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Cannankara Velayudhan Raman Pillai (19 May 1858 – 21 March 1922), also known as C. V., was one of the major Indian novelists and
playwrights A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
and a pioneering playwright and novelist of
Malayalam literature Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puduchery, is one of the six Classical languages of India. Malayalam literature comprises those literary texts written in Malayalam, a So ...
. He was known for his historical novels such as ''
Marthandavarma Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (Malayalam: ) was the founding monarch of the southern Indian Kingdom of Travancore (previously Venadu) from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja") (1758–98).Subrahmany ...
'', ''Dharmaraja'' and ''Ramaraja Bahadur''; the last mentioned considered by many as one of the greatest novels written in
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...
.


Biography

Born in Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), capital city of
Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
, on 19 May 1858 to Panavilakath Neelakanta Pillai, a
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the la ...
scholar and Parvathy Pillai, a scion of an ancient matrilineal family; both his parents were from middle-class families and employees at the Palace of the
Maharaja of Travancore The Maharaja of Travancore was the principal title of the ruler of the Kingdom of Travancore in the southern part of Kerala, India. The Maharaja of Travancore was the topmost ruler of Travancore until 1949, when Travancore was annexed into Indi ...
. Pillai got his family name, ''Cannankara'', through
matrilineal succession Matrilineal succession is a form of hereditary succession or other inheritance through which the subject's female relatives are traced back in a matrilineal line. Systems *''matrilineal primogeniture'' where the eldest female child of the subjec ...
. Fondly called Ramu, he had a traditional Sanskritized education, early in life, under his father's tutelage which included lessons in
Ayurveda Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population repor ...
and even magic and Tantra. He continued education at the first English school in
Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
. Subsequently, he graduated from His Highness Maharaja's College (the present-day
University College Thiruvananthapuram University College, Thiruvananthapuram (UCT) is a constituent college of the University of Kerala, based primarily in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. The college was awarded 23rd rank by National Institutional Ran ...
), the first-ever College in Travancore, where he reportedly had a brilliant academic career under John Ross, the principal of the institution and Robert Harvey. and obtained his BA degree from the
Madras University The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...
in 1881, securing the 7th rank in the
Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...
. It was during this period, he started his first periodical named The Kerala Patriot. After graduation, Pillai studied law but dropped out and went to Madras to study for the government pleader examination which was also abandoned in due course. Later, he joined the High Court as a clerk and where he rose to the position of a ''shirasthadar''. Later, joined the Government Press and held the position of a superintendent when he retired from service. In between, he founded three publications, ''Malayali'' in 1886, ''Vanchiraj'' in 1901 and ''Mitabhashi'' in 1920. Pillai's first marriage did not last long. He married again in 1887 at the age of 30, and his wife, Bhageerathi Amma, was only 16 at the time of the wedding. The marriage lasted till his wife's untimely death in 1904 and his third marriage was to Janaki Amma, the elder sister of Bhageerathi Amma and the widow of C. Raja Raja Varma, the younger brother of
Raja Ravi Varma Raja Ravi Varma ( ml, രാജാ രവിവർമ്മ; 29 April 1848 – 2 October 1906) was an Indian painter and artist. He is considered among the greatest painters in the history of Indian art. His works are one of the best examples ...
. He died on 21 March 1922, at the age of 63, survived by Janaki Amma.


Writing career

Raman Pillai is compared by many with
Bankim Chandra Chatterjee Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (also Chattopadhayay) CIE (26 or 27 June 1838 – 8 April 1894) was an Indian novelist, poet, Essayist and journalist.Staff writer"Bankim Chandra: The First Prominent Bengali Novelist" ''The Daily Star'', 30 June 2011 ...
in Bengali and
Hari Narayan Apte Hari Narayan Apte (Devanagari: हरि नारायण आपटे) (8 March 1864 – 3 March 1919) was a Marathi writer from Maharashtra, India. Through his writings, he provided an eminent example to future Marathi fiction writers ...
in Marathi, two other greats of India literature. His first published book was ''Chandramukhivilasam'', a satire. He wrote his first novel, ''Marthandavarma'', in 1885 but it was published in 1891. This followed sch historical novels as ''Dharmaraja'' and ''Ramarajabahadur'', the social novel, ''Premamritam'' as well as several farces. Modern Malayalam drama traces its origins to his works. He is credited with the first original play in Malayalam, ''Chandramukheevilasam'', written in 1884 and was staged for four days successively in 1887 at His Highness Maharaja's College, Trivandrum.


Exegetic dictionary

''C. V. Vyaakhyaana Kosham'' is a 400-plus page
lexicographic Lexicography is the study of lexicons, and is divided into two separate academic disciplines. It is the art of compiling dictionaries. * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries. * Theoretic ...
work in four volumes, based on Pillai's books. The work includes the explanations, elucidations and interpretations of over 700,000 Malayalam, Sanskrit, Tamil, Hindustani and English words used by him in his writings.


Works


Novels


Historical Novels

* ''
Marthandavarma Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (Malayalam: ) was the founding monarch of the southern Indian Kingdom of Travancore (previously Venadu) from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja") (1758–98).Subrahmany ...
'' (1891) * ''Dharmaraja'' (1913) * ''Ramaraja Bahadur'' (19181919)


Social Novels

* ''Premamritam'' (1915)


Uncategorized

* ''Dishtadamshtram'' (1922) (unfinished) * ''Premarishtam'' (1922) (unfinished)


Plays

* ''Chandramukheevilāsam'' (1884) (not published) * ''Mattavilāsam'' (1885) (not published) * ''Kurupillakalari'' (1909) * ''Tentanāmkōţţu Harischandran'' (1914) * ''Kaimalassanţe Kadassikkai'' (1915) * ''Docţarku Kiţţiya Micham'' (1916) * ''Cherutēn Columbus'' (1917) * ''Pandathē Pāchan'' (1918) * ''Pãpi Chelluņadam Pāthālam'' (1919) * ''Kuruppinţe Thirippu'' (1920) * ''Butler Pappan'' (1922)


Other works

* ''Videsiyamedhavitvam'' (1922) (a collection of editorials)


As editor in newspapers

* ''The Kerala Patriot'' (1883) * ''Malayali'' (1886) * ''Vanchiraj'' (1901) * ''Mitabhashi'' (1920)


Translations

* ''Marthandavarma'' (1936, 1979) * ''Dharmaraja'' (2009) * ''Ramaraja Bahadur'' (2003)


Honours

The
India Post India Post is a government-operated postal system in India, part of the Department of Post under the Ministry of Communications. Generally known as the Post Office, it is the most widely distributed postal system in the world. Warren Hastings ...
issued a commemorative postage stamp on Pillai on 19 May 2010. A road in Vazhuthacaud,
Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
has been neamed after him as ''C. V. Raman Pillai Road''. Chenkal, a
panchayat The Panchayat raj is a political system, originating from the Indian subcontinent, found mainly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It is the oldest system of local government in the Indian subcontinent, and historical menti ...
in Thiruvananthapuram which includes his native village of Arayoor, was renamed as C.V.R. Puram in 1970.


Writings on Raman Pillai

* * * * * * K. Ayyappa Paniker, ''History of Malayalam Literature'' (''C. V. Raman Pillai'' - Chapter 34) * N. Balakrishnan Nair, ''Saakshaal C. V.''


See also

* Kappazhom Raman Pillai *
Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University, also called Malayalam University, is a state university in Tirur, Kerala, India. History It was established by the Government of Kerala and inaugurated by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on 1 November ...


See Also (Social reformers of Kerala)

*
Sree Narayana Guru Narayana Guru, , (20 August 1856 – 20 September 1928) was a philosopher, spiritual leader and social reformer in India. He led a reform movement against the injustice in the caste-ridden society of Kerala in order to promote spiritual e ...
* Dr. Palpu *
Kumaranasan Mahakavi Kumaran Asan (Malayalam: എൻ. കുമാരൻ ആശാൻ) (12 April 1873 – 16 January 1924) was a poet of Malayalam literature, Indian social reformer and a philosopher. He is known to have initiated a revolution in Malayalam ...
* Rao Sahib Dr. Ayyathan Gopalan * Brahmananda Swami Sivayogi * Vaghbhatananda * Mithavaadi Krishnan * Moorkoth Kumaran *
Ayyankali Ayyankali (28 August 1863 – 18 June 1941) was an Indian politician, prominent social reformer, educator, economist, lawmaker, and a revolutionary leader. He worked for the advancement of the oppressed people in the princely state of Travanco ...
*
Ayya Vaikundar Ayya Vaikundar (c.1833 –c.1851) ( ta, அய்யா வைகுண்டர், sa, अय्या वैघुण्ढर्) also known as Vaikunda Swami is the first and the foremost Purna avatar of Eka-Paran born to Lor ...
* Pandit Karuppan


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pillai, C. V. Raman Malayalam-language writers Malayalam novelists Malayalam-language dramatists and playwrights 1858 births 1922 deaths Writers from Thiruvananthapuram Indian historical novelists Writers of historical romances 19th-century Indian novelists 20th-century Indian novelists Indian male novelists Indian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 19th-century Indian male writers Novelists from Kerala Journalists from Kerala 19th-century Indian journalists 20th-century Indian journalists Dramatists and playwrights from Kerala 20th-century Indian male writers