>Ser Amantio di Nicolao: /* References */add category

2021-06-11T03:41:52Z

References: add category

New page

{{short description|Indian Sanskrit scholar and writer}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2015}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = Mahakavi
| name = Prof. P.C. Devassia
| honorific_suffix =
| native_name =
| native_name_lang =
| image = P. C. Devassia Indian poet.png
| image_size = 200px
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1906|3|24}}
| disappeared_date = 
| disappeared_place =
| disappeared_status =
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2006|10|10|1906|3|24}}
| death_place = Nalanchira, [[Trivandrum]], [[Kerala]]
| death_cause =
| body_discovered =
| resting_place =
| resting_place_coordinates = 
| monuments =
| nationality = [[India]]n
| other_names =
| citizenship = [[India]]n
| education = M.A. (Malayalam)<br />M.A. (Sanskrit)
| alma_mater =
| occupation = University Professor
| years_active =
| employer =
| agent =
| known_for = Indian Sanskrit scholar and writer
| notable_works = [[Kristubhagavatam]]<br />Girigita
| style =
| influences =
| influenced =
| home_town =
| net_worth = 
| height = 
| television =
| title =
| term =
| predecessor =
| successor =
| party =
| movement =
| opponents =
| boards =
| denomination = 
| criminal_charge = 
| criminal_penalty =
| criminal_status =
| spouse =
| partner =
| children =
| parents =
| relatives =
| callsign =
| awards =
| signature =
| signature_alt =
| signature_size =
| module =
| module2 =
| module3 =
| module4 =
| module5 =
| module6 =
| website = 
| footnotes =
}}
'''Plakkiyil Chacko Devassia''', often known as '''Mahakavi P. C. Devassia''' (24 March 1906 – 10 October 2006), was a [[Sanskrit]] scholar and poet from [[Kerala]], [[India]]. In 1980 he won the [[Sahitya Akademi Award for Sanskrit]] for his Mahakavyam (epic poem ) ''[[Kristubhagavatam]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|title = Devasia laid to rest|newspaper = [[The Hindu]]|date = 2006-10-12|url = http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/devasia-laid-to-rest/article3059961.ece|accessdate = 2010-12-13}}</ref> He has also received the [[Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award]] for his overall contributions to [[Malayalam literature]].

==Early life==
Plakkiyil Chacko Devassia was born into the aristocratic ''Plakkiyil'' family, who were Eastern Rite Catholics affiliated with the [[Syro-Malabar Church]], on 24 March 1906 at Kudamaloor, [[Kottayam District]], [[Kingdom of Travancore]], [[British India]].

==Education==
Primary Education : Government Primary School, Kudamaloor.

High School Education: St. Ephrem's H.S. [[Mannanam]] (1916-1924).

Intermediate Course: [[CMS College Kottayam]] (1925-1927).

[[Bachelor of Arts]]: [[College of Fine Arts Trivandrum]] (1927-1929).

[[Master of Arts]]: two languages [[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]] and [[Malayalam language|Malayalam]] from [[University of Madras]] (1937)

==Study of Sanskrit==
He learned the basics of Sanskrit in the traditional way from Sri. Mathu Asia of Olesha; ''Kavyas'' and ''Natakas'' from the celebrated scholar Sri. Panthalam Krishna Warrier; ''[[Vedas]]'', ''[[Upanishads]]'', ''[[Champus]]'', ''[[Dharma Sutras]]'' from ''Vidyabhooshana'' Sri. Venkitarama Sharma of [[Trivandrum]]; and ''[[Vyakarana]]'' from ''Vyakaranabhooshana'' Sri. Rama Poduval of Trissur.

==Professional career==
Lecturer in Malayalam at [[St. Thomas College, Thrissur]] (1931-1945); Senior Lecturer in Oriental Languages at [[Sacred Heart College, Thevara]] (1945-1958); Professor of Malayalam at [[Mar Ivanios College]], [[Trivandrum]] (1958-1966); On his retirement in 1966, Devassia received a Fellowship from U.G.C. under which he prepared a complete translation of [[Somadeva]]'s epic ''[[Kathasaritsagara]]'' from Sanskrit into Malayalam.

==Positions held==
*Secretary, the 12th Conference of the Kerala Sahithya Parishad held at Kottayam (1938).
*Vice President, Kerala Chitrakala Samithy, Trichur (1941)
*Member, Malayalam Text book committee of the [[Travancore-Cochin]] State (1943).
*Member, Board of Examiners in Malayalam, Universities of Madras, Travancore, Kerala and Calicut.
*Member, Board of studies in Malayalam of the Universities of Madras, Mysore and Kerala.
*Member, Board of studies in Sanskrit, of the [[Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala|Mahatma Gandhi University]], Kottayam.
*Member, Editorial Board of All Kerala Sahitya Parishad magazine (1946).
*Member, Academic Council, [[University of Madras]] (1947).
*President, Conference of Kerala Kala Parishad held at Tellisseri and Trichur.
*Member, Advisory Board of Malayalam Encyclopedia of the Govt. of Kerala.
*Member, Advisory Board of the Dept. of Cultural Publications, Govt. of Kerala.
*Delegate to the Fifth [[World Sanskrit Conference]] held at Varanasi in 1981, where he presented a paper in Sanskrit on "Sanskrit Epics written by Keralites".
*Chairman, Bhasa Mahotsava Committee, Trivandrum (1994).

==Literary Activities==
* One of the Editors of ''Keralam'', a literary monthly published from Trichur (1932-1934).
*Managing Editor of ''Jayabharatham'' , a Malayalam monthly published from Thevara (1949-1970).
*Has written Biographical sketches, essays, shortstories and poems in Sanskrit and Malayalam.
*Has contributed a number of Articles on Arts, literature, upanishads etc. to several leading periodicals.
*Has translated some well known English and Sanskrit works into Malayalam.
*Has broadcast Radio talks and Poems on various subjects from ''AIR'' for several years.

==Hobbies==
Portrait painting and Sculpture were his hobbies. Portraits of both [[Rabindranath Tagore]] and [[John Henry Newman]] were painted by him in 1932 and '33 and both are still preserved at [[St. Thomas College, Thrissur]].

==List of Publications==

{{Empty section|date=October 2016}}

==Malayalam==
*'''Bharata Shilpikal''' - Biographical sketches (1952).
*'''Balanagaram''' - Translation of '''Boys Town''' (1953).
*'''Pathimoonnu Kathakal''' - 13 short stories (1955).
*'''Police kathakal''' - Detective stories in four parts (1957–58).
*'''Rajaneethi''' - Translation of [[Niccolò Machiavelli]]'s - [[The Prince]]., a publication of National [[Sahitya Akademi]] (1959).
*'''American Samskaram''' - Cultural history of America- translation (1962).
*'''Matham Irupatham Shatakathil''' - Religion in the 20th Century (1963).
*'''Oregon Giripatham''' - Translation of [[Francis Parkman]]'s [[The Oregon Trail: Sketches of Prairie and Rocky-Mountain Life]] (1966).
*'''Kala Sourabham''' - Collection of Original Essays on Arts and Literature (1971).Prescribed as text in Kerala, Calicut and M.G. Universities.
*'''Katha sarith sagaram''' - a complete translation into Malayalam of [[Somadeva]]'s [[Kathasaritsagara]] (1978).
*'''Marubhoomiyile Garjitham''' - '''Thunder in the wilderness''' - a short poem in Malayalam on the assassination of '''John the Baptist''' (1995).
*'''Helen''' -translation of Euripides (1996).
*'''Vethala kathakal''' - (1997).

==Sanskrit==
*'''Janakeeya Kavyam''' - a satirical poem in Sanskrit (1948).
*[[Kristubhagavatam]] - the first epic in Sanskrit, depicting the life and teachings of Christ (1977). This work won the National [[Sahitya Akademi Award]] in 1980.
*'''Karshaka geetham''' - translation into Sanskrit of [[Vallathol Narayana Menon]]'s '''Karshakante paattu'''.
*Poems in phrase of [[Cardinal Tisserant]]'s, H. H.[[Marthanda Varma]], Father Marcel etc.
* Radio Broadcast of Sanskrit Poems and Talks in Sanskrit on story literature in Sanskrit, the composing of [[Kristubhagavatam]] etc. and a multitude of other broadcast in Malayalam.

==Publication of the works of other Authors==
Devassia has Published the following works of Mr. I. C. Chacko.
*'''Panineeya Pradyotham''' - a commentary on Panini's Ashtadhyayi which won the National [[Sahitya Akademi Award]] in 1956.
*'''Valmikiyude Lokathil''' - Critical essays on Valmiki's Ramayana.
*'''Sabdhangalum Roodharthangalum''' - Essays on Etymological Topics.

==Awards Received==
* The Maharani Sethu Parvathibhai Award (1979).
* The National [[Sahitya Akademi Award]] (1980).
* The Award of Visva Samskrita Prathishtanam (1981).
* Award of Samskrita Vidyapeetham of Ezhukon (1981).
* Award of Catholic Laity Association (1981).
* Award of the All Kerala Catholic Association (1985).
* Award of Kraisthava Sahitya Samithi (1988).
* I.C. Chacko Memorial Award of the Diocese of Changanachery (1990).
* Sahityacharya Award from the Lourdes Parish, Trivandrum (1993).
* Award of Sri Sankara Samskrita Akademi, Trichur (1993).
* Award for Samagra Sambhavana (Total Contribution ) from the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (1993).
* Sree Sankara Award of Kaladi Sanskrit University (1996).

==Titles Obtained==
*'''Panditaratnam''' - Title from the Visva Samskrita Pratishtanam (1981).
*'''Vidyabhooshanam''' - Title from the Sri Sankara Samskrita Akademi, Trichur (1993).

==References==
<references/>

{{Sahitya Akademi Award for Sanskrit}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Devassia, P. C.}}
[[Category:1906 births]]
[[Category:2006 deaths]]
[[Category:Writers from Kottayam]]
[[Category:Sanskrit poets]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Sanskrit]]
[[Category:Indian centenarians]]
[[Category:Malayalam-language writers]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award]]
[[Category:Indian Christians]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian poets]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian male writers]]
[[Category:Catholic poets]]
[[Category:Eastern Catholic poets]]
[[Category:Indian Eastern Catholics]]
[[Category:Men centenarians]]

P. C. Devassia - Revision history

>Ser Amantio di Nicolao: /* References */add category