Karoor Neelakanta Pillai

Karoor Neelakanta Pillai
Born	(1898-02-22)22 February 1898 Ettumanoor, Travancore
Died	30 September 1975(1975-09-30) (aged 77)
Pen name	Karoor
Occupation	Writer, teacher
Nationality	Indian
Genre	Short story, children's literature, novel
Subject	Social
Notable awards	Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award (1960, 1969)

Karoor Neelakanta Pillai (22 February 1898 – 30 September 1975) was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature and one of the founders of Sahithya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society (Writers' Co-operative Society). Some of his works such as Poovan Pazham and Marappavakal are counted by many among the best short stories in Malayalam. He was a recipient of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Children's Literature in 1960, which he received for his work Anakkaran, and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story in 1969, which he received for his short story Mothiram.

Life and career

Karoor Neelakanta Pillai was born on February 22, 1898, in Ettumanoor, in Kottayam district of the south Indian state of Kerala to Kunhiliyamma and Neelakanta Pillai.[1][note 1] His formal education lasted only up to 7th standard though he was known to have been good at studies. He began his career as a school teacher at a local school in Kadappoor but quit his job when he got a government job as a teacher at the local school in Pothanikkad.[2] While on job at various places such as Ettumanoor, Vemballi and Kanakkari, he pursued his studies and passed 9th standard in 1913 as well as the teachers' training examinations.[3]

Pillai became associated with the Adhyapaka Maha Sabha (teachers' union) in 1920 and two years later, he was elected as its secretary.[1] He was involved in the teachers' meeting that discussed strike and though the matter was voted out by the meeting, the government dismissed all teachers who participated in the meeting; Pillai also lost his job. He worked as an assistant to a local ayurvedic physician at Ettumanoor till he was reinstated in his job by the government, with a posting at Namakkuzhi school. After holding the post for a while, he took long leave from job and became the secretary of Kottayam Co-operative Union. Moving to the village of Panmana, he started trading in coir products and it was in 1930, he married Gomathy Amma. When the coir industry went through a lean period during the World War II, he quit trading and returned to teaching, this time at the local school in Thazhava village.[1]

It was during this time, Pillai, along with M. P. Paul, worked towards forming a co-operative for writers and in 1945, with a capital of ₹ 120,[4] they registered the Sahithya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sangham (SPCS - Writers' Cooperative Society) with Paul and Pillai as the president[5] and the secretary of the society, respectively.[6] He held the position of the secretary for two decades and when he relinquished the position in 1965, the society had already made a mark in the publishing sector, with the integration of National Book Stall in 1949.[7]

He died in September 30, 1975, at the age of 77.[1]

Bibliography

Pillai, Vaikom Muhammad Basheer and Uroob are considered to be the preeminent storytellers in Malayalam literature.[8][9] His short stories often portray the plight of the middle class in a simple and straightforward manner.[10] Many of his stories were translated into other Indian languages and English. The short story Anakkaran (The Mahout) was translated into English by Santa Ramesvara Rao.[11][12] He wrote many stories for children and his story Anchu Kadalasu was later adapted for a film of the same name.[13] He received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Children's Literature in 1960 for Anakkaran and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story in 1969 for Mothiram.[14][15]

The following is a list of works published by Karoor Neelakanta Pillai.[16][17]

Short stories

Year	Title	Title in English	Publisher	Notes
1945	Karoor Kathakal	Stories by Karoor	National Book Depot, Kottayam	Collection of 8 stories With an introduction by M. V. Paul
1945	Melvilasom	The Address	N.B.S., Kottayam	Collection of 8 stories
1946	Kochanujathi	The Little Sister	Mangalodayam, Trichur	Collection of 8 stories
1946	Smarakam	A Memorial	Vellinezhi, Palghat	Collection of 8 stories
1947	Astrologer	Astrologer	N.B.S., Kottayam	Collection of 9 stories
1947	Iruttil	In the Darkness	Mangalodayam, Trichur	Collection of 8 stories
1948	Thuppukaran	The Sweeper	Mangalodayam, Trichur	Collection of 9 stories
1949	Grihanayika	The Lady of the House	S.P.C.S., Kottayam*	Collection of 8 stories
1949	Poovan Pazham	Poovan Banana	N.B.S., Kottayam	Collection of 10 stories
1950	Meenkari	The Fisherwoman	N.B.S., Kottayam	Collection of 8 stories
1951	Tekkupattu		N.B.S., Kottayam	Collection of 10 stories
1952	Katha Kouthukam		N.B.S., Kottayam	Collection of 8 stories
1952	Oru Pidi Mannu	A Fistful of Earth	N.B.S., Kottayam*	Collection of 9 stories
1954	Karayikkunna Chiri		N.B.S., Kottayam	Collection of 10 stories
1955	Ambalaparambil	In the Temple Courtyard	N.B.S., Kottayam	Collection of 13 stories
1959	Pisachinte Kuppayam	The Devil's Attire	S.P.C.S., Kottayam
1963	Marappavakal	The Wooden Dolls	S.P.C.S., Kottayam	Collection of 8 stories
1965	Tiranjedutha Kathakal	Selected Stories	S.P.C.S., Kottayam	Collection of 51 stories With an introduction by G. Kumara Pillai
1966	Pathu Kathakal	Ten Stories	S.P.C.S., Kottayam	Collection of 10 stories
1968	Mothiram	The Ring	S.P.C.S., Kottayam	Collection of 8 stories
1970	Ee Sahayathil Charadund	A Sting is Attached to this Help	S.P.C.S., Kottayam	Collection of 11 stories With an introduction by N. V. Krishna Warrier
1970	Tiranjedutha Kathakal II	Selected Stories	S.P.C.S., Kottayam	Collections of 47 stories With an introduction by M. Achuthan
1973	Rahasyam	The Secret	S.P.C.S., Kottayam	Collection of 9 stories
1975	Pothichoru	Packed Rice	S.P.C.S., Kottayam
1998	Karoorinte 33 Kathakal	33 Stories by Karoor	DC Books, Kottayam
1999	Keezhadangal	Surrender	DC Books, Kottayam
2008	Karoor Kathakal Sampoornam[18]	Collected Stories	H&C, Trichur	Complete collection of stories

Children's literature

Year	Title	Title in English	Publisher	Notes
1950	Balachandran	Balachandran	S.P.C.S., Kottayam
1958	Anchu Kadalasu	Five Papers	S.P.C.S., Kottayam
1959	Anakkaran[19]	The Mahout	S.P.C.S., Kottayam	Illustrations by Bappu
1960	Azhakanum Poovaliyum	Azhakan and Poovali	S.P.C.S., Kottayam
1961	Enne Rajavakkanam[20]	Make Me the King	S.P.C.S., Kottayam	Illustrations by M. V. Devan
1962	Rajakumariyum Bhutavum	The Princess and the Ghost	S.P.C.S., Kottayam
1964	Sammanam	The Gift	S.P.C.S., Kottayam
1966	Olayum Narayavum	The Leaf and the Stylus	S.P.C.S., Kottayam	Illustrations by Sankarankutty
1968	Bhrityan	The Servant	S.P.C.S., Kottayam	Illustrations by Sankarankutty
1968	Manmayil	Soil Peacock	Bharatiya Sahitya Samiti
1983	Karoorinte Bala Kathakal[21]	Children's Stories	S.P.C.S., Kottayam

Others

Year	Title	Title in English	Publisher	Notes
1945	Appuppan	Grandfather	N.B.S., Kottayam	Two one-act plays
1951	Kathayalla	Not a Story	N.B.S., Kottayam	Collection of 8 essays including "Njan Kathakaranaya Katha"
1967	Gauri	Gauri	S.P.C.S., Kottayam	Novel
1967	Hari[22]	Hari	S.P.C.S., Kottayam	Novel
1975	Panjiyum Thuniyum[23]	Cotton and the Cloth	S.P.C.S., Kottayam	Novel

Notes

1. Karoor was the family name of his mother, obtained through matrilineal succession

References

1. "Biography on Kerala Sahitya Akademi portal" (in Malayalam). Kerala Sahitya Akademi. Archived from the original on 4 August 2016. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
2. "Karoor Neelakanta Pillai". Nairs.com. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
3. "Veethi profile". Veethi. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
4. "SPCS - About Us". www.spcsindia.com. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
5. "Remembering a visionary - Times of India". The Times of India. 13 July 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
6. "JStor profile". Journal of South Asian Literature. 15 (1). 26 January 2019. JSTOR 40872325.
7. Suarez, Michael F; Woudhuysen, H. R, eds. (1 January 2010). Sahitya Pravarthaka Cooperative Society. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780198606536.001.0001. ISBN 9780198606536. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
8. Michigan State University, Asian Studies Center (1980). Journal of South Asian literature.
9. Amaresh Datta (1988). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Devraj to Jyoti. Sahitya Akademi. pp. 1609–. ISBN 978-81-260-1194-0.
10. Indian literature. Sahitya Akademi. 1993.
11. "Karoor Neelakanda Pillai on Good Reads". www.goodreads.com. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
12. "A Bibliography of Malayalam literature in English translation". University of Washington Libraries. Archived from the original on 3 March 2009. Retrieved 18 July 2009.
13. "Karoorinte Balakathakal on Good Reads". www.goodreads.com. 26 January 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2019.
14. "Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Children's Literature" (in Malayalam). Kerala Sahitya Akademi. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
15. "Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story" (in Malayalam). Kerala Sahitya Akademi. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
16. K. M. Govi, ed. (1973). Malayala Grantha Soochi: A Retrospective Bibliography of Malayalam Books. Vol. 1. Kerala Sahitya Akademi. pp. 374, 497, 628, 629, 723, 724, 796.
17. K. M. Govi, ed. (1979). Malayala Grantha Soochi: A Retrospective Bibliography of Malayalam Books. Vol. 3. Kerala Sahitya Akademi. pp. 65, 93.
18. Karur Neelakanta Pillai. Karoor Kathakal Sampoornam. National Book Stall. p. 1558.
19. Karur Neelakanta Pillai. Aanakkaran. National Book Stall.
20. Karur Neelakanta Pillai. Enne Rajavakkanam. National Book Stall.
21. Karur Neelakanta Pillai. Karoorinte Balakathakal. National Book Stall.
22. Karur Neelakanta Pillai. Hari. Poorna Publications. ISBN 978-8130001531.
23. Karur Neelakanta Pillai (1972). Panjiyum Thuniyum. Poorna Publications. ISBN 9788130006680.