V. V. Ayyapan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Kandanissery Vattamparambil Velappan Ayyappan (1923-07-09)9 July 1923 |
| Died | 2 June 2010(2010-06-02) (aged 86) Kunnamkulam, Thrissur,Kerala, India |
| Pen name | Kovilan |
| Occupation | Writer, soldier,freedom fighter |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Citizenship | Indian |
| Alma mater | Kandanisseri Excelsior School Nenmini Higher Elementary School Sahitya Deepika Sanskrit College at Pavaratty |
| Genre | Novel, short story, essay |
| Notable works | Ezhamedangal,Thottangal,Thattakam |
| Notable awards | Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award 1972Thottangal Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award 2005 |
Kandanisseri Vattamparambil Velappan Ayyappan (9 July 1923 – 2 June 2010) orV. V. Ayyappan, better known by hispen nameKovilan, was an IndianMalayalam language novelist and freedom fighter fromKerala. He is considered one of the most prolific writers of contemporary Indian literature.[1] In all, he had authored 11 novels, 10 collections of short stories, three essays and a play.
He won theKerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1972 and 1977 and theKendra Sahitya Akademi Award in 1998. He was also a recipient of theKerala state government's highest literary honourEzhuthachan Puraskaram in recognition of his outstanding contribution toMalayalam literature.[2] He had been a Fellow of theKerala Sahitya Akademi since 1997 andSahitya Akademi since 2005.[1][3]
Kovilan was born in Kandanassery inGuruvayur,Thrissur to Vattomparambil Shanku Velappan and Kotakkattil Kunjandi Kali.[citation needed] He did his early education at the Kandanisseri Excelsior School and Nenmini Higher Elementary School. He then joined the Sahitya Deepika Sanskrit College at Pavaratty at the age of 13. He attended classes ofK. P. Narayana Pisharody, P. C. Vasudevan Elayathu,M. P. Sankunni Nair,Cherukadu and Srikrishna Sharma. Even as a student, he had shown interest in writing poems and stories.[citation needed]
A follower ofMahatma Gandhi, Kovilan left the Sanskrit College to participate in theQuit India Movement. That marked the end of his formal academic education. By the time he quit, he had written at least three novels.[citation needed]
He joined theRoyal Indian Navy in 1943 and was trained in Anti-submarine Detecting Operations.[citation needed] He served in Bengal sea,Burma and Singapore. He quit following theRoyal Indian Navy mutiny of 1946 and returned home. While back in Kerala, Kovilan maintained a close friendship withVaikom Muhammed Basheer,Joseph Mundassery and C. J. Thomas. He also took part in the trade union movements. In 1948 he passedSSLC and worked for a while as astenographer for Joseph Mundassery. In 1948, he joined theIndian Army Corps of Signals as Radio Mechanic.[4] He also specialised in electronics. For five years he lived in theHimalayas. While in army, he came in contact with soldier-turned-writersParappurath andNandanar. He also worked asNational Cadet Corps training officer at theIndian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He retired from theIndian Army in 1968 asHavildar Major and settled down at Pullanikunnu at Kandanassery.
Kovilan died on 2 June 2010 inKunnamkulam, aged 86.[5]
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Kovilan has written 4 novels—A Minus B (1958),Ezhamedangal (Army Wives, 1965),Thazhvarakal (The Valleys, 1969) andHimalayam—with military experiences as their background.
Thottangal (Incantations, 1970), the first post-service novel of the writer, narrates the delirious memories of an old woman in the night of her death whose life was shipwrecked turning the dreams of her childhood into nightmares.
His most popular novel wasThattakam (The Terrain, 1995).
Kovilan's first collection of short stories wasOru Palam Manayola (A Measure of Red Arsenic). This book was published in the year 1957. The storyTharavadu (Ancestral Home) is included in this collection. Kovilan's other collections of short stories includeEe Jeevitham Ananthamanu (1957),Orikkal Manushyanayirunnu (1960),Oru Kashanam Asthi (1961),Vendam Kadi (1969),Thervazhchakal (1971),Pitham (1971),Shakunam (1974),Adyathe Kathakal (1978),Sujatha (1979),Theranjedutha Kathakal (1980) andKovilante Kathakal (1985). A tele-serial based on his novelThottangal was beamed onDoordarshan. Some of his short stories also have been adapted for tele-screen.
According to one source, Kovilan's works contributed to transforming a community bogged down by conservatism to one that was progressive and socialist in outlook.[6]
Poet and criticK. Satchidanandan notes:
He wrote pure prose, not poetic prose. In an era when prose writers revelled in poetic expressions, Kovilan wrote a prose that was plain and lean. Its beauty was raw and unadorned. Though Kovilan's works were initially categorised asPattala Sahityam or soldier's writings, it was clear after the publication ofThattakam andThottangal that they were more than that. Writers seek legends. Kovilan realised that there is a legend behind every man. He sought to document this. He explored the legends of his village. His stories bridged local and regional history.[7]
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| Title | Title in English | Year | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thakarnna Hridayangal | Broken Hearts | 1946 | Arunodayam Press,Vadakkencherry |
| A Minus B | 1958 | Current Books,Thrissur | |
| Ezhamedangal | Army Wives | 1965 | Current Books, Thrissur |
| Thazhvarakal | The Valleys | 1969 | Current Books, Thrissur |
| Thottanngal | Incantations | 1970 | Current Books, Thrissur |
| Himalayam | The Himalayas | 1972 | Current Books, Thrissur |
| Bharathan | 1976 | Poorna Publications,Calicut | |
| Janmantharanngal | Through Many Births | 1982 | Sahithya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society,Kottayam |
| Thattakam | The Terrain | 1995 | Current Books, Thrissur |
| Title | Title in English | Year | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board Out | 1936 | Current Books,Thrissur | |
| Tharavadu | The Ancestral Home | 1963 | Current Books, Thrissur |
| Title | Title in English | Year | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oru Palam Manayola | A Measure of Red Arsenic | 1957 | Current Books,Thrissur |
| Ee Jeevitham Anadhamanu | This Life is Orphaned | 1957 | Current Books, Thrissur |
| Orikkal Manushyanayirunnu | Once a Man I was... | 1960 | Current Books, Thrissur |
| Oru Kashanam Asthi | A Piece of Bone | 1961 | Current Books, Thrissur |
| Vendamkadi | The Unwanted | 1969 | Current Books, Thrissur |
| Thervazchakal | Apparitions | 1971 | Current Books, Thrissur |
| Pitham | The Bilious Child | 1971 | Current Books, Thrissur |
| Sujatha | 1971 | Poorna Publications,Calicut | |
| Sakunam | The Omen | 1974 | Sahithya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society,Kottayam |
| Adyathe Kathakal | Stories of Early Days | 1978 | Sahithya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society, Kottayam |
| Theranjedutha Kathakal | Selected Stories | 1980 | Sahithya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society, Kottayam |
| Kovilante Kathakal | Stories of Kovilan | 1985 | Current Books, Thrissur |
| Suvarna Kathakal | Golden Stories | 2002 | Green Books, Thrissur |
| Ente Priyappetta Kathakal | My Favourite Stories | 2003 | DC Books, Kottayam |
| Title | Title in English | Year | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ninte Viswasam Ninne Poruppikkum | Your Faith Ensures What Happens to You | 1957 | Current Books,Thrissur |
| Title | Title in English | Year | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kovilante Lekhanangal | Essays of Kovilan | 1984 | Sikha Publications,Calicut |
| Kathayum Kathakalum | Stories Behind the Stories | 1957 | Poorna Publications, Calicut |
| Athmabhavangal | Self Reflections | 1995 | Jwala, Ariyannur,Thrissur |
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