Kadammanitta Ramakrishnan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of theKerala Legislative Assembly | |
| In office 1996 (1996) – 2001 (2001) | |
| Preceded by | R. Ramachandran Nair |
| Succeeded by | Malethu Sarala Devi |
| Constituency | Aranmula |
| President,Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangham | |
| In office 2002 (2002) – 2008 (2008) | |
| Preceded by | N. V. P. Unithiri |
| Succeeded by | U. A. Khader |
| Personal details | |
| Born | M. R. Ramakrishna Panikkar (1935-03-22)22 March 1935 Kadammanitta,Pathanamthitta, Kerala, India |
| Died | 31 March 2008(2008-03-31) (aged 73) |
| Spouse | Santha |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Awards |
|
M. R. Ramakrishna Panikkar (22 March 1935 – 31 March 2008), popularly known asKadammanitta Ramakrishnan orKadammanitta, was an Indian poet. He was born inKadammanitta province ofPathanamthitta district,Kerala. His childhood experiences, especially thePatayani songs, had a strong influence on his literary work.[1]
Ramakrishnan was born on 22 March 1935 to Meletharayil Raman Nair and Kuttiyamma. He completed schooling at his home village ofKadammanitta and at the nearby town ofPathanamthitta.[2] He was influenced by the traditional religious art form ofPatayani even from his childhood.[1] After his degree studies, he went toKolkata and then reachedChennai. He was employed with the Postal Audits and Accounts department in 1959. He worked inThiruvananthapuram from 1967 until his retirement in 1992.[2]
Ramakrishnan's poemNjan was published in 1965 inM. Govindan'sSameeksha magazine.[3]
Kadammanitta played a role in reviving interest in poetry by holding thousands of recital sessions in every nook and corner of Kerala in the 1970s and 80s.[2] His work has been widely appreciated for its force, energy, and folk touch, and his work gave a mass appeal and popularity making poetry enjoyable even to commonman.[1] Ramakrishnan's close association with literary and cultural luminaries, which includedM. Govindan,Ayyappa Paniker,M. V. Devan,P. K. Balakrishnan,O. N. V. Kurup,Kavalam Narayana Panicker, D.Vinayachandran, and K. V. Thampi, helped him in the endeavour to give a popular image to Malayalam poetry recital.[2] He had recited his fiery works at thousands of venues all over the state, besides editing a poetry journalKerala Kavitha that attempted to take the essence of poetry from the academic cloisters to the realms of everyday life.[4]
Acommunist, he was involved with the student federation as well as communist party during his college days.[3] In 1992, he became the vice president of CPI-M's cultural wing,Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangham (Progressive Association for Art and Letters), and in 2002 its president.[5] In 1996, he was elected to Kerala state legislative assembly fromAranmula constituency inPathanamthitta district.[6] He was still continuing as the President of Purogamana Kala Sahithya Sangham when he died.
Ramakrishnan died at 9 o'clock in the morning of 31 March 2008 at M.G.M. Memorial Medical Centre inPathanamthitta, nine days after celebrating his 73rd birthday. He had been undergoing treatment formyeloid leukaemia for the past three months. He was survived by his wife, Santha, daughter, Geetha Devi, and son, Geetha Krishnan.[2][7] He was cremated with full state honours at the premises of his home in his birth village.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
