Chemmanam Chacko (March 7, 1926 – August 14, 2018) was an Indian satirical poet from

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 India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. He died on 15 August 2018 at the age of 92 at his residence in Padamugal.

Early life

Chacko was born on 7 March 1926, in the village of

Mulakulam Mulakulam is a village spread over the Kottayam and Ernakulam districts of Kerala, India, and is situated on the banks of the River Muvattupuzha. Mulakulam lies in one municipality viz Piravom municipality and Mulakulam grama panchayath. Whi ...

in erstwhile

Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...

. Chemmanam is his family name. His father was an Orthodox Christian priest. He did his early schooling in Saint Joseph's school, Piravom, and went on to receive his BA honours in Malayalam literature with first rank from University College, Trivandrum. He worked as a professor at Mar Ivanios College and the Department of Malayalam,

University of Kerala University of Kerala (formerly known as University of Travancore) is a state-run public university in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital of Kerala, India. It was established in 1937 by a promulgation of the Maharajah of Travancore, Chithi ...

Poetry

Chacko's first published poem was 'Munnottu' (Forward) which appeared in a local weekly in 1946. The poem 'Kanakaaksharangal' published in 1967 brought him popularity. Chemmanam is famed for efficiently utilising

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...

in his poems as a means of social and political critique. His poetic style has often drawn comparison to the early Malayalam language poet Kunjan Nambiar. His 1977 poetry collection ''Rajapatha'' won the

Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award is given each year, since 1958, by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy), to Malayalam writers for their outstanding books of literary merit. The awards are given in various categories.

. He was conferred with the lifetime achievement award for literature by the

Kerala Sahitya Akademi The Kerala Sahitya Akademi or Academy for Malayalam Literature is an autonomous body established to promote the Malayalam language and Malayalam literature, literature. It is situated in the city of Thrissur, Kerala in India. History The acad ...

in 2006. He received the Mahakavi Pandalam Keralavarma Award for Poetry in 2014 and Asan Prize in 2015.

List of poems

*''Vilamparam'' (Proclamation) (1947) *''Kanakaaksharangal'' (Golden Letters) (1967) *''Nellu'' (Rice) (1968) *''Innu'' (Today) (1969) *''Puthari'' (Fresh Rice) (1970) *''Asthram'' (Arrow) (1971) *''Agneyaasthram'' (Fire-arrow) (1972) *''Dukkhanthinte Chiri'' (Laughter of sorrow) (1973) *''Aavanazhi'' (Quiver) (1974) *''Jaithrayaathra'' (Victory Parade) (1975) *''Rajapaatha'' (Royal Path) (1976) *''Daahajalam'' (Water for Thirst) (1981) *''Bhoomikulukkam'' (Earthquake) (1983) *''Ampum Villum'' (Bow and Arrow) (1986) *''Raajavinu Vasthramilla'' (King is naked) (1989) *''Aalilla Kaserakal'' (Empty Chairs) (1991) *''Chinteru'' (Plane - as in tool for timber work) (1995) *''Narma Sankadam'' (Light Sadness) (1997) *''Onnu Onnu Randaayiram'' (1-1-2000) (2000) *''Ottayaal Pattaalam'' (One-man Army) (2003) *''Ottayaante Choonduviral'' (Pointing finger of a lone Elephant) (2007) *''Akshara Poraattam'' (War of Words) (2009) *''Akshara Poraali'' (Warrior of words) (2010)

References

External links

Part 1Part 2
an
Part 3
of the interview with Chemmanam Chacko by ''

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'. ...

''
Malayalam authors

Collection of poems and essays by Chemmanam Chacko

Speech by Chemmanam
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chacko, Chemmanam 1926 births 2018 deaths Writers from Kottayam Indian male poets Indian satirists Indian satirical poets Indian political artists 20th-century Indian poets Malayalam poets Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award Poets from Kerala 20th-century Indian male writers Academic staff of the University of Kerala