Indian novelist and short story writer
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
|
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Thakazhi_1.jpg/220px-Thakazhi_1.jpg) |
Born
| (
1912-04-17
)
17 April 1912
Thakazhi
,
Alleppey
,
Travancore
(present-day
Kerala
, India)
|
---|
Died
| 10 April 1999
(1999-04-10)
(aged 86)
Thakazhi, Alleppey, Kerala, India
|
---|
Pen name
| Thakazhi
|
---|
Occupation
| Writer
|
---|
Nationality
| Indian
|
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Genre
| Novel, short story
|
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Subject
| Social aspects
|
---|
Literary movement
| Realism
|
---|
Notable awards
| |
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Spouse
| Kamalakshy Amma
|
---|
Parents
| Poypallikalathil Sankara Kurup,
Aripurathuveettil Parvathy Amma
|
---|
Relatives
| Guru Kunchu Kurup
(Paternal Uncle),
Raj Nair
(Grandson),
Velikkakath Parameshwara Kaimal (Paternal Grandfather)
|
---|
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
(17 April 1912 ? 10 April 1999), popularly known as
Thakazhi
after his place of birth, was an Indian novelist and short story writer of
Malayalam literature
. He wrote over 30 novels and novellas and over 600 short stories focusing on the lives of the oppressed classes. Known for his works such as
Kayar
(Coir, 1978) and
Chemmeen
(Prawns, 1956), Pillai was a recipient of the
Padma Bhushan
, the third highest Indian civilian award. He was also a recipient of the
Jnanpith
, India's highest literary award, awarded in 1984 for the novel
Kayar
.
Biography
[
edit
]
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai was born on 17 April 1912 in
Thakazhy
,
[1]
a small village in
Kuttanad
in present-day
Alappuzha
district of
Kerala
to Poypallikalathil Sankara Kurup, who was the brother of
Guru Kunchu Kurup
, a doyen of
Kathakali
and Aripurathuveettil Parvathy Amma.
[2]
After early tutoring by his father and Chakkampurathu Kittu Asan, a local teacher, Pillai had his primary education at a local school in Thakazhi and passed 7th standard examination from the English School in
Ambalappuzha
. Subsequently, he did his high school education, first at a high school in
Vaikom
and later at the NSS High school in
Karuvatta
, where he had the opportunity to study under
Kainikkara Kumara Pillai
, who was the headmaster of the school during that period. After passing 10th standard, he moved to
Trivandrum
and passed the pleader examination from the
Government Law College, Thiruvananthapuram
.
[2]
He started his career as a reporter at
Kerala Kesari
daily but moved to legal career by practising under a lawyer named P. Parameshwaran Pillai at the
munsif court
of Ambalappuzha. It was during this time, he was attracted by the communist movement and he participated in the functioning of the
Sahitya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sangham
(Writers' Cooperative Society). He presided
Kerala Sahitya Akademi
and was also associated with
Sahitya Akademi
as a member of its general council.
[2]
Pillai married Thekkemuri Chembakasseril Chirakkal Kamalakshy Ammai, affectionately called by him as
Katha
, in 1934 and the couple had one son and four daughters.
[3]
He died on 10 April 1999, at the age of 86 (A week before his 87th birthday), survived by his wife, who died on 1 June 2011, and their five children.
[4]
Literary career
[
edit
]
Pillai, whose works would later earn him the moniker,
Kerala Maupassant
,
[5]
[6]
started writing at an early age and his associations with
Kainikkara Kumara Pillai
during his school days and with
Kesari Balakrishna Pillai
during his
Thiruvananthapuram
days are known to have helped the aspiring writer in his career, it was the latter who introduced him to European literature.
[7]
His first short story was
Daridran
(The Poor) which was published in 1929.
[8]
In 1934 came out Thakazhi's first published volume,
Puthumalar
(
New Blossoms
) which was a collection of short stories. This was soon followed by his first novel
Thyagathinu Prathiphalam
(
Fruits of Sacrifice
) which primarily dealt with the social injustices prevalent during that time.
[3]
This was the first of his 39 novels; he also published 21 anthologies composed of over 600 short stories, two plays and four memoirs.
[4]
[9]
Pillai's literary works are known to portray the society in Kerala in the mid-20th century.
Thottiyude Makan
(Scavenger's Son), a story about a scavenger who strives unsuccessfully to keep his son from continuing the family profession was published in 1947 and is known to be the first realistic novel in
Malayalam literature
.
[3]
His
political novel
,
Randidangazhi
(Two Measures, 1948), projected the evils of the feudal system that prevailed in Kerala then, especially in Kuttanad. The film adaptation, directed and produced by
P. Subramaniam
from a screenplay by Thakazhi himself, received a certificate of merit at the
National Film Awards
in 1958.
[10]
In 1956, Pillai published his love epic
Chemmeen
(Prawns), which was a departure from his earlier line of
realism
and the novel received critical acclaim, becoming the first post-colonial Indian novel to be translated into English; the English translation was accepted into the Indian Series of UNESCO Collection of Representative Works.
[11]
It told a tragic love story against the backdrop of a fishing village in
Alappuzha
. The novel and its film adaptation, also titled
Chemmeen
(1965), earned him national and international fame.
Chemmeen
was translated into 19 world languages and adapted into film in 15 countries. The film adaptation, directed by
Ramu Kariat
, won the
National Film Award for Best Feature Film
in 1965.
[12]
His next notable work was
Enippadikal
(
Rungs of the Ladder
), published in 1964, which traces the careerism of an ambitious bureaucrat whose lust for power and position becomes his own undoing. The novel was adapted into a
movie
in 1973 by
Thoppil Bhasi
.
[13]
Anubhavangal Paalichakal
, another novel he published in 1966, was also made into a feature film by
K. S. Sethumadhavan
, in 1971, with
Sathyan
,
Prem Nazir
and
Sheela
in the lead roles.
[14]
The story "
Vellapokkathil
", written in the mid-1960s, is considered one of his best stories.
[15]
It was adapted into a
short film of the same name
by
Jayaraj
in 2007.
[16]
Pillai wrote
Kayar
(Coir) in 1978, a long novel extending to over 1000 pages, covering the history of several generations in
Kuttanad
for over 200 years and is considered by many as his masterpiece, n spite of the popularity of
Chemmeen
.
[17]
The novel deals with hundreds of characters over four generations, bringing back to life an axial period (1885?1971) during which
feudalism
,
matriliny
, and
bonded labour
gave way to
conjugal
life and to universal access to land ownership, and later, to
decolonisation
and the
industrial revolution
of the 1960s.
[8]
Pillai wrote his only play in 1946 titled
Thottilla
, which was a social drama; it was performed on many stages by
Kerala People's Arts Club
.
[18]
He published four autobiographical books and two other works.
[19]
Four of his short stories were the base of a film,
Naalu Pennungal
, made by
Adoor Gopalakrishnan
in 2007, which he termed as his homage to the writer.
[20]
Awards and honours
[
edit
]
Pillai on a 2003 stamp of India
Pillai received the
Sahitya Akademi Award
in 1957 for the love epic,
Chemmeen
.
[21]
Kerala Sahitya Akademi selected
Enippadikal
for their
annual award for novels
in 1965.
[22]
His Novel,
Kayar
was selected for the
Vayalar Award
in 1984,
[23]
and he received the highest Indian literary award,
Njanapeedam
in 1984
[24]
[25]
and a year later, the Government of India awarded him the third highest civilian honour of the
Padma Bhushan
.
[26]
Sahitya Akademi
elected him as a
distinguished fellow
in 1989;
[27]
he had already been a distinguished fellow of the
Kerala Sahitya Akademi
by then.
[28]
In 1994, the Government of Kerala awarded him
Ezhuthachan Puraskaram
, their highest literary honour.
[29]
In 1996 he was conferred with an honorary doctorate (
D.Litt
) by
Mahatma Gandhi University
.
[30]
India Post
issued a commemorative postage stamp depicting his image in 2003, under the
Jnanapith Award Winners
series.
[31]
Sahitya Akademi
commissioned a documentary film on the life of Pillai to be made
[32]
and
M. T. Vasudevan Nair
made
Thakazhi
, a documentary film of 57 minutes length, which was released a year before Pillai's death in 1998.
[33]
The Government of Kerala acquired Sankaramanagala, the ancestral home of Pillai, in 2000
[34]
and a museum,
Thakazhi Memorial Museum
was set up in 2001, honoring the writer's memory.
[35]
Bibliography
[
edit
]
Novels
[
edit
]
- Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (1934).
Thyagathinu Prathiphalam
. Poorna Publications.
ISBN
8171805302
.
ASIN
8171805302
.
- Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (1956).
Chemmeen
. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.
ISBN
0313212139
.
OCLC
4194651
.
- Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (1963).
Avante Smaranakal: Novel
. Sahitya Pravarthaka.
- Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (1948).
Randidangazhi
. DC Books.
ISBN
817130673X
.
- Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (1996).
Thottiyude Makan
(1st ed.). Kottayam: DC Books.
ISBN
8171306373
.
OCLC
37694031
.
- Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (1950).
Thendivargam
. Poorna Publications.
ISBN
9788130000244
.
- Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (2006).
Enippadikal
. DC Books.
ISBN
978-81-7130-722-7
.
- Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (1967).
Anubhavangal Palichakal
. Current Books.
ASIN
B007E4VG0I
.
- Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (1978).
Kayar
. DC Books.
ISBN
978-81-7130-071-6
.
- Sivasankara Pilla, Thakazhi (1975).
Punnapra Vayalaarinu Sesham
. DCB.
- Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (1977).
Azhiyakkurukku
.
- Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (2007).
Baloonukal
. Poorna Publications.
ISBN
9798171805234
.
- Sivasankara Pilla, Thakazhi (1991).
Nellum thengayum
. Thrissur: Current Books. Archived from
the original
on 4 February 2019
. Retrieved
3 February
2019
.
- Sivasankara Pilla, Thakazhi (1990).
Oru Erinjadangal
. Kottayam: S.P.C.S.
- Sivasankara Pilla, Thakazhi (1996).
Paramaarthangal
. Kozhikode: Poorna Publications.
ISBN
9788171805280
. Archived from
the original
on 4 February 2019
. Retrieved
3 February
2019
.
- Sivasankara Pilla, Thakazhi (2004).
Irupathonnaam noottaandu
. Thrissur: Kerala Sahitya Academy.
ISBN
9788176900690
.
- Sivasankara Pilla, Thakazhi (1996).
Pathithapankajam
. Kozhikode: Poorna Publications.
ISBN
9788171805259
. Archived from
the original
on 4 February 2019
. Retrieved
3 February
2019
.
- Sivasankara Pilla, Thakazhi (2007).
Nellum thengayum
. Kozhikode: Poorna Publications.
ISBN
9788130007038
. Archived from
the original
on 4 February 2019
. Retrieved
3 February
2019
.
- Sivasankara Pilla, Thakazhi (2007).
Kure manushyarute katha
. Kozhikode: Poorna Publications.
ISBN
9788130006185
. Archived from
the original
on 4 February 2019
. Retrieved
3 February
2019
.
- Sivasankarapilla, Thakazhi (3 February 2019).
Thakazhiyude novalukal
. Kottayam: DC Books.
ISBN
9788126431786
.
- Thakazhi (1968).
Pappiammayum makkalum
. Current books, Thrissur: Current Books. Archived from
the original
on 4 February 2019
. Retrieved
3 February
2019
.
- Thakazhi (1969).
Ouseppinde Makkal
. Current books, Thrissur: Current Books. Archived from
the original
on 4 February 2019
. Retrieved
3 February
2019
.
- Thakazhi (1969).
Anjupennungal
. Current books, Thrissur: Current Books.
- Sivasankarapilla Thakazhi (1967).
Chukku
. Kottayam: N.B.S. Archived from
the original
on 4 February 2019
. Retrieved
3 February
2019
.
- Sivasankarapillai, Thakazhi (1972).
Kodipoya mukhangal
. Sahithya pravarthakasahakaranasangam: Sahithya pravarthakasahakaranasangam. Archived from
the original
on 4 February 2019
. Retrieved
3 February
2019
.
- Sivasankara Pillai, Thakazhi (1977).
Thakazhiyude Adhyakala Novelukal
. Sahithya Pravarthaka Co: Sahithya Pravarthaka Co.
- Thakazhi (1974).
Akathalam
. Sahithya Pra. Co. s: Sahithya Pra. Co. s.
- Thakazhi sivasankarapillai (1967).
Vilpanakkari
. Mangalodayam: Mangalodayam.
- Sivasankara Pillai, Thakazhi (1996).
Jeevitham Sundaramaanu, Pakshe
. Kozhikode, Poorna.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
- Sivasankara Pillai, Thakazhi (1948).
Thalayodu
. Kottayam, NBS.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
- Sivasankara Pillai, Thakazhi; Author (2004).
Aakaasam
. Kottayam, D C Books.
ISBN
9788126407972
.
CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
)
- Sivasankarapilla Thakazhi (1965).
Dharmaneethiyo Alla Jeevitham
. THRISSUR: THE MANGALODAYAM.
- Sivasankarapilla Thakazhi (1984).
Perillaakatha
. KOTTAYAM: S P C S.
- Sivasankara Pillai Thakazhi.
Pennu
. Kozhikode.
- Sivasankara Pillai Thakazhi (1971).
Pennaayi Pirannaal
. Kottayam: Author.
- Sivasankara Pillai Thakazhi.
Nurayum Pathayum
. Poorna Publications.
ISBN
9788130000152
.
- Sivasankara Pillai Thakazhi.
Oru Premathinte Bakki
. Poorna Publications.
ISBN
9788130003740
.
- Shivashankarapilla,Thakazhi. (1983).
Oru Manushyante Mukham
. DC Books.
- Shivashankarapilla,Thakazhi (1966).
Maamsathinte Vili
. Champakkulam: B K M BOOK DEPOT.
- Susheelan
- Thakazhiyude Lakhunovelukal
Short story anthologies
[
edit
]
- Venugopalan, P., ed. (2015).
Thakazhi Sampoorna Kathakal: 3 Vols
. Thrissur: Green Books.
ISBN
9788184234442
.
- Sivasankara Pilla, Takazhi (2014).
Theranjedutha kathakal
. Kottayam: Sahitya Pravarthaka Sahagarana Sangham.
ISBN
9789384075538
.
- Sivasankara Pilla, Thakazhi (2016).
Kathakal
. Kottayam: D C books.
ISBN
9788126464425
.
- Sivasankarapillai Thakazhi (1995).
Thakazhiyude kadhakal
. D.C. Books, Kottayam: D.C. Books, Kottayam.
- Thakazhi (1969).
Changathikal
. Mangalodayam: Mangalodayam. Archived from
the original
on 4 February 2019
. Retrieved
3 February
2019
.
- Sivasankara Pillai, Thakazhi (1992).
Oru Kuttanaadan Katha
.
- Sivasankara Pillai, Thakazhi (1993).
Jeevithathinte Oredu
. Kottayam, DCB.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
- Sivasankara Pillai, Thakazhi (2007).
Vellappokkathilum mattu pradhaana kathakalum
(Ed.5 ed.). Kottayam, D C Books.
ISBN
9788126405589
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
- Sivasankara Pillai, Thakazhi (2004).
Irupathonnaam noottaandu: samaaharikkaatha 16 kathakal
. Thrissur, Kerala Sahithya Akademi Ke.
ISBN
9788176900690
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
- Sivasankara Pillai, Thakazhi; Author (2009).
Nithyakanyaka: kathakal
. Kottayam, Sahitya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society Ltd.
CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
)
- Sivasankara Pilai, Thakazhi (1980).
Kure kathaapaathrangal
(in Malayalam). Kottayam, D C books.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
- Sivasankara Pillai Thakazhi (1969).
Ekanthapathikan
. KADAPPAKKADA: N B S.
- Sivasankara Pillai Thakazhi (1958).
Njan Piranna Nadu
. Thrissur: Current Books.
- Thakazhi (1969).
Anjupennungal
. Current books, Thrissur: Current Books.
- Inquilab
(1952)
- Khoshayathra
- Pativratha
(Chaste Wife, 1946)
- Pratheekshakal
- Puthumalar
- Adiyozhukkukal
- Prathijna
- Njarakkangal
- Makalude Makal
- Kanakku Theerkkal
- Aadhyathe Prasavam
- Alinganam
- Charithrasathyangal
Autobiographies
[
edit
]
Plays
[
edit
]
- Thakazhi sivasankarapillai (1946).
Thottilla
. KPAC.
Other works
[
edit
]
Translations into other languages
[
edit
]
Films
[
edit
]
Critical studies on Thakazhi
[
edit
]
- Annamma Jacob; Samuel, C. D; Guide (1990).
Thakazhiyude novelukalile saamoohika prathibhalanam
(PhD ed.). Kottayam, Mahatma Gandhi University.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
)
- Sushama L; Benjamin D. (1992).
"Thakazhiyude Cerukathaa saahityam Oru Padanam"
.
University
(PhD ed.). Trivandrum, Kerala University.
hdl
:
10603/177076
.
- Mathew, Manarcadu (2000).
Thakazhiyum Basheerum koodikkaazhchakalil
. Kottayam, Current Books.
ISBN
9788124008195
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
- Ayyappa Panicker, K.; Chandrika; Tr (1992).
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pilla
.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
)
- Krishnan Patyam, O. (1994).
Raajam Krishnanum Thakazhiyum(tharathamya saahithya padhanam)
. Kottayam, NBS.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
)
- Sarma, V. S; Ed (1991).
Thakazhiyum malayala novelum
. Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Sarvakalaasaala Malayala Vibhaagam.
{{
cite book
}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link
) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
)
- Karim, M. M. (1985).
Premchandum Thakazhiyum
.
- S. Karunya.
Worlds of Amitav Ghosh and Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai- Ecological Archetypes in the Select Novels
. Online International Interdisciplinary Research Journal.
- Francis Zimmermann (2007).
Thakazhi's KAYAR: Stories, Narrative and History in a Malayalam modern epic
.
- Nidhi Malik.
The fall of customs in the Chemmeen
. International Journal of Applied Research.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
Further reading
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
|
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1965?1985
| |
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1986?2000
| |
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2001?present
| |
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1980
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1981
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1982
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1983
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1984
| |
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1985
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1986
| |
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1987
| |
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1988
| |
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1989
| |
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|
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1955?1975
| | |
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1976?2000
| |
---|
2001?present
| |
---|
|
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1968?1980
|
- Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan
(1968)
- D. R. Bendre
,
Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay
,
Sumitranandan Pant
,
C. Rajagopalachari
(1969)
- Vaikom Muhammad Basheer
,
Firaq Gorakhpuri
,
Vishnu Sakharam Khandekar
,
Viswanatha Satyanarayana
(1970)
- Kaka Kalelkar
,
Gopinath Kaviraj
,
Gurbaksh Singh
,
Kalindi Charan Panigrahi
(1971)
- Masti Venkatesha Iyengar
,
Mangharam Udharam Malkani
,
Nilmoni Phukan
,
Vasudev Vishnu Mirashi
,
Sukumar Sen
,
V. R. Trivedi
(1973)
- T. P. Meenakshisundaram
(1975)
- Atmaram Ravaji Deshpande
,
Jainendra Kumar
,
Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa 'Kuvempu'
,
V. Raghavan
,
Mahadevi Varma
(1979)
|
---|
1981?2000
|
- Umashankar Joshi
,
K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar
,
K. Shivaram Karanth
(1985)
- Mulk Raj Anand
,
Vinayaka Krishna Gokak
,
Laxmanshastri Balaji Joshi
,
Amritlal Nagar
,
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai
,
Annada Shankar Ray
(1989)
- Nagarjun
,
Balamani Amma
,
Ashapurna Devi
,
Qurratulain Hyder
,
Vishnu Bhikaji Kolte
,
Kanhu Charan Mohanty
,
P. T. Narasimhachar
,
R. K. Narayan
,
Harbhajan Singh
(1994)
- Jayakanthan
,
Vinda Karandikar
,
Vidya Niwas Mishra
,
Subhash Mukhopadhyay
,
Raja Rao
,
Sachidananda Routray
,
Krishna Sobti
(1996)
- Syed Abdul Malik
,
K. S. Narasimhaswamy
,
Gunturu Seshendra Sarma
,
Rajendra Shah
,
Ram Vilas Sharma
,
N. Khelchandra Singh
(1999)
- Ramchandra Narayan Dandekar
,
Rehman Rahi
(2000)
|
---|
2001?present
|
- Ram Nath Shastri
(2001)
- Kaifi Azmi
,
Govind Chandra Pande
,
Nilamani Phookan
,
Bhisham Sahni
(2002)
- Kovilan
,
U. R. Ananthamurthy
,
Vijaydan Detha
,
Bhadriraju Krishnamurti
,
Amrita Pritam
,
Shankha Ghosh
,
Nirmal Verma
(2004)
- Manoj Das
,
Vishnu Prabhakar
(2006)
- Anita Desai
,
Kartar Singh Duggal
,
Ravindra Kelekar
(2007)
- Gopi Chand Narang
,
Ramakanta Rath
(2009)
- Chandranath Mishra Amar
,
Kunwar Narayan
,
Bholabhai Patel
,
Kedarnath Singh
,
Khushwant Singh
(2010)
- Raghuveer Chaudhari
,
Arjan Hasid
,
Sitakant Mahapatra
,
M. T. Vasudevan Nair
,
Asit Rai
,
Satya Vrat Shastri
(2013)
- Santeshivara Lingannaiah Bhyrappa
,
C. Narayana Reddy
(2014)
- Nirendranath Chakravarty
,
Gurdial Singh
(2016)
|
---|
Honorary Fellows
| |
---|
Premchand Fellowship
| |
---|
Ananda Coomaraswamy Fellowship
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Organisations
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Literary awards
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Fiction writers
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Poets
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Playwrights
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Children's literature
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Essayists/Critics
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Scholars and
Grammarians
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Translators
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Genre
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Novels
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Treatises
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Poems
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Assorted articles
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1970s
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1980s
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1990s
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2000s
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2010s
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2020s
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International
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National
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Academics
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People
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Other
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