M. Subramanian Namboodiri (1 March 1929 – 1 February 2019), commonly known by his pen name Thuppettan, was a

Malayalam-language 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 ...

playwright 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 ...

. Hailing from

Panjal The Pir Panjal Range ( ; ) is a range of mountains in the Lower Himalayan region located in the Western Himalayas of northern Indian subcontinent. It runs southeast to northwest between the Beas and Neelam/Kishanganga rivers, in the India ...

, a village in

Thrissur district Thrissur (), anglicised as Trichur, is one of the List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It is situated in the central region of the state. Spanning an area of about , th ...

of Kerala, Thuppettan had been a drawing teacher at a local school. His father Ittiravi Namboodiri was a

Vedic upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed ...

scholar who tried to reform the conservative practices of the

Namboodiri The Nambudiri (), also transliterated as Nampoothiri, Nambūdiri, Namboodiri, Namboothiri, Namboodri, Namboori, and Nampūtiri, are a Malayali Brahmin caste, native to what is now the state of Kerala, India, where they constituted part of th ...

community. Some of the most famous works of Thuppettan include ''Thanathu Lavanam'', ''Marumarunnu'', ''Vettakkarappayal'', ''Swaapaharanam Athava Ellarum Argentinayilekku'', ''Bhadrayanam'', ''Kalavastha'', ''Mohanasundarapaalam'', ''Double Act'' and ''Chakka''. He 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.

in 2003 for ''Vannanthye Kaanam'', a collection of 10 short and hilarious plays."Akbar Kakkattil wins best novelist award"
''The Hindu''. 8 February 2004. Retrieved 8 July 2013.

References

{{authority control 1929 births 2019 deaths Writers from Thrissur district Dramatists and playwrights from Kerala Malayalam-language writers Malayalam-language dramatists and playwrights Indian male dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian male writers