Kainikkara Kumara Pillai
Encyclopedia
Kainikkara Kumara Pillai (1900–1988), younger brother of Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai
Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai
Swathithirunal Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai 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...

, was a Malayalam teacher, actor and playwright, who wrote classics such as "Harichandra".

Kainikkara Kumara Pillai was born in 1900 to an educated, middle-class family. His father Perunayil N. Kumara Pillai was a successful lawyer and an Ayurvedic pundit. Kainikkara obtained a B.A in Philosophy from Kumbakonam College in Trivandrum
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...

. He became a teacher at the NSS school in Kainikkara, and from 1924–1943 was principal of the Karuvatta
Karuvatta
Karuvatta is a village in the Karthikapally taluk of Alappuzha district of the South Indian state of Kerala. Karuvatta lies on the borders of Kuttanad, one of Kerala's primary rice producing regions....

 High School. He become Head Master of Palkulangara High School in Trivandrum. He was principal of Mahatma Gandhi College
Mahatma Gandhi College
Mahatma Gandhi College is situated in Thiruvananthapuram city in the state of Kerala, India. It owes its origin to Mannathu Padmanabhan, the founder of Nair Service Society...

, Trivandrum (1955–56). Among other positions, he was a Director of Educational Services of All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...

, Trivandrum. He was also an accomplished actor, performing in many successful plays in 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....

 theatres.

He was Chief Editor of an educational journal called Vidyalaya Poshini.
As a teacher, he helped and encouraged the novelist Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai was a novelist and short story writer of Malayalam language, spoken in Kerala state, South India. He is popularly known as Thakazhi, after his place of birth. He focused on the oppressed classes as the subject of his works, which are known for their attention to...

.
He was one of the more important Kerala playwrights of the mid 20th century.
A compelling dramatist, he was considerably influenced by the West. He translated Shakespeare's Othello and Antony and Cleopatra, and adapted the play A New Way to Pay Old Debts by Philip Massinger
Philip Massinger
Philip Massinger was an English dramatist. His finely plotted plays, including A New Way to Pay Old Debts, The City Madam and The Roman Actor, are noted for their satire and realism, and their political and social themes.-Early life:The son of Arthur Massinger or Messenger, he was baptized at St....

, with the title Manimangalam.

Selected works

  • Durandashanga (1931 novel) – became a text-book at the University of Travancore and Madras University.
  • Harichandracharitam (1933 drama)
  • Balahradayam (1934 stories)
  • Manimangalam (1938 drama)
  • Mohavum, Mukhtiyum (1938 drama)
  • Veshangal (1946 comedy drama)
  • Kedavilakkukal (1949 book about Socrates and other ancient philosophers)
  • Prema Parinamam (1951 drama)
  • Agnipareeksha (1954 drama)
  • Vicharaveechikal (1955 drama)
  • Achane Konna Makan (1959 short stories),
  • Anthony and Cleopatra (1967 translation from Shakespeare)
  • Satyathinde Panthavu (1968 radio plays)
  • Mathraka Manushyan (1969) – won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award
  • Gandhi Vichara Veethikal (1970)
  • Olichukali (1971 collection of plays)
  • Nadakeeyam (1978 essays)
  • Kainikkarayude Prabandhangal (1984 Collection)
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