 and was staged for four days successively in 1887 at His Highness Maharaja's College, Trivandrum.[1]
C. V. Vyaakhyaana Kosham[6] is a 400-plus pagelexicographic work in four volumes, based on Pillai's books. The work includes the explanations, elucidations and interpretations of over 700,000 Malayalam, Sanskrit, Tamil, Hindustani and English words used by him in his writings.[7][8]
TheIndia Post issued a commemorative postage stamp on Pillai on 19 May 2010.[15][16] A road in Vazhuthacaud,Thiruvananthapuram has been neamed after him asC. V. Raman Pillai Road.[17]Chenkal, apanchayat in Thiruvananthapuram which includes his native village ofArayoor, was renamed as C.V.R. Puram in 1970.[18][19]
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