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Kovilan selected for Ezhuthachan Puraskaram

Staff Reporter

Cultural Affairs Minister presents prize money to the writer

Kovilan

THRISSUR: Veteran writer Kovilan (V.V. Ayyappan) has been selected for the Ezhuthachan Puraskaram for 2006, the highest literary award instituted by the State Government. The award was announced by Cultural Affairs Minister M. A. Baby at Kovilan's residence at Kandanassery, near here, on Monday. The Minister presented a cheque for Rs.1 lakh, the prize money, to Kovilan.

The Minister said that a public meeting would be held at a later date to formally confer the honour on the writer.

"A seminar on Kovilan and his corpus is also being planned. The Kerala Sahitya Akademi will be consulted on the matter," the Minister said.

Babu M. Palissery, MLA, Mayor R. Bindu, writers M. Mukundan, George Onakkoor and Ashokan Cheruvil were present on the occasion.

Kovilan has published 11 novels, 12 collections of short stories, three collections of articles and a play. The novels are `Thakarnna Hridayangal' (1946), `A Minus B' (1958), `Tharavadu' (1963), `Ezhamedangal' (1965), `Thazhvarakal' (1969), `Thottangal' (1970), `Himalayam' (1973), `Bharathan' (1976), `Janmantharangal' (1982) and `Thattakam' (1995).

His collections of short stories are `Oru Palam Manayola' (1957), `Ee Jeevitham Ananthamanu' (1957), `Orikkal Manushyanayirunnu' (1960), `Oru Kashanam Asthi' (1961), `Vendam Kadi' (1969), `Thervazhchakal' (1971), `Pitham' (1971), `Shakunam' (1974), `Adyathe Kathakal' (1978), `Sujatha' (1979), `Theranjedutha Kathakal' (1980) and `Kovilante Kathakal' (1985).

`Thottangal' and `Shakunam' won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Awards in 1972 and 1977 respectively. `Thattakam' won the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award in 1998. The Kerala Sahitya Akademi fellowship was conferred on him in 1997. Born on July 10, 1923, to Vattamparambil Velappan and Kali at Kandanassery, near Guruvayur, Kovilan studied at the Kandanassery Excelsior LP School, Nemmini Elementary School and Pavaratty Sahitya Deepika Sanskrit College. He joined the Royal Indian Navy in 1943. After the 1946 Revolt, he left the navy. He joined the Indian Army in 1948 and did higher studies in electronics.

He served as NCC instructor at the Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur. He retired as Havildar Major in 1986. He was a founder-member of the Toddy Tappers' Union at the Thalappilly taluk in the mid-1940s. He was an active member of the Communist Party during this period.

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