Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai
Encyclopedia
Swathithirunal Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai (1898–1976) was a Malayalam author and actor, a prominent speaker, teacher and thinker. His plays addressed serious themes such as patriotism, sacrifice and justice. He created characters of great heroism in his plays, which may show some influence by Shakespeare.
He also drew on the tragic heritage of E.V. Krishna Pillai (1895–1938) with his works Veluttampi Dalava (1932) and Kalvariyile Kalpapadapam (1934).
Veluttampi Dalava describes the herioc deeds and tragic death of a minister of the state of Travancore
.
His 1959 book The red interlude in Kerala published for the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee
gave a thoughtful discussion of how the communists came to power in Kerala, often quoted in analyses of the politics of that period.
He was given a Sahitya Akademi Award
in 1967.
His brother, Kainikkara Kumara Pillai
also became a famous playwright, with classics such as "Harichandra".
He also drew on the tragic heritage of E.V. Krishna Pillai (1895–1938) with his works Veluttampi Dalava (1932) and Kalvariyile Kalpapadapam (1934).
Veluttampi Dalava describes the herioc deeds and tragic death of a minister of the state of Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
.
His 1959 book The red interlude in Kerala published for the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee
Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee is the unit of the Indian National Congress - the world's largest political organization -working in the state of Kerala. Its head office is situated at Trivandrum ....
gave a thoughtful discussion of how the communists came to power in Kerala, often quoted in analyses of the politics of that period.
He was given a Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award
Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honor in India which Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of outstanding works in one of the following twenty-four major Indian languagesAssamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, English, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri,...
in 1967.
His brother, Kainikkara Kumara Pillai
Kainikkara Kumara Pillai
Kainikkara Kumara Pillai , younger brother of Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai, was a Malayalam teacher, actor and playwright, who wrote classics such as "Harichandra"....
also became a famous playwright, with classics such as "Harichandra".
Selected works
- Veluttampi Dalava (1932) - about a patriot who fought British imperialism in the 19th century
- Calvaryile Kalpapadapam (1935) - "Calvary's Wish-fulfilling Tree" on Christ's last days, considered his masterpiece.
- Vidhimandapam (1955) - "Court of Judgment"
- Agnipanjaram (1962) - "Skeleton of Fire"
- Swati Tirunal Maharaja (1966) - about a famous KeralaKeralaor Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
king