Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1898-10-10)10 October 1898 |
| Died | 30 January 1976(1976-01-30) (aged 77) |
| Occupation(s) | Playwright, actor |
| Notable work |
|
| Spouse | P. Chellamma |
| Relatives | Kainikkara Kumara Pillai (brother) |
| Awards |
|
Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai (10 October 1898 – 30 January 1976), popularly identified asSwathithirunal Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai after his magnum opus,Swathithirunal, was an Indian author ofMalayalam literature, actor, speaker, teacher and thinker. He was known for his plays which dealt with themes such as patriotism, sacrifice and justice and his characters showed heroism, showing influence ofWilliam Shakespeare.Kerala Sahitya Akademi awarded him theirannual award for drama in 1970. He was also a recipient of the Kalyani Krishna Menon Puraskaram.
Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai was born on October 10, 1898, atPerunna,Travancore (present-day south Indian state ofKerala) toNair parents Perunayil N. Kumara Pillai, a lawyer and anAyurvedic physician and Haripattu Poothottal L. Parvathy Pillai.[2] After primary education at his local school, he studied at institutions inKumbakonam andThiruvananthapuram and started his career as a teacher at the NSS High School. He served the society in various capacities such as those of a headmaster, educational inspector and as the general manager until joining the government service in 1944 and before resigning from service, he held various positions including those of the director of education department, broadcasting corporation director, chairman of the pay commission and the secretary of the department of food. In between, he sat in the Legislative Council of Travancore from 1933 to 1944. Later, he served as the editor ofMalayalarajyam (1954–56)andKaumudi (1957–61). It was during this period,Kaumudi was involved in the leak of the 1957 budget of theFirst E. M. S. Namboodiripad ministry where the reporter who leaked the budget as well as Pillai, as the editor ofKaumudi were fined by the court.[3] He also contested unsuccessfully from the Mavelikkara-Kollam parliamentary constituency.[2]
Padmanabha Pillai was married to P. Chellama. He died on January 30, 1976, at the age of 77.[2]Kainikkara Kumara Pillai, noted playwright and the author of books such asHarichandra was his brother.[4]
Padmanabha Pillai published 15 books composed of 6 plays, 3 novels, 4 short story anthologies, an essay compilation and a book of history,[5] but he was best known for his plays of whichCalvaryile Kalpapadapam,[6] written in the 1934, was a pioneering work of modern Malayalam theatre.[7][8] He was known to have drawn on the heritage ofE.V. Krishna Pillai (1895–1938) with his historical works likeVeluttampi Dalava, published in 1932,[9][10] which describes the deeds and death of a minister of the state ofTravancore[11] and his plays evidently displayed an influence ofWilliam Shakespeare.[12][13] His 1959 bookThe Red Interlude in Kerala published for theKerala Pradesh Congress Committee[14] is a historical discourse on how the communists came to power in Kerala and the book is often quoted in analyses of the politics of that period.[15][16]
Pillai received the Kalyani Krishna Menon Puraskaram for his play,Vidhimandapam, in 1955.[2] TheKerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Drama selectedSwathi Tirunal, his 1966 play on the life of theformer king of Travancore for theirannual award for drama in 1967.He was given aSahitya Akademi Award in 1967.[17][18] Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai Foundation, is an eponymous organization which has institutedKainikkara Award, an annual award for recognizing excellence in socio-cultural work.[19]
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