P. Narendranath (18 July 1934 – 3 November 1991) was a

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 ...

author. He is best known for his contributions in

children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...

. He wrote more than 35 works including novels, plays and children's books.

Early life

P. Narendranath was born in

Nellaya Nellaya is a village in Palakkad district in the state of Kerala, India. The village has its own '' gram panchayat''. Demographics At the 2011 India census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically ...

, a village near

Pattambi Pattambi is a town, tehsil, and municipality in the Palakkad District of Kerala, India. It is also the administrative headquarters of the Pattambi Taluk. History Pattambi was originally a part of the Nedunganad Swaroopam dynasty, which was ru ...

, Palakkad District, in the Indian 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 ...

, on 18 July 1934. He did not complete his basic education due to financial difficulties. At 19, he joined Cochin Commercial Bank as a clerk and later earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Banking. Cochin Commercial Bank was acquired by

Canara Bank Canara Bank is an Indian public sector bank based in Bangalore, India. Established in 1906 at Mangalore by Ammembal Subba Rao Pai. The bank was nationalized in 1969. Canara Bank also has offices in London, Dubai and New York. History Amm ...

in 1963. A banker by profession, he moved into children's literature. His first work was published when he was 18. He continued publishing books and made an impact on

children's literature. Some of his works were translated into both Tamil and Hindi.

Recognition

Throughout his life, P. Narendranath earned awards for his contributions to children's literature. They are listed below. *

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.

Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Children's Literature The Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Children's Literature (also known as Sree Padmanabhaswamy Award for Children’s Literature) is an award given every year by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy) to Malayalam writers for writi ...

* National Award by the Department of Culture * SPC Award * Indian Council for Child Education Award

Family

P. Narendrantha married Smt Amrutha Kumari. They had four children, son Mohandas and daughters Anitha, Vinitha, and Sunitha. Sunitha Nedungadi is a

ghazal ''Ghazal'' is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry that often deals with topics of spiritual and romantic love. It may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss, or separation from the beloved, and t ...

singer. Vinitha Nedungadi is a dancer. P. Narendranath died on 3 November 1991. P. Narendranath Memorial Sree Vidya Academy is a dance academy named after him in

Palakkad Palakkad (), Renaming of cities in India, also known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery, is a city and a municipality in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of P ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Narendranath, P. Indian children's writers Malayalam-language writers 1934 births 1991 deaths Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award