C. R. Omanakkuttan (13 February 1943 – 16 September 2023) was an Indian writer, humorist and cultural activist from the state of

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 ...

. He was awarded the 2010 Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Humour for his book ''Sree Bhoothanatha Vilasam Nair Hotel''.

Life and career

C. R. Omanakkuttan was born in

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 ...

on 13 February 1943, to Pennamma and Raghavan. Omanakuttan completed his studies from CMS College, Kottayam, Sree Narayana College, Kollam, and St. Berchmans College, Changanassery. He worked as an information officer in the Public Relations Department for four years before shifting his career to teaching. Omanakuttan was also a member of the Sahithya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sangham, advisory committee for Kerala State Cultural Affairs Department, State Film Awards Committee, State Film Development Corporation director board, Mahatma Gandhi University Curriculum Revision Committee and Vishwa Vijnana Kosham editorial board.

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 ...

filmmaker

Amal Neerad Amal Neerad (born 13 February 1978) is an Indian film director, cinematographer and producer who mainly works in Malayalam cinema. He attended the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata (first batch). He was awarded the National F ...

is his son and actress

Jyothirmayi Jyothirmayi is an Indian actress, television presenter, and former model, who worked in Malayalam cinema. Starting her career as a model, she ventured into television, working as an anchor and later starring in numerous television shows. Post ...

is his daughter-in-law. S Hemalatha is his wife. He also has a daughter, Anoopa C. R., who teaches at Maharaja's College.

Scriptwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and theatre artist Gopan Chidambaram is his son-in-law. A native of Thirunakkara in

, Omanakuttan had served as a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

of Malayalam in different government colleges in Kerala. He worked at the Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, for 23 years. Omanakuttan authored nearly 20 books, including translations. Among his notable works are ''Nee Sathyam Njanam Anandam'', ''Omanakkathakal'' and ''Pakarnnattam''. He had won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for his book ''Sree Bhoothanatha Vilasam Nair Hotel'' in 2010. Two of his books, ''Shavam Theenikal'' and ''Thiranjedutha Kathakal'' were released in

Kochi Kochi ( , ), List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the Ernakulam district, district of Ernakulam in the ...

earlier this month. ''Shavamtheenikal'' is a record of the struggles people had to endure during The Emergency (19751977). The book contains his memories of travelling with Professor Eachara Warrier while he was investigating the murder of his son Rajan during the Emergency. C. R. Omanakuttan died of a haemorrhage a private hospital in

, on 16 September 2023, at the age of 80. His cremation was held at Ravipuram crematorium the following day.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Omanakuttan, C. R. 1943 births 2023 deaths Writers from Kerala Indian humorists People from Kottayam district Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award