Changampuzha Krishna Pillai was a celebrated Malayalam poet from Kerala, India, known almost exclusively for his romantic elegy Ramanan which was written in 1936 and sold over 100,000 copies. It is a play writtern in the form of verse.Ramanan, written in the romantic tradition, remains a best seller. It is a long pastoral elegy allegedly based on the life of Changampuzha's friend Edappally Raghavan Pillai. He is credited with bringing poetry to the masses with his simple romantic style. He died of Tuberculosis at a young age of 36. His style influenced next few generations of Malayalam poetry.
"Changampuzha Smaraka Grandhasala" (meaning Changampuzha Memorial Library) and the Changampuzha Park, are two institutions established as memorial for the great poet at his birthplace Edappally. He died at the age of 37. His tomb is maintained by the Cochin Corporation and Greater Cochin Development Authority. The area of his tomb belongs to his maternal family property. Few lines from his poem 'Spandikkunna Asthimadom' was inscribed on his tomb. The lines are:
Early life
Born on 11 October 1911 at Edappally, presently part of Kochi City, coming under the Ernakulam District of Kerala State, Changampuzha Krishna Pillai had his elementary education there itself. He completed his school education at Aluva and Ernakulam. College education was from Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram. Later, after working as a clerk in Military Accountant's Office at Pune and at Kochi, he went to Chennai for studying Law, which he could not complete due to financial problems. He later worked in a press at Thrissur. It was during this time he wrote many of his works, though he had started writing even when he was a student. He had to study his own poem at the B.A. Honors class, a rare experience, indeed.
Even though he had only about 25 years of creative period in his life, he became an epic poet, without writing any epic poem following the conventional norms. His legendary pastoral elegy, Ramanan was sold more than 100,000 copies, a record that still stands firm in Malayalam. Famous Malayalam critique Prof. Joseph Mundassery who was the first Education Minister of Kerala State and also the first Vice-Chancellor of Cochin University, was highly impressed reading 'Ramanan', and wrote his own introductory remarks for its 15th reprint praising the elegy.
Changampuzha's other famous works include Vazhakkula, Divyageetham, Yavanika, Bashpanjali, Manaswini, Sankalpakanthi, Devageetha, Spandikkunna Asthimatam, Udyana lakshmi, Patunna Pisachu, novel Kalithozhi and others. He was a close friend of Edappally Raghavan Pillai, another great poet of his time. 'Samastha Kerala Sahitya Parishath', an organisation of Malayalam literary workers had its first convention at Edappally. Changampuzha worked hard for its success.
Changampuzha started a career as a clerk in Port trust. He could not continue there due to health and personal reasons. He took up another assignment at a Printing Press (Mangalodayam) at Thrissur. He got married and became a father of three children. Later, he started suffering from tuberculosis and became bed ridden. Finally in 1948 he died at the age of thirty six and nine months. His body was cremated in the compound of his house at Edappally. An appropriate monument has been erected there, which is visited by the lovers of Malayalam language.
Works:
oetry
Ramanan
Vaazhakkula
Divyageetham
Devageetha
Bashpanjali
Spandikkunna Asthimaadam
Rekthapushpangal
Madirolsavam
Padunna Pisachu
Prose
Kalithozhi .
Katharathnamalika.
"Changampuzha Smaraka Grandhasala" (meaning Changampuzha Memorial Library) and the Changampuzha Park, are two institutions established as memorial for the great poet at his birthplace Edappally. He died at the age of 37. His tomb is maintained by the Cochin Corporation and Greater Cochin Development Authority. The area of his tomb belongs to his maternal family property. Few lines from his poem 'Spandikkunna Asthimadom' was inscribed on his tomb. The lines are:
"My biggest failure,
Is having an honest heart,
In this faulty world."
Is having an honest heart,
In this faulty world."
Early life
Born on 11 October 1911 at Edappally, presently part of Kochi City, coming under the Ernakulam District of Kerala State, Changampuzha Krishna Pillai had his elementary education there itself. He completed his school education at Aluva and Ernakulam. College education was from Ernakulam and Thiruvananthapuram. Later, after working as a clerk in Military Accountant's Office at Pune and at Kochi, he went to Chennai for studying Law, which he could not complete due to financial problems. He later worked in a press at Thrissur. It was during this time he wrote many of his works, though he had started writing even when he was a student. He had to study his own poem at the B.A. Honors class, a rare experience, indeed.
Even though he had only about 25 years of creative period in his life, he became an epic poet, without writing any epic poem following the conventional norms. His legendary pastoral elegy, Ramanan was sold more than 100,000 copies, a record that still stands firm in Malayalam. Famous Malayalam critique Prof. Joseph Mundassery who was the first Education Minister of Kerala State and also the first Vice-Chancellor of Cochin University, was highly impressed reading 'Ramanan', and wrote his own introductory remarks for its 15th reprint praising the elegy.
Changampuzha's other famous works include Vazhakkula, Divyageetham, Yavanika, Bashpanjali, Manaswini, Sankalpakanthi, Devageetha, Spandikkunna Asthimatam, Udyana lakshmi, Patunna Pisachu, novel Kalithozhi and others. He was a close friend of Edappally Raghavan Pillai, another great poet of his time. 'Samastha Kerala Sahitya Parishath', an organisation of Malayalam literary workers had its first convention at Edappally. Changampuzha worked hard for its success.
Changampuzha started a career as a clerk in Port trust. He could not continue there due to health and personal reasons. He took up another assignment at a Printing Press (Mangalodayam) at Thrissur. He got married and became a father of three children. Later, he started suffering from tuberculosis and became bed ridden. Finally in 1948 he died at the age of thirty six and nine months. His body was cremated in the compound of his house at Edappally. An appropriate monument has been erected there, which is visited by the lovers of Malayalam language.
Works:
oetry
Ramanan
Vaazhakkula
Divyageetham
Devageetha
Bashpanjali
Spandikkunna Asthimaadam
Rekthapushpangal
Madirolsavam
Padunna Pisachu
Prose
Kalithozhi .
Katharathnamalika.
