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<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Use Indian English|date=February 2017}}<br />
{{Infobox person<br />
| honorific_prefix = Mahakavi<br />
| name = Vallathol Narayana menon<br />
| honorific_suffix = <br />
| image = Vallathol Narayana Menon 1978 stamp of India.jpg<br />
| image_size = <br />
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1878|10|16}}<br />
| birth_place = [[Mangalam, Tirur|Mangalam]], [[Tirur]], [[Malabar District]], [[Madras Presidency]], [[British India]] (Present day [[Malappuram district]], [[Kerala]], [[India]])<br />
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1958|3|13|1878|10|16}}<br />
| nationality = [[India]]n<br />
| occupation = Malayalam Poet, translator<br />
| known_for = Poetry, Indian independence activism, social reform, revival of [[Kathakali]]<br />
| awards = [[Padma Bhushan]] {{small|(1954)}}<br />
}}<br />
'''Vallathol Narayana Menon''' (16 October 1878&nbsp;– 13 March 1958) was a poet in the [[Malayalam language]], which is spoken in the south Indian state of [[Kerala]]. He was one of the [[Malayalam triumvirate poets|triumvirate poets of modern Malayalam]], along with [[Kumaran Asan]] and [[Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer]]. The [[honorific]] Mahakavi (English: "great poet") was applied to him in 1913 after the publication of his ''[[Mahakavya]]'' ''Chitrayogam''.<ref name="Zarrilli">{{cite book |title=Kathakali Dance-Drama: Where Gods and Demons Come to Play |first=Phillip |last=Zarrilli |publisher=Routledge |year=2004 |isbn=9780203197660 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eVHCnqglqyoC&pg=PA30 |pages=30–31}}</ref> He was a nationalist poet and wrote a series of poems on various aspects of the [[Indian freedom movement]]. He also wrote against caste restriction, tyrannies and orthodoxies. He founded the [[Kerala Kalamandalam]] and is credited with revitalising the traditional Keralite dance form known as [[Kathakali]].<br />
<br />
==Early life==<br />
Vallathol was born in Chennara, [[Mangalam, Tirur|Mangalam]], [[Tirur]], in [[Malappuram District]], Kerala, as the son of Kadungotte Mallisseri Damodaran Elayathu and Kuttipparu Amma.<ref name=Bio>[http://www.keralasahityaakademi.org/sp/Writers/Profiles/Vallathol/Html/VallathollPage.htm "Vallathol Narayana Menon"]. [[Kerala Sahitya Akademi]]. Retrieved 18 April 2014.</ref> He did not receive any formal education but was trained in [[Sanskrit language]], first under the Sanskrit scholar Variyam Parambil Kunjan Nair and then under his own uncle Ramunni Menon, who introduced him into the world of Sanskrit poetry. Ramunni Menon also taught him ''[[Ashtanga Hridayam]]'', a medical treatise, and young Narayana Menon soon began helping his uncle in medical practice and teaching.<ref name=Bio/> He also trained for a year under Parakkulam Subrahmanya Sastri and Kaikkulangara Rama Variar in [[Philosophy]] and [[Logic]].<ref name=Bio/> He married Vanneri Chittazhiveettil Madhavi Amma in November 1901 and shifted to [[Thrissur]], the cultural capital of Kerala. He worked as manager in the Kalpadrumam Press in Thrissur from 1905 to 1910.<ref name=Bio/> During this period, his hearing began to deteriorate. From 1915, he started working in ''Keralodayam'' newspaper and later joined ''Amrit Ritesh'', a journal published from Thrissur.<ref name=Bio/><br />
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==Poetry==<br />
He started writing poems from the age of twelve. ''Kiratha Satakam'' and ''Vyasavataram'' were his earliest published works.<ref name=Bio/> He won ''[[Bhashaposhini]]'' magazine's poetry award in 1894.<ref name=Bio/> His poems began appearing in ''Bhashaposhini'', ''Kerala Sanchari'' and ''Vijnana Chintamani'' magazines.<ref name=Bio/> His first major literary ventures was a rendition of [[Valmiki]]'s ''[[Ramayana]]'' into Malayalam, the work of which started in 1905 and took two years to complete.<ref name=LegacyofKerala/> Unlike some of his contemporaries, Vallathol did not have any acquaintance with English language.<ref name=HOIL>{{Cite book |title= History of Indian Literature: 1911–1956, struggle for freedom : triumph and tragedy |author=Sisir Kumar Das |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |date= 1 January 1995 |page= 206 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sqBjpV9OzcsC|isbn=9788172017989 }}</ref> He earned the title ''Mahakavi'' after the publication of the ''[[Mahakavya]]'' ''Chitrayogam'' in 1913. ''Chitrayogam'' conformed to all the principles of a traditional ''Mahakavya'' and was divided into 18 ''Sargas''. The story of Chandrasena and Taravali, taken from ''[[Kathasaritsagara]]'', was the theme of this poetry work.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: devraj to jyoti, Volume 2 |author = Amaresh Datta |publisher=Sahitya Akademi |year=1988 |page=1185 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zB4n3MVozbUC|isbn = 9788126011940 }}</ref> Vallathol portrayed the protest of [[Parvati]] against [[Shiva|Siva]] in the work ''Gangapati'' (1913) and of Usha defying her father for the sake of her love in ''Bandhanasthanaya Anirudhan'' (1914).<ref name=HOIL/> In 1917, the first of his eleven-volume work ''Sahitya Manjari'' (''A Bouquet of Literature'') was published. These volumes, published from 1917 to 1970,<ref name=HOIL/> contain his collected short romantic poems dealing with a variety of themes.<ref name=Handbookonlit/> Many of these poems earlier appeared in P. V. Krishna Variar's ''Kavanakaumudi'' magazine. His ''khanda kavya'' on [[Mary Magdalene]] titled ''Magdalana Mariam'' paved the way for a new tradition in of Christian symbolism in Malayalam.<ref name=Handbookonlit>{{Cite book |title=Handbook of Twentieth-century Literatures of India |author=Nalini Natarajan, Emmanuel Sampath Nelson |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=1996 |pages=185–186 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1lTnv6o-d_oC|isbn=9780313287787 }}</ref> The poet's own struggle with deafness from his early twenties features in the work ''Badhiravilapam''.<ref name=LegacyofKerala/> Other celebrated short poems of Vallathol include ''Sishyanum Makanum'', ''Virasinkala'', ''Achanum Makalum'', ''Divaswapnam'' and ''Ente Gurukulam''.<ref name=LegacyofKerala/><br />
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In addition to subjects from nature and the lives of ordinary people, Vallathol's opposition to the indignities of the [[Caste system in Kerala|caste system]] and the injustices suffered by the poor form the themes of many of his poems.<ref name=BharathiandVallathol/> He is also regarded as the greatest nationalist poet of the language.<ref name=nationalist1/> He was one of the [[Malayalam triumvirate poets|triumvirate poets of modern Malayalam]], along with [[Kumaran Asan]] and [[Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer]]. Literary critic [[K. M. George (writer)|K. M. George]] has noted that, together with Kumaran Asan, Vallathol was "responsible for bringing about a revolutionary change in Malayalam poetry in the [nineteen]-twenties. Asan concentrated on social themes and Vallathol championed the national movement; yet both made very significant contributions to the ''khandkavya'', ie: the short poem of the lyrical type."<ref>{{cite book |title=Western Influence On Malayalam Language And Literature |first=K. M. |last=George |author-link=K. M. George (writer) |publisher=[[Sahitya Akademi]] |year=1972 |page=75 |isbn=9788126004133 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MZqqyxVkufQC&pg=PA75}}</ref><br />
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He was awarded [[Padma Bhushan]] title, India's third highest civilian award, in 1954.<ref>{{cite web|title=Padma Awards Directory (1954–2013)|publisher=[[Ministry of Home Affairs (India)|Ministry of Home Affairs]]|url=http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf|access-date=18 April 2014}}</ref><br />
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==Kathakali==<br />
Vallathol is credited with revitalising the traditional Keralite dance form known as [[Kathakali]]. He played a prominent role in setting up the [[Kerala Kalamandalam]] at [[Cheruthuruthy]], near the banks of [[Bharathapuzha River]]. The revival of the art of Kathakali in modern Kerala was mainly due to the efforts of Vallathol and the Kerala Kalamandalam.<ref name=LegacyofKerala/> He stimulated the world's interest in this art during his tours abroad between 1950 and 1953.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w8XPyBqxwX8C |title=Pillars of Modern India, 1757–1947 |author=Sayed Jafar Mahmud |publisher=APH Publishing |year=1994 |page=129|isbn=9788170245865 }}</ref><br />
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==Involvement in Nationalist movement==<br />
Vallathol was a nationalist poet writing in the Malayalam language.<ref name=nationalist1>{{Cite book |title=Glimpses of Indian Heritage |author=Raman Varadara, Raman Varadara Staff |publisher=[[Popular Prakashan]] |year=1993 |page=138 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GWIkmUq8lIUC|isbn=9788171547586 }}</ref> He actively participated in the Nationalist movement. He attended the all India Conferences of the Indian Congress in 1922 and 1927 and rejected a royal honour bestowed upon him by the Prince of Wales during his India visit in 1922.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Malayalam Literary Survey, Volume 13 | publisher= [[Kerala Sahitya Akademi]] |year=1991 | page=26 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TXt1AAAAIAAJ}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Poetry and National Awakening |author=K. M. Pr̲abhākaravāriyar | publisher=Mahakavi Vallathol Birth Centenary Celebrations Committee |year=1978 |pages=1–58 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7GEOAAAAYAAJ}}</ref> Vallathol remained a great admirer of [[Mahatma Gandhi]] and wrote the poem "Ente Gurunathan" ("My Great Teacher") in his praise. At the same time, he felt attracted by the Communist ideology and wrote poems praising the achievements of the Soviet Union.<ref name=LegacyofKerala>{{Cite book |title= The Legacy of Kerala | author=A. Sreedhara Menon | author-link=A. Sreedhara Menon |publisher=[[DC Books]] |year=1982 |page=77 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S9RMxjdjUVAC| isbn=9788126437986 }}</ref> He wrote several patriotic poems hailing India's nationalist movement.<ref name=BharathiandVallathol>{{Cite book |title=A Comparative Study of Bharati and Vallathol | author=Cir̲pi |publisher=Kolam Veliyeedu|year=1991 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8THSC65OhLIC}}</ref><br />
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==Works==<br />
{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}<br />
* ''Abhivadyam''<br />
* ''Achanum Makalum''<br />
* ''Allah''<br />
* ''Badhiravilapam''<br />
* ''Bandhanasthanaya Anirudhan''<br />
* ''Bapuji''<br />
* ''Bhaval Sthotramala''<br />
* ''Chitrayogam''<br />
* ''Dandakaranyam''<br />
* ''Divaswapnam''<br />
* ''Ente Gurunathan''<br />
* ''Indiayude Karachil''<br />
* ''Kavya Manjusha''<br />
* ''Kochu Seetha''<br />
* ''Magdalana Mariyam''<ref name=magdalana>''Magdalana mariyam: adhavā pasthāpam prāyaschitham'' (2006, 2011). {{ISBN|9788126412495}}, {{OCLC|9788126412495}}</ref><br />
* ''Naagila''<br />
* ''Oru Kunju Athava Rugminiyude Pashchathapam''<br />
* ''Onapputava''<br />
* ''Oushadhaharanam''<br />
* ''Patmadalam''<br />
* ''Paralokam''<br />
* ''Randaksharam''<br />
* ''Rakshasakrithyam Kilippattu''<br />
* ''Ritu Vilasam''<br />
* ''Russiayil''<br />
* ''Saranamayyappa''<br />
* ''Sishyanum Makanum''<br />
* ''Sahitya Manjari – 11 Volumes''<br />
* ''Sthree''<br />
* ''Vallathol Sudha&nbsp;— Two Volumes''<br />
* ''Vallatholinte Khandakavyangal''<br />
* ''Vallatholinte Padyakrithikal''<br />
* ''Vilasa Lathika''<br />
* ''Vishukkani''<br />
* ''Veera Sringala''<br />
* ''Arogya Chinthamani'' (Health)<br />
* ''Garbha Chikitsakramam'' (Health)<br />
* ''Granthaviharam'' (Study)<br />
* ''Prasanga Vediyil'' (Speech)<br />
* ''Vallatholinte Granthaniroopanangalum Prasangalum'' (Study)<br />
* ''Vallathol Kathukal'' (Letters)<br />
* ''Vallathol Samagrapatanam'' (Study)<br />
<br />
{{div col end}}<br />
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==See also==<br />
* [[Vallathol Award]]<br />
* Lokame Tharavadu(2014) – A documentary about his life, directed by Rifa Shalees Chennara<br />
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==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
{{Commons category|Vallathol Narayana Menon}}<br />
* [http://www.keralasahityaakademi.org/sp/Writers/Profiles/Vallathol/Html/VallathollPage.htm Biographical sketch, Portrait, Handwriting and Books of Vallathol – Kerala Sahitya Akademi]<br />
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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}<br />
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{{Authority control}}<br />
{{Triumvirates of Malayalam poetry}}<br />
{{Malayalam Literature}}<br />
{{PadmaBhushanAwardRecipients 1954–59}}<br />
{{Padma Award winners of Kerala}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Menon, Vallathol Narayana}}<br />
[[Category:1958 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:Malayali people]]<br />
[[Category:Indian male poets]]<br />
[[Category:People from Malappuram district]]<br />
[[Category:Malayalam-language writers]]<br />
[[Category:Malayalam poets]]<br />
[[Category:Kathakali]]<br />
[[Category:Indian Sanskrit scholars]]<br />
[[Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in literature & education]]<br />
[[Category:1878 births]]<br />
[[Category:Deaf poets]]<br />
[[Category:19th-century Indian poets]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian poets]]<br />
[[Category:Poets from Kerala]]<br />
[[Category:19th-century Indian male writers]]<br />
[[Category:Deaf people from India]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian male writers]]</div>imported>Ser Amantio di Nicolao