Kovilan

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V. V. Ayyapan
BornKandanissery Vattamparambil Velappan Ayyappan
(1923-07-09)9 July 1923
Kandanassery, Guruvayur, Thrissur, Kingdom of Cochin, British India
Died2 June 2010(2010-06-02) (aged 86)
Kunnamkulam, Thrissur, Kerala, India
Pen nameKovilan
OccupationWriter, soldier, freedom fighter
LanguageMalayalam
NationalityIndian
CitizenshipIndian
Alma materKandanisseri Excelsior School

Nenmini Higher Elementary School

Sahitya Deepika Sanskrit College at Pavaratty
GenreNovel, short story, essay
Notable worksEzhamedangal, Thottangal, Thattakam
Notable awardsKerala Sahitya Akademi Award
1972 Thottangal

Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award
1977 Sakunam
Kerala Sahitya Akademi Fellowship
1997
Sahitya Akademi Award
1998 Thattakam
Sahitya Akademi Fellowship
2005

Ezhuthachan Puraskaram
2005

Kandanisseri Vattamparambil Velappan Ayyappan (9 July 1923 – 2 June 2010) or V. V. Ayyappan, better known by his pen name Kovilan, was an Indian Malayalam language novelist and freedom fighter from Kerala. He is considered one of the most prolific writers of contemporary Indian literature.[1] In all, he had authored 11 novels, 10 collections of short stories, three essays and a play.

He won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1972 and 1977 and the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award in 1998. He was also a recipient of the Kerala state government's highest literary honour Ezhuthachan Puraskaram in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Malayalam literature.[2] He had been a Fellow of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi since 1997 and Sahitya Akademi since 2005.[1][3]

Life[edit]

Early years[edit]

Kovilan was born in Kandanassery in Guruvayur, Thrissur to Vattomparambil Shanku Velappan and Kotakkattil Kunjandi Kali.[citation needed] He did his early education at the Kandanisseri Excelsior School and Nenmini Higher Elementary School. He then joined the Sahitya Deepika Sanskrit College at Pavaratty at the age of 13. He attended classes of K. P. Narayana Pisharody, P. C. Vasudevan Elayathu, M. P. Sankunni Nair, Cherukadu and Srikrishna Sharma. Even as a student, he had shown interest in writing poems and stories.[citation needed]

A follower of Mahatma Gandhi, Kovilan left the Sanskrit College to participate in the Quit India Movement. That marked the end of his formal academic education. By the time he quit, he had written at least three novels.[citation needed]

Military life[edit]

He joined the Royal Indian Navy in 1943 and was trained in Anti-submarine Detecting Operations.[citation needed] He served in Bengal sea, Burma and Singapore. He quit following the Royal Indian Navy mutiny of 1946 and returned home. While back in Kerala, Kovilan maintained a close friendship with Vaikom Muhammed Basheer, Joseph Mundassery and C. J. Thomas. He also took part in the trade union movements. In 1948 he passed SSLC and worked for a while as a stenographer for Joseph Mundassery. In 1948, he joined the Indian Army Corps of Signals as Radio Mechanic.[4] He also specialised in electronics. For five years he lived in the Himalayas. While in army, he came in contact with soldier-turned-writers Parappurath and Nandanar. He also worked as National Cadet Corps training officer at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He retired from the Indian Army in 1968 as Havildar Major and settled down at Pullanikunnu at Kandanassery.

Death[edit]

Kovilan died on 2 June 2010 in Kunnamkulam, aged 86.[5]

Writings[edit]

Kovilan has written 4 novels—A Minus B (1958), Ezhamedangal (Army Wives, 1965), Thazhvarakal (The Valleys, 1969) and Himalayam—with military experiences as their background.

Thottangal (Incantations, 1970), the first post-service novel of the writer, narrates the delirious memories of an old woman in the night of her death whose life was shipwrecked turning the dreams of her childhood into nightmares.

His most popular novel was Thattakam (The Terrain, 1995).

Kovilan's first collection of short stories was Oru Palam Manayola (A Measure of Red Arsenic). This book was published in the year 1957. The story Tharavadu (Ancestral Home) is included in this collection. Kovilan's other collections of short stories include Ee Jeevitham Ananthamanu (1957), Orikkal Manushyanayirunnu (1960), Oru Kashanam Asthi (1961), Vendam Kadi (1969), Thervazhchakal (1971), Pitham (1971), Shakunam (1974), Adyathe Kathakal (1978), Sujatha (1979), Theranjedutha Kathakal (1980) and Kovilante Kathakal (1985). A tele-serial based on his novel Thottangal was beamed on Doordarshan. Some of his short stories also have been adapted for tele-screen.

Style and recurring themes[edit]

According to one source, Kovilan's works contributed to transforming a community bogged down by conservatism to one that was progressive and socialist in outlook.[6]

Poet and critic K. Satchidanandan notes:

He wrote pure prose, not poetic prose. In an era when prose writers revelled in poetic expressions, Kovilan wrote a prose that was plain and lean. Its beauty was raw and unadorned. Though Kovilan's works were initially categorised as Pattala Sahityam or soldier's writings, it was clear after the publication of Thattakam and Thottangal that they were more than that. Writers seek legends. Kovilan realised that there is a legend behind every man. He sought to document this. He explored the legends of his village. His stories bridged local and regional history.[7]

Awards[edit]

Bibliography[edit]

Novels[edit]

Title Title in English Year Publisher
Thakarnna Hridayangal Broken Hearts 1946 Arunodayam Press, Vadakkencherry
A Minus B 1958 Current Books, Thrissur
Ezhamedangal Army Wives 1965 Current Books, Thrissur
Thazhvarakal The Valleys 1969 Current Books, Thrissur
Thottanngal Incantations 1970 Current Books, Thrissur
Himalayam The Himalayas 1972 Current Books, Thrissur
Bharathan 1976 Poorna Publications, Calicut
Janmantharanngal Through Many Births 1982 Sahithya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society, Kottayam
Thattakam The Terrain 1995 Current Books, Thrissur

Novelettes[edit]

Title Title in English Year Publisher
Board Out 1936 Current Books, Thrissur
Tharavadu The Ancestral Home 1963 Current Books, Thrissur

Short stories[edit]

Title Title in English Year Publisher
Oru Palam Manayola A Measure of Red Arsenic 1957 Current Books, Thrissur
Ee Jeevitham Anadhamanu This Life is Orphaned 1957 Current Books, Thrissur
Orikkal Manushyanayirunnu Once a Man I was... 1960 Current Books, Thrissur
Oru Kashanam Asthi A Piece of Bone 1961 Current Books, Thrissur
Vendamkadi The Unwanted 1969 Current Books, Thrissur
Thervazchakal Apparitions 1971 Current Books, Thrissur
Pitham The Bilious Child 1971 Current Books, Thrissur
Sujatha 1971 Poorna Publications, Calicut
Sakunam The Omen 1974 Sahithya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society, Kottayam
Adyathe Kathakal Stories of Early Days 1978 Sahithya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society, Kottayam
Theranjedutha Kathakal Selected Stories 1980 Sahithya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society, Kottayam
Kovilante Kathakal Stories of Kovilan 1985 Current Books, Thrissur
Suvarna Kathakal Golden Stories 2002 Green Books, Thrissur
Ente Priyappetta Kathakal My Favourite Stories 2003 DC Books, Kottayam

Play[edit]

Title Title in English Year Publisher
Ninte Viswasam Ninne Poruppikkum Your Faith Ensures What Happens to You 1957 Current Books, Thrissur

Miscellaneous writings[edit]

Title Title in English Year Publisher
Kovilante Lekhanangal Essays of Kovilan 1984 Sikha Publications, Calicut
Kathayum Kathakalum Stories Behind the Stories 1957 Poorna Publications, Calicut
Athmabhavangal Self Reflections 1995 Jwala, Ariyannur, Thrissur

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Nirmal Verma, Kovilan elected Sahitya Academy Fellows". The Hindu. 17 February 2005. Archived from the original on 17 February 2005. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  2. ^ "Ezhuthachan Puraskaram presented to writer Kovilan". The Hindu. 29 January 2007. Archived from the original on 22 October 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  3. ^ "A moment of honour for writer-patriarch Kovilan". The Hindu. 3 May 2005. Archived from the original on 6 May 2005. Retrieved 15 November 2009.
  4. ^ "Nirmal Verma, Kovilan elected Sahitya Akademi Fellows". The Hindu. 17 February 2005. Archived from the original on 17 February 2005. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
  5. ^ "Noted novelist Kovilan passes away". Mathrubhumi. 2 June 2010. Archived from the original on 6 June 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2010.
  6. ^ "A staunch votary of labour class". The New Indian Express. 3 June 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  7. ^ "Kovilan a master of pure prose". The Hindu. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 3 July 2013.

Further reading[edit]

  • Dr. Ajayapuram Jyothishkumar, Kovilan Ezhuthu Desam Prathinidhanam, State Institute of Languages. A study on the writings of Kovilan

External links[edit]

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