Author Award: Sahitya Akademi Award
UNNI R
Unni R was born in Kudamalur near Kottayam, to N. Parameswaran Nair and K.A. Radhamma. His spouse is Anu Chandran, and his daughter is Saraswathi. He was educated at Kudamalur Govt. L.P. School, CMS. High School, CMS. College and Baselius College. His first collection of stories, Ozhivudivasthe Kali, received the Geethahiranyan Endowment of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi, the Anganam-E.P. Sushama Endowment and the Thomas Mundassery Award. Ozhivudivasthe Kali has been made into a film and has won the 46th Kerala State Film Award for Best Film in 2015. The story Pranilokam received the K.A. Kodungallur Kadha Puraskaram and the T.P. Kishore Smaraka Puraskaram, the story Mudrarakshasam received the V.P. Sivakumar Memorial Award and the S.B.T. Award, Abu Dhabi Shakti Award and the Ayanam-C.V. Sreeraman Kadha Puraskaram. A collection of stories titled Kalinadakam has been published in Tamil. He authored a collection of articles and translations: Pusthakapuzhu. He has written dialogues for the films Big B and Anwar and has written the films Bridge (Kerala Cafe), Kullante Bharya (Anchu Sundarikal), Munnarippu, Charlie and Leela. Munnarippu has won the Ramukariat Award for best screenplay, and Charlie has also won the State Award for best screenplay.
K N PRASANTH
K.N. Prashanth is a native of Udinur in Kasaragod district, to M.V. Narayanan and Janaki. His spouse is Divya A.K. and has a son, Ishan. His works include Aaran, Ponam and Pathiraleela. He won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi’s Geethahiranyan Award, C.V. Sreeraman Smriti Award, and Manoraj Katha Puraskar for his collection of short stories, Aaran. He has also received the Madikai Ramachandran Katha Puraskar and Dr P.K. Rajan Memorial Literary Award.
JACOB ABRAHAM
Jacob Abraham is a renowned novelist and short story writer. He was born in Vellappara, Pathanamthitta district. Jacob Abraham is currently serving as the Project Head of the Radio Malayalam initiative under the Malayalam Mission of the Kerala Government’s Department of Culture. Previously, he worked at Club FM 94.3 in Kannur. His notable works include,
‘Tattoo’, ‘Ah Muthal Am Vare Pokunna Theevandi’, ‘Vishama Vruthathil Vishudhar’, ‘Urakkam Thoongi Marangalude Nagaram’, ‘Marangalkidayil Oru Monastery’, ‘Shwasagathi’, ‘Kumari’, ‘Van Goghinde Kamuki’,’ Ente Pathanamthitta Kathakal’, ‘Plum Pazhangalude Season’, ‘Kachiya Morinte Manamulla Uchchannerangal’, and ‘Mindaamadam’.
He has earned several recognitions for his writing, including first prize in the Mathrubhumi Weekly Vishu Edition Short Story Competition, the Muttathu Varkey Campus Story Award, and the Weblokam Short Story Award. His debut short story collection, Tattoo, won the 2013 Kerala Sahitya Akademi Geetha Hiranyan Endowment Award for short stories and the Kerala Bhasha Institute Karoor Prize. He has also received the DC Books Romance Fiction Award, the Kairali Saraswathi Novel Award, and the inaugural P. Ayyaneth Memorial Award.
ABIN JOSEPH
Abin Joseph was born on October 26 in Keezhpally near Iritty in the district of Kannur. He is a notable new generation Malayalam author. Abin Joseph is a graduate of MG College in Physics. Holds a post-graduation degree in Journalism from Don Bosco Arts and Science College, Kannur and has entered the film industry after working as a sub-editor in Mathrubhumi periodicals.
Hailing from a place that witnessed migration and from an in-depth political root, his stories deal with satirical examination of the concept of revolution. It also houses topics of caste issues, migration, women’s rights, and liberation. His major works include “Kalliasseri Thesis”, “Sahayatrika”, “Prathinayakan”, “Pelayakkurish Satyam” and “Arival Chuttika Nakshatram”. He has received the Geethahiranyan Endowment of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (2017) and the Yuva Puraskar of the Kendra Sahitya Akademi in 2020 for his collection of stories, ‘Kalyassery Thesis’. He has also won the Uroob Award, Kannur University Story Award, Rajalakshmi Story Award and the Akam Magazine Award.
RAMACHANDRA GUHA
Ramachandra Guha is an eminent historian and biographer whose research interests span across varied fields. An authoritative voice on the history of modern India, he is a widely acclaimed author. His landmark history of the Republic, India after Gandhi, was chosen as a book of the year by several notable publications, including The Economist and The Washington Post. He has penned a two-volume biography of Mahatma Gandhi, with the first volume titled Gandhi Before India and the second titled Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World.
He is also the author of an award-winning social history of cricket, A Corner of a Foreign Field which The Guardian chose as one of the ten best books ever on cricket. He has written extensively on environmentalism, combining a history of dissent from peasants and ecological history. His book The Unquiet Woods opened up a new field of study- the environmental history of South Asia. Environmentalism: A Global History, Speaking with Nature: The Origins of Indian Environmentalism are some of his books on environmentalism. Ramachandra Guha is the recipient of several prestigious accolades, including the Howard Milman Award of the British Society for Sports History, the Ramnath Goenka Prize for Excellence in Journalism, the Sahitya Akademi Award, and the Fukuoka Prize for Contributions to Asian Studies.
U. A. KHADAR
U. A. Khadar (1935–2020) was born in the village of Billin in Rangoon in 1935 to a Burmese mother, Mamaidi, and a Malayali father, Moitheenkutty Haji. He worked at All India Radio in Kozhikode, the Institute of Maternal and Child Health at the Medical College, and the Government General Hospital before retiring from government service in 1990. A prolific writer, he authored numerous novels, short story collections, and essays. His major works include Thrikkottur Peruma, which won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for short stories in 1984, Aghorashivam, which earned the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for a novel in 2001, Kathapole Jeevitham, recipient of the S. K. Pottekkatt Award in 1993, and Oru Pidi Vattu, which won the Abu Dhabi Sakthi Award. His Thrikkottur Novellas won the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award in 2009. He was also honored with the Kerala Sahitya Parishad Award in 2016 and the Mathrubhumi Literary Award in 2019. He passed away on December 12, 2020.
THAKAZHI SIVASANKARA PILLAI
Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai (1912–1999) was born on April 17, 1912. His first novel, Thyagathinu Prathiphalam, was published in 1934. From 1936 to 1957, he practiced as a lawyer in Ambalapuzha. He authored more than twenty-five novels and around two hundred short stories, including notable works like Randidangazhi, Thottiyude Makan, and Anubhavangal Paalichakal. Most of his works have been translated into various Indian and foreign languages. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1958 for Chemmeen, the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1965 for Enippadikal, and the Vayalar Award in 1980 for Kayar. He was also honored with the Soviet Land Nehru Award in 1974 and the prestigious Jnanpith Award in 1984. Thakazhi served as President of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi in 1978 and again in 1981. In 1985, he was conferred the Padma Bhushan. He passed away on April 10, 1999.
KUNHUNNI MASH
Kunhunni Mash (1927–2006) was born on May 10, 1927. His father was Neelakandan Moosath of the Njayappilly family, and his mother was Narayaniamma of the Athiyara family. He began his professional career as a teacher at Chelari High School. In 1953, he joined the Sree Ramakrishna Mission High School in Kozhikode as a teacher and retired in 1982. His major works include Rashtreeyam, Kuttippencil, Oonutottu Urakkam Vare, Cheriya Kuttikkavithakal, Valiya Kuttikkavithakal, and Kunhunnimashum Kuttiyolum. He received numerous accolades, including the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award and the State Children’s Literature Award. He passed away on March 26, 2006.
KUNHIRAMAN NAIR P
P. Kunhiraman Nair (1906–1978) was born on October 26, 1906 (Thulam 9, 1082 in the Malayalam calendar) in Adiyodi House, Ajanur village, in the Kasaragod district. He received his early education at Vellikoth Primary School and later studied under Punnasseri Nambi at the Pattambi Sanskrit College and at the Sanskrit school in Thanjavur. He worked in various institutions as a teacher and journalist. In 1948, he was honored with the title Bhaktakavi by the King of Neeleswaram. His famous work Kaliyachan earned him the Madras Government Award in 1955 and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1959. His work Thamarathoni also received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1967. Over his career, he published more than sixty works, including poetry, plays, biographies, essays, autobiographies, and children’s literature. He passed away on May 27, 1978.
NARENDRANATH P
P. Narendranath (1934–1991) was born in Nellaya, near Pattambi. He held degrees in economics and banking, and retired as a Regional Manager of Canara Bank. A prolific writer, he authored over thirty books spanning novels, plays, and children’s literature, with notable works including Vikritiraman and Andhagayan. His contributions earned him the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award and an award from the Central Ministry of Education. Some of his works have also been translated into Tamil and Hindi. He passed away in 1991.