Panikkassery Keshavan Balakrishnan (March 2, 1925 – April 3, 1991) was an Indian

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while other ...

and

critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as Art criticism, art, Literary criticism, literature, Music journalism, music, Film criticism, cinema, Theater criticism, theater, Fas ...

. A doyen of

Malayalam literature Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puduchery, is one of the six classical languages of India. Malayalam literature comprises those literary text ...

, he is best known for his novel, '' Ini Njan Urangatte'' (''And now, Let me Sleep''), a novel based on

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

as well as a number of critical studies which include ''Chandu Menon Oru Padanam'', ''Novel Siddhiyum Sadhanayum'', ''Kavyakala Kumaranasaniloode'', and ''Ezhuthachante Kala: Chila Vyasabharatha Patanangalum''. His ''Jathivyavasthayum Kerala Charitravum'' is a work in social history.

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 ...

awarded him their annual award for novel in 1974. He was also a recipient of the

Vayalar Award The Vayalar Award is a literary award presented annually in Kerala, India, for the best literary work in Malayalam. It was instituted in 1977 by the Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Trust in memory of poet and lyricist Vayalar Ramavarma (1928-1975). A ...

and other honours.

Biography

P. K. Balakrishnan was born on March 2, 1925, at Edavanakad at

Vypin Vypin (, Cochin Portuguese: Isla Santa) is one of the group of islands that form part of the city of Kochi, in the Indian state of Kerala. Vypin forms a barrier island which lies between the Arabian Sea in the west and the Cochin backwaters ...

island in

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 ...

to Keshavan and Mani Amma. After early schooling in Edavanakkad, he joined

Maharaja's College, Ernakulam The Maharaja's College is a Public university, government college located in the city of Kochi in Kerala, India. Established in 1875, it is one of the oldest colleges in India. Located in the heart of the city, the college campus is spread ov ...

but his studies were disrupted after four years when he participated in Quit India Movement and was jailed. Although he was released from jail in 1944 and resumed his studies, he could not complete it as he joined Kochi rajya prajamandalam to enter politics only to move to

Kerala Socialist Party Founded on 21 September, 1947 in Kozhikode, the Kerala Socialist Party (KSP) is a political party in India established under the leadership of Mathai Manjooran. Initially a small entity, the KSP gained significant public attention due to the effo ...

(KSP) soon. His association with KSP brought him into contact with Mathai Manjooran, a noted

Indian independence activist The Indian independence movement consisted of efforts by individuals and organizations from a wide spectrum of society to obtain political independence from the British, French and Portuguese rule through the use of many methods. This is a li ...

and KSP leader as well as Vaikom Muhammad Basheer and M. K. Sanu, among others. Later, he took up the editorship of ''Dinaparabha'' but he had to quit following a public speech he made at a temple in

Kozhikode 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 ...

. Later, he became associated with such publications as Kerala Bhooshanam, Kerala Kaumudi and

Madhyamam ''Madhyamam'' (meaning ''Medium'') is a Malayalam-language newspaper published in Kerala, India, since 1987. Balakrishnan died on April 3, 1991, at the age of 66.

Legacy

The first of Balakrishnan's published works was a book on

Narayana Guru Sree Narayana Guru () (20 August 1856 – 20 September 1928) was a philosopher, Spiritual Leader, spiritual leader and Social Reformer, social reformer in India. He led a Kerala reformation movement, reform movement against the injustice in t ...

, which was a compilation of writings on Guru, including biographical sketches, narratives on Guru's activities and his literary contributions. This was followed by critiques Chandu Menon,

Kumaran Asan Mahakavi Kumaran Asan (12 April 1871 – 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 poetry during the first quarter of the 20th century, ...

and Ezhuthachan. In his writings, he first dealt with Kerala history in the anthology on

, the great social reformer of Kerala who changed the face of its caste-ridden society. He brushes with Kerala history again to study why

Tipu Sultan Tipu Sultan (, , ''Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu''; 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799) commonly referred to as Sher-e-Mysore or "Tiger of Mysore", was a ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery ...

, an able ruler and administrator is perceived as an aggressor and a religious fanatic. The culmination of these studies over 3 decades was his work on the social history which departed from the established narration, titled ''Jaathivyavasthayum Kerala Charitravum'' (''The Caste System and History of Kerala''). ''Pluto, Priyapetta Plutto'', was his first novel, was a real life story about his own dog. His next novel, '' Ini Njan Urangatte'', a Mahabharata inspired work, is considered by many to be his magnum opus. This novel, has been translated into English by K.C. Sarsamma under the title ''And Now Let Me Sleep''. Two decades after P. K. Balakrishnan's death, his daughter P. K. Jayalekshmy has been made another English translation under the title ''Battle beyond Kurukshetra''. Balakrishnan also wrote a number of articles, of which only four collections have been published; two of them were published after his lifetime.

Awards and honours

P. K. balakrishnan received the

Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel The Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel is an award given every year by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy) to Malayalam writers for writing a novel of literary merit. It is one of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award#Awards, twel ...

in 1974 for his work, '' Ini Njan Urangatte''. Four years later, the same novel fetched him another major award in the form of

of 1978. He received the Kerala History Association Award for the book, ''Jaathivyavasthithium Keralacharithravum''. He was also a recipient of SPBF Award, Prof. Velayudhan Endowment Award and Kesari Award.

Works

* * * * * * * '' Ini Njan Urangatte'' (''And now, Let me Sleep'') (1973) - A work originating from the great Indian epic Vyasabharatha (''Mahabharath''). * * ''Jaathivyavasthithium Keralacharithravum'' (''The Caste system and History of Kerala'') (1983) - a work in Kerala history. * * ''Keraleeyatayum Mattum'' (''The Essence of Kerala etc.'') (2004) - a collection of 20 articles published in various periodicals over a time * *

Translations of Ini Njan Urangatte

* * * * *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Balakrishnan, P. K. 1925 births 1991 deaths Indian male novelists 20th-century Indian historians Malayalam-language novelists Malayalam literary critics Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award Malayalam-language journalists 20th-century Indian novelists Writers from Ernakulam district Novelists from Kerala 20th-century Indian male writers Maharaja's College, Ernakulam alumni