Balachandran Chullikkad (born 30 July 1957) is an Indian poet, orator, lyricist and actor 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 ...

-language media.

Early life

Balachandran was born in Paravur,

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the central business district of the city of Kochi, Kerala, India. It is the namesake of Ernakulam district. The eastern part of Kochi city is mainly known as Ernakulam, while the western part of it after the Venduruthy Bridge ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

, India. He completed his graduation in English literature from the Union Christian College, Aluva (first two years) and Maharajas College,

Career

His collection of poems published includes ''Pathinettu Kavithakal, Amaavaasi, Ghazal, Maanasaantharam, Dracula'' etc. Another collection of his previously published poems, ''Balachandran Chullikkadinte Kavithakal'' (The Poems of Balachandran Chullikkad), was published in 2000. He has also published a book of his memoirs, ''Chidambarasmarana'' (2001). He has participated in many national literary seminars organised by the Central Academy of Letters, India. He was one among the ten members of a cultural delegation of India to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

in 1997 invited by Nobel Academy and Swedish Writers Union. He represented Indian poetry in the international bookfair in Gothenburg, Sweden in November 1997. Chullikkad is also an actor in

Malayalam film Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both the mainstream film industry ...

s and serials. As an actor, he is best known for G. Aravindan's '' Pokkuveyil'' (1981) in which he played a young artist who lives with his father, a radical friend and a music-loving young woman. The film is about how his world collapses when his father dies, the radical friend leaves him and her family takes the woman away to another city. In 2018, he criticised the state education department for their incompetency in teaching Malayalam language. He urged it to remove his poems from curricula in schools, colleges and universities. Chullikkadu alleged that marks were being given in abundance for papers containing mistakes without proper evaluation, and the appointment of Malayalam teachers are not on the basis of qualifications, but caste, religion, political influence and nepotism. He said research work on Malayalam literature lack quality and that doctoral degrees were conferred on even those works which contain mistakes.

Personal life

Chullikkad is married to Vijayalakshmi, a known Malayalam poet and they have a son named Appu."ചുള്ളിക്കാടിന് ഒരു പിറന്നാള്‍ കൂടി.."
''Madhyamam'' (in Malayalam). 31 July 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2023. In 2000, he took

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

as his religion. He says that this cannot be called a conversion from

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

because he was never a follower of that religion. "I have not converted because I have not been a believer though I was a Hindu. I have now embraced Buddhism, not converted to Buddhism. The problem with Hinduism is that it is a religion of social status and set-ups. Your value in Hinduism depends on the family in which you were born," he says.

Political views

In a 2000 interview, Chullikkad revealed that he was a sympathiser of the Naxalite movement during his teenage years. He then continued as a

Marxist Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...

for some years. But after the

fall of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of Nationalities, Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. :s: ...

and "the

Eastern European Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural and socio-economic connotations. Its eastern boundary is marked by the Ural Mountains, and ...

experience", he rethought his conviction about Marxism and reorganised his intellectual life on a different path. "I found that Marxism is outdated and irrelevant. Now I am not a Marxist, but a social and political democrat. Soviet experience proved that

individual freedom Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote realizing one's goals and desires, valuing independence and self-reliance, and ad ...

without the base of

socialism Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

and socialism without sanctioning individual freedom is a failure.

Communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...

practised all over the world is some kind of socialism without sanctioning individual freedom. Communism without approving individual freedom is social fascism", he said.

Awards

In 1990, he refused the Sanskriti Award for the best young writer in India and declared that he would not accept any award for his literary works."ബാലചന്ദ്രന്‍ ചുള്ളിക്കാട് തിരഞ്ഞെടുത്ത ചങ്ങമ്പുഴക്കവിതകള്‍"
''Daily Indian Herald'' (in Malayalam). 14 August 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2023. In 2001, his work ''Balachandran Chullikkadinte Kavithakal'' was selected for the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry, but Chullikkad did not accept the award. In 2003, he received the National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film Narration / Voice Over (Non Feature Film Category) for ''The 18 Elephants – 3 Monologues''.

Bibliography

Poetry

* ''Pathinettu Kavithakal'' ( Trichur: Rasana, 1980) * ''Amavasi'' (

Kottayam Kottayam () is a city in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is the district headquarters of the district and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Kottayam has a population of ...

: S.P.C.S., 1982) * ''Ghazal'' (Kottayam: DC Books, 1987) * ''Ente Sachidanandan Kavithakal'' (

Calicut Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature. It is the nineteenth large ...

: Bodhi, 1993) * ''Manasantharam'' (Trichur: Current, 1994) * ''Dracula'' (Kottayam: DC Books, 1998) * ''Balachandran Chullikkadinte Kavithakal'' (Kottayam: DC Books, 2000) * ''Prathinayakan'' (Kottayam: DC Books, 2013) * ''Balachandran Chullikkadinte Kavitha Paribhashakal'' (Kottayam: DC Books, 2013) * ''Rakthakinnaram'' (Kottayam: DC Books, 2017) * ''Alakal'' (Calicut:

Mathrubhumi ''Mathrubhumi'' is a Malayalam newspaper that is published from Kerala, India. It was founded by K. P. Kesava Menon, an active volunteer in the Indian freedom struggle against the British. The word "Mathrubhumi" translates to 'mother land'. ...

, 2021) * ''Ulkkakal'' (Kozhikode:

, 2024)ബാലചന്ദ്രന്‍ ചുള്ളിക്കാടിന്റെ പുതിയ കവിതാസമാഹാരം പ്രസിദ്ധീകരിച്ചു
''Mathrubhumi''. 3 June 2024 Retrieved 10 October 2024. * ''Marakkamo'' (DC Books, 2024)

Others

* ''Chidambarasmarana'' (

Alwaye Aluva () is a municipality and a northern suburb of the city of Kochi in Kerala. It is located about north of the city centre. Aluva is known for the Sivarathri festival, which is celebrated annually on the sandbanks of the Periyar River. ...

: Pen, 1998, memoirs) * ''Hiranyam'' (

: DC Books, 2019, short novel)

Filmography

Films

Actor

;Composer * "Amme Pinvili Vilikkaathe" ... ''Pokkuveyil'' 1982 * "Oru Ormmathan" ... ''Pokkuveyil'' 1982 * "Paampu Kadicha" ... ''Ezhuthaappurangal'' 1987 ;Lyricist * Amme Pinvili Vilikkaathe ... ''Pokkuveyil'' 1982 * Oru Ormmathan ... ''Pokkuveyil'' 1982 * Nimishamaam ... ''Sruthi'' 1987 * Leelaaravindam ... ''Sruthi'' 1987 * Cheekithirukiya ... ''Sruthi'' 1987 * Onam Vannu (Bit) ... ''Sruthi'' 1987 * Ganapathiye Nin Achan ... ''Theertham'' 1987 * Aathintho ... ''Theertham'' 1987 * Bas More Nainan ... ''

Theertham Theertham (Theertha or Tirtha) literally refers to water. In Hindu sacred literature, it is referred to as the physical holy water body associated with a temple or deity. As per Hindu religious belief, water is the principal purification mechanis ...

'' 1987 * Paampu Kadicha ... ''Ezhuthaappurangal'' 1987 * Kaanaamarayathu ... ''Pradakshinam'' 1994 * Kaavalam Kiliye ... ''Saamoohya Paadam'' 1996 * Kaavalam Kiliye ... ''Saamoohya Paadam'' 1996 * Indrasabha ... ''Abraham & Lincoln'' 2007 * Thakkida Tharikida ... ''Abraham & Lincoln'' 2007 * Swapnamaraalike ... ''Abraham & Lincoln'' 2007 * Kezhamaankannaale ... ''Abraham & Lincoln'' 2007 * uduraajamukhi ... ''Abraham & Lincoln'' 2007 * Raagam Shokam ... ''Thaniye'' 2007 G Venugopal ;Playback singer * Poothappaattu ... ''Chillu'' 1982 * Amme Pinvili Vilikkaathe ... ''Pokkuveyil'' 1982 * Oru Ormmathan ... ''Pokkuveyil'' 1982 * Paampu Kadicha ... ''Ezhuthaappurangal'' 1987 * Idavamaasa perumazha ... ''Makalkku'' 2005 ;Story * '' Jaalakam'' (1987) * ''Idanaazhiyil Oru Kaalocha'' (1987) * '' Oozham'' (1988) * ''Orukkam'' (1990) ;Dialogue * '' Jaalakam'' (1987) * ''Idanaazhiyil Oru Kaalocha'' (1987) ;Screenplay * '' Jaalakam'' (1987)

Television

Web series

Notes

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Chullikkad, Balachandran 1957 births Living people People from Ernakulam district Poets from Kerala Male actors from Kerala Malayalam poets Indian Buddhists Converts to Buddhism from Hinduism Male actors in Malayalam cinema Male actors in Malayalam television Indian male film actors Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award Indian male poets 20th-century Indian poets 20th-century Indian male actors 20th-century Indian composers Indian male playback singers Indian male composers Indian male screenwriters Malayalam screenwriters Malayalam playback singers Indian lyricists 21st-century Indian male actors 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Film musicians from Kerala Screenwriters from Kerala 20th-century Indian male writers 20th-century Indian male singers 20th-century Indian singers