Thikkodiyan

P. Kunjanandan Nair (February 15, 1916–January 28, 2001), better known by his pseudonym, Thikkodiyan, was an Indian playwright, novelist, lyricist and screenwriter of Malayalam. He was known for his contributions to the genre of radio plays and his autobiography, Arangu Kaanatha Nadan (The actor who had never been on stage), which detailed the socio-cultural development of Malabar in the post-independent period, fetched him a number of awards including the Kendra Sahithya Academy Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Biography and Autobiography, Vayalar Award and the Odakkuzhal Award.

Thikkodiyan
BornP. Kunjanandan Nair
(1916-02-15)February 15, 1916
Thikkodi, Kozhikode, Kerala, India
DiedJanuary 28, 2001(2001-01-28) (aged 84)
Kozhikode, Kerala
OccupationNovelist, playwright, lyricist, screenwriter
NationalityIndian
Notable works
  • Arangu Kanatha Nadan
  • Chuvanna Kadal
  • Manjuthulli
  • Nirahara Samaram
Notable awards
SpouseParvathy
Parents
  • Kunjappa Nair
  • P. Narayani Amma

Biography

Thikkodiyan was born P. Kunjanandan Nair, on February 15, 1916 at Thikkodi,[note 1] a small hamlet in Kozhikode district, of the south Indian state of Kerala, to Puthiyedath Kunjappa Nair and P. Narayani Amma.[2] He lost his parents while he was boy and was brought up by his grandfather, who was a theatre enthusiast.[1] After schooling at Basel Mission Middle School, Koyilandy, he completed a teachers'training course and started his career as a teacher at his alma mater in 1936. There, he became involved in trade union activities and he was expelled from service when he participated in a strike in 1938. Later, he became associated with the Bharat Seva Sangham and the Devadhar Malabar Reconstruction Trust where he worked alongside K. Kelappan and V. R. Nayanar[3] and was also involved in Nayanar Balika Sadanam, an orphanage founded by Nayanar in 1942.[4] It was during this time, he joined Dinaprabha daily and worked there until 1948. In 1950, he moved to the All India Radio as a script writer, and spent the rest of his official career there to superannuate from service in 1979 as a drama producer.[2]

Thikkodiyan married Parvathy in 1942[note 2] and the couple had a daughter, Pushpa.[5][6] He died at his residence in Kozhikode on January 28, 2001 at the age of 84.[2]

Legacy

P. Kunhananandan Nair began his literary career using the pen name Anand and his first poem, Veendum Karayatte was published in Mathrubhumi. Later, he wrote satires[7] and noted humourist, Sanjayan, who published a few of them in Vishwadeepam weekly, suggested the pseudonym, Thikkodiyan which he assumed for the rest of his career.[2] He took to writing plays in the early 1950s, while serving as a scriptwriter at the Kozhikode station of the All India Radio. His friends, Uroob, S. K. Pottekkatt. N. V. Krishna Warrier, M. V. Devan, V. Abdulla and K. A. Kodungalloor encouraged him to write a play and he wrote Jeevitham,which won a prize in a drama competition conducted by the Kendra Kala Samithy.[8] It was the first of his plays, numbering over, 25, such as Pazhaya Bandham, Attupoya Kanni, Pushpavrishti, Mahabharatham and Kanyadanam.[9] Apart from plays, he had also written novels, including Chuvanna Kadal, Aswahridayam and Pazhassiyude Padavaal. Drawn against the background of the sea and the Portuguese invasion, Chuvanna Kadal was among the major historical novels in Malayalam. He was considered as one among the major writers of radio plays in Malayalam literature. He made a foray into cinema, writing the story, screenplay and dialogues for Kunchako's 1964 film, Pazhassi Raja and he write the screenplay and dialogues for five more films which included Uttarayanam, the debut film of the award-winning director, G. Aravindan.[10] Two other films, Nrithasala and Ithiri Poove Chuvanna Poove were based on his stories.[11] He also wrote a song, Appolum Paranjillee, for the movie, Kadamba for which the music was scored by K. Raghavan.[12]

Thikkodiyan, who was a part of a group of Kozhikode-based litterateurs, was also among the group of writers who regularly gathered in Vaikkom Muhammad Basheer's house in Beypore along with Uroob, M. V. Devan and M. T. Vasudevan Nair.[13] He was known to have assisted many stage and film actors, such as Kunhandi and Balan K. Nair, in developing their careers.[14] His autobiography. Arangu Kaanatha Nadan (The Actor Who Had Never Been on Stage), is considered as one of the best among autobiographies written in Malayalam[15] and the book fetched him several major literary awards.[16]

Awards

Thikkodiyan shared the 1974 Kerala State Film Award for Best Screenplay with G. Aravindan for the film, Uttarayanam, which was the first of his several major awards.[17] In 1992, his autobiography, Arangu Kaanaatha Nadan, was selected for the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Biography and Autobiography;[18] the same year, the book also won the Odakkuzhal Award.[19] Three years later, the book fetched him two more awards, the 1995 Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award[20] and the Vayalar Award (1995).[21] The Kerala Sahitya Akademi inducted him as a distinguished fellow in 2000[22] and he received the inaugural Mathrubhumi Literary Award in 2001, the year of his death.[23] He was also a recipient of the Samastha Kerala Sahithya Parishad Award.[2]

Selected bibliography

Plays
  • Thikkodiyan (2010). Thikkodiyante sampoorna natakangal. Kozhikode: Mathrubhumi Books. ISBN 9788182650336.
  • Thikkodiyan (1986). Therenjedutha nadakangal. Kozhikode: Mathrubhumi.
  • Thikkodiyan (1965). Jeevitham. Mangalodayam: Mangalodayam.
  • Kanyadanam (Play)
  • Thikkodiyan (1963). Pushpavrishti. Thrissur: Mangalodayam.
  • Puthiya Thettu (Play)
  • Alkkarady (Play)
  • Prethalokam (Play)
  • Thikkodiyan (1964). Ore Kudumbam. Mangalodayam.
  • Thikkodiyan (1968). Kannadi (in Malayalam).
  • Thikkodiyan (1965). Thikodiyande ekankangal. Udhaya publications.
  • Thikkodiyan (1977). Niraharasamaram. Thrissur: Current Books.
  • Thikkodiyan (1959). Prasavikkatha amma (in Malayalam).
  • Thikkodiyan (1971). Puthuppanam kotta. Sahitya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sangam.
  • Thikkodiyan (1972). Panakizhi. Sahitya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sangam.
  • Yagashila (Play)
  • Thikkodiyan (1965). Attupoya kanni. Current books: Current Books.
  • Thikkodiyan (1968). Shashti poorthi. Thrissur: Current Books.
  • Thikkodiyan (2000). Mahabharatham. D.C Books: D.C Books.
  • Thikkodiyan (1968). Pazhaya bandam. Current books, Thrissur: Current Books.
  • Thikkodiyan (1978). Rajamargam. Kottayam Sahitya pravartaka saha: sangam: Kottayam Sahitya pravartaka saha: sangam.
  • Thikkodiyan (2005). Asrupooja. Kozhikode: Vayanasala Pub.
  • Thikkodiyan (1968). Punyatheertham (in Malayalam).
  • Thikkodiyan (1967). Kanakam Vilayunna Mannu (in Malayalam).

Novels
  • Thikkodiyan (2016). Chuvanna kadal. Calicut: Eye Books Kerala. ISBN 9788193074589.
  • Thikkodiyan. Manjuthulli.
  • Thikkodiyan (1987). Aswahridayam. Kozhikode: Mathrubhumi.
  • Thikkodiyan (1998). Madakkayathra. Sahithya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sankham, Kottayam: Sahithya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sankham, Kottayam.
  • Thikkodiyan (1987). Aswahredayam. Kozhikode mathrubhumi Printing & Pub. Comp: Kozhikode mathrubhumi Printing & Pub. Comp.
  • Thikkodiyan; Author (1999). Thaalappizha. Kozhikkode, Olive publications.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Thikkodiyan (1969). Krishna sarpam (in Malayalam).
  • Pazhassiyude Padavaal (Novel)

Memoirs, essays, short stories, poetry
  • Thikkodiyan (1991). Arangu Kanatha Nadan. Kottayam: SPCS. Memoirs
  • Thikkodiyan (1966). Theeppori. Poorna publications: Poorna publications. Satire
  • Thikkodiyan (1952). Namasthe. P.K.Brothers: P.K.Brothers. Poetry anthology
  • Thikkodiyan (1952). Poothiri. K.R. Brothers: K.R. Brothers. Satire
  • Thikkodiyan (1987). Paalakunnile yakshi. Kozhikode, Amukham. Short story anthology

Filmography
Year Film Contribution Reference
1964 Pazhassi Raja Story, screenplay, dialogues [24]
1972 Nrithasala Story [25]
1974 Udayam Kizhakku Thanne Story, screenplay, dialogues [26]
1974 Uttarayanam Story, screenplay, dialogues [27]
1979 Sandhya Ragam Story, screenplay, dialogues [28]
1983 Kadamba Lyrics [29]
1984 Ithiri Poove Chuvanna Poove Story [30]
1988 Marikkunnilla Njan Story, screenplay, dialogues [31]

See also

Notes
  1. His pseudonym is a variant of his birth place, as suggested by noted writer, Sanjayan[1]
  2. His wife died in 1949[1]

References
  1. "Thikkodiyan - Veethi profile". veethi.com. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  2. "Biography on Kerala Sahitya Akademi portal". Kerala Sahitya Akademi portal. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  3. "DMRT and its Mission" (PDF). Shodhganga. 28 April 2019. p. 209. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  4. Staff Reporter (12 April 2015). "District Collector visits Nayanar Balika Sadanam". The Hindu. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  5. MediaoneTV Live (13 July 2016). "Morning News - Guests - Pushpa ( Daughter of Thikkodiyan) and Ratnakaran". YouTube. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  6. "തിക്കോടിയന്‍ വിശുദ്ധമായ മനസ്സിന്റെ ഉടമായിരുന്നുവെന്ന് എം.ടി". mediaone. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  7. "News of Thikkodiyan's death". The Hindu. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  8. "The Hindu : Thikkodian--a multi-faceted personality". www.thehindu.com. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  9. "List of works". Kerala Sahitya Akademi. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  10. "Profile of Malayalam Story Writer Thikkodiyan". malayalasangeetham.info. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  11. "List of Malayalam Movies written by Thikkodiyan". www.malayalachalachithram.com. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  12. "List of Malayalam Songs from the movie Kadamba". www.malayalachalachithram.com. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  13. "Muhammed Basheer's wife Fabi Basheer passes away at 77". Deccan Herald. 16 July 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  14. Staff Reporter (7 June 2017). "Thikkodiyan a symbol of an age of optimism". The Hindu. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  15. "Biography - Autobiography - Malayalam Literature". www.keralaculture.org. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  16. "Arangu Kanatha Nadan". www.indulekha.com. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  17. "KERALA STATE FILM AWARDS - 1974" (PDF). www.keralaculture.org. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  18. "Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Biography". Kerala Sahitya Akademi. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  19. "Winners of Odakkuzhal Award". www.keralaculture.org. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  20. "Kendra Sahitya Academy Awards (Malayalam)". Public Relations Department, Government of Kerala. Archived from the original on 24 May 2007. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  21. "Winners of Vayalar Award". www.keralaculture.org. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  22. "Honorary Fellows - Kerala Sahitya Akademi". Kerala Sahitya Akademi. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  23. "Mathrubhumi Literary Award". www.keralaculture.org. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  24. "Pazhassiraaja [1964]". malayalasangeetham.info. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  25. "Nrithasaala [1972]". malayalasangeetham.info. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  26. "Udayam Kizhakku Thanne (Thalappizha) [1974]". malayalasangeetham.info. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  27. "Utharayanam [1975]". malayalasangeetham.info. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  28. "Sandhyaaraagam [1979]". malayalasangeetham.info. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  29. "List of Malayalam Movies containing Songs written by Thikkodiyan". www.malayalachalachithram.com. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  30. "Ithirippoove Chuvannapoove [1984]". malayalasangeetham.info. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  31. "Marikkunnilla Njaan [1988]". malayalasangeetham.info. Retrieved 28 April 2019.

Further reading
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