T. Padmanabhan | |
|---|---|
 Padmanabhan in 2013 | |
| Born | (1931-02-05)5 February 1931 (age 94) |
| Occupation | Short story writer |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Years active | 1950–present |
| Notable works | Prakasam Parathunna Oru Penkutty,Gowri,Kadal,Thiranjedutha Kathakal |
| Notable awards |
|
| Spouse | Kallanmarthodi Bharghavi |
Thinakkal Padmanabhan (born 5 February 1931), popularly known asT. Padmanabhan, is an Indian short story writer ofMalayalam literature. He is a recipient of several awards including theEzhuthachan Puraskaram, the highest literary award of theGovernment of Kerala. He declined some of the earlier awards he was selected for which includeKerala Sahitya Akademi Award (1973),Odakkuzhal Award (1995) andSahitya Akademi Award (1996).Mahatma Gandhi University conferred on him thehonoris causa degree of theDoctor of Letters in 2018.[1][2][3] In 2023, he was honoured with theKerala Jyothi Award, the highest civilian award given by the Kerala Government.[4]
T. Padmanabhan was born on 5 February 1931[5] in a family of poor financial means atPallikunnu nearKannur, in the south Indian state ofKerala to Puthiyidath Krishnan Nair and Devaki (Ammukutty) as the youngest of their four children.[6] His father died when he was only a few months old and it was his mother and the eldest brother who looked after him during his childhood.[7] He completed his school education fromChirakkal Raja's High School, and did his college studies atMangalore Government Arts College, before graduating in law fromMadras Law College (now known as Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College, Chennai) to start his practice inThalassery andKannur courts.[8] By this time, he had already established himself as a budding writer andM. K. K. Nair, a known arts enthusiast and the then chairman and managing director ofFACT,[9] invited him to join the company. Padmanabhan served FACT in different capacities including that of the head of Materials Division to superannuate from service as its Deputy general manager in 1989[10] during which time he had a number of legal tussles with the company after M. K. K. Nair left FACT in 1971.[11]
Padmanabhan was married to Kallanmarthodi Bharghavi[10] who died in 2014 and the couple had no children.[5] He lives a retired life in Kannur.[11] His major works includePrakasham Parathunna Oru Penkutty,Oru Kathakrithu Kurishil,Makhan Singhinte Maranam,Veedu Nashtapetta Kutti,Kalabhariavan,Nalinakanthi,Sakshi,Sayvinte Naya,Gouri andKadal.
What appeals most to his readers in all his early and recent stories is the lyrical quality of the language and the aesthetics of his perceptions, especially in the portrayal of loneliness and helplessness, writesK. Ayyappa Panicker, about T. Padmanabhan, in his bookA Short History of Malayalam Literature.[12]
Padmanabhan started writing at the age of 19[13] and has written over 190 short stories[6] of whichPrakasam Parathunna Oru Penkutty (The Girl Who Spreads Radiance, 1955),Oru Kathakrithu Kurishil (A Story Writer being Crucified, 1956),Makhan Singhinte Maranam (The Death of Makhan Singh, 1958),Kala Bhairavan,Gouri (1993) andMaraya (2017)[14][15][16] are some of his major works.[17] He has also written a book,Ente Katha, Ente Jeevitha (My Story, My Life)[18] which is a compilation of some of his essays and articles, an interview and an afterword byPinarayi Vijayan.[19]
Padmanabhan, whose stories have been translated in almost every Indian languages[10] and foreign languages such as Russian, French and English.[20] has been credited with bringing the modern Malayalam short story nearer to the subjective intensity of the lyric.[21] His stories are known to have emerged, portraying an individualistic idiom, whenMalayalam literature was rife with repeated depiction of romantic idealism and social commitment.[22]
His short story "Gauri" was adapted into a musical and was broadcast byDoordarshan in 1992;[23] the story was also made into a film the same year byKaviyoor Sivaprasad.[24] Another of his stories,Gaadha, was taken up by the award-winning director/cinematographer,Shaji N. Karun, in 2016 but the film was never released.[25]
Towards the early days of his career, Padmanabhan made it almost a habit of declining awards; when his story,Saakshi was chosen for theKerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story in 1973, he declined it.[26][27] More than two decades later, the 1995Odakkuzhal Award for his story,Kadal was also rejected[28] followed by another rejection a year later, theKendra Sahitya Akademi Award of 1966 forGowry.[29] He received theLalithambika Andharjanam Award in 1998[30] and theVayalar Award of 2001 forPuzha Kadannu Marangalude Edayileku.[20][31] He received one more award in 2001, theVallathol Award,[32] The government of Kerala honoured him with their highest literary award, theEzhuthachan Award in 2003[21] and he was selected for theMuttathu Varkey Award in 2007.[33] TheKerala Sahitya Akademi inducted him as theirdistinguished fellow in 2012[34] and he received two awards in 2014, the C. V. Kunhuraman Literary Prize[35] and theBharatiya Bhasha Parishad Award.[36] He was awarded theMathrubhumi Sahitya Puraskaram in 2015,[28][37] and theAbu Dhabi Sakthi-T. K. Ramakrishnan Award in 2019.[38]Mahatma Gandhi University conferred him with anhonorary doctorate in 2018.[3]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
