Vaikom Chandrasekharan Nair (1920 – 12 April 2005), popularly known as Vaikom, was an India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n writer and journalist who wrote primarily in Malayalam

Malayalam language

Malayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people...

. He was born in Vaikom

Vaikom

Vaikom is a taluk and also its capital town, situated in the North-West of Kottayam in Kerala, India. Its western border is the Lake Vembanad, and is crossed by various estuaries of the River Muvattupuzha. It lies between Ernakulam and Kottayam...

, a viilage in Kottayam district

Kottayam district

Kottayam is one of the 14 districts in the state of Kerala, India. The district has its headquarters at Kottayam town, located at 9.36° N and 76.17° E. According to the 1991 census, it is the first district to achieve highest literacy rate in the whole of India...

 of Kerala

Kerala

or 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....

.

Career

He started writing early in his life and became an activist of the communist party

Communist party

A political party described as a Communist party includes those that advocate the application of the social principles of communism through a communist form of government...

 during his college days. Though by career he was a journalist, Vaikkom was a multi-faceted person – a poet, playwright, novelist, actor, orator, singer, artist, and actvist. He has been the editor of various magazines such as Janayugam, Malayala Manorama

Malayala Manorama

Malayala Manorama is a daily news paper, in Malayalam language, published in the state of Kerala, India. It was first published as a weekly on 14 March 1890, and currently has a readership of over 16 million . The Malayalam word "manorama" roughly translates to "entertainer"...

, Kerala Bhooshanam, Kaumudi, Pouraprabha, Kunkumam, Chithrakarthika, Kumari, and Keralam.

Some of his famous novels like Nakhangal, Panchavankadu and Madhavikkutty have been turned into movies. The play Jathugriham was given the Kerala Sahithya Academy

Kerala Sahithya Academy

Kerala Sahitya Akademi or Academy for Malayalam literature is an autonomous body established to promote Malayalam language and literature. It is situated in Thrissur, Kerala in India. The academy was inaugurated on October 15, 1956, by Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, the former king of...

 award in 1980. He was chairman of Kerala Sangeetha Nadaka Academy from 1978 to '81. In 1999 he was given the Kerala Sahithya Academy

Kerala Sahithya Academy

Kerala Sahitya Akademi or Academy for Malayalam literature is an autonomous body established to promote Malayalam language and literature. It is situated in Thrissur, Kerala in India. The academy was inaugurated on October 15, 1956, by Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, the former king of...

Award for lifetime contribution. Vaikkom has written more than 60 books

Major works

• Kuttavum Shikshayum
• Alohari
• Thanneerpanthal
• Mississ Mayavathy
• Nakhangal
• Panchavankadu
• Madhavikkutty
• Smrithikavyam
• Ashramam
• Mamanka rathri
• Jathugriham (Play)
• Anubhavangale Nandi (Autobiography)