Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai, popularly identified as Swathithirunal Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai after his magnum opus, Swathithirunal, was an Indian author of Malayalam literature, actor, speaker, teacher and thinker. He was known for his plays which dealt with themes such as patriotism, sacrifice and justice and his characters showed heroism, showing influence of William Shakespeare. Kerala Sahitya Akademi awarded him their annual award for drama in 1970. He was also a recipient of the Kalyani Krishna Menon Puraskaram.
Biography
Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai was born on October 10, 1898 at Perunna, Changanassery, in Kottayam district of the south Indian state of Kerala to Perunayil N. Kumara Pillai, a lawyer and an Ayurvedic physician and Haripattu Poothottal L. Parvathy Pilla. After schoolign at the local school, he studied at institutions in Kumbakonam and Thiruvananthapuram and started his career as a teacher at the NSS High School. He served the society in various capacities such as those of a headmaster, educational inspector and as the general manager until joining the government service in 1944 and before resigning from service, he held various positions including those of the director of education department, broadcasting corporation director, chairman of the pay commission and the secretary of the department of food. In between, he sat in the Legislative Council of Travancore from 1933 to 1944. Later, he served as the editor of Malayalarajyam and Kaumudi. It was during this period, Kaumudi was involved in the leak of the 1957 budget of the First E. M. S. Namboodiripad ministry where the reporter who leaked the budget as well as Pillai, as the editor of Kaumudi were fined by the court. He also contested unsuccessfully from the Mavelikkara-Kollam parliamentary constituency. Padmanabha Pillai was married to P. Chellama. He died on January 30, 1976, at the age of 77. Kainikkara Kumara Pillai, noted playwright and the author of books such as Harichandra was his brother.
Legacy and honours
Padmanabha Pillai published 15 books composed of 6 plays, 3 novels, 4 short story anthologies, an essay compilation and a book of history, but he was best known for his plays of which Calvaryile Kalpapadapam, written in the 1934, was a pioneering work of modern Malayalam theatre. He was known to have drawn on the heritage of E.V. Krishna Pillai with his historical works like Veluttampi Dalava, published in 1932, which describes the deeds and death of a minister of the state of Travancore and his plays evidently displayed an influence of William Shakespeare. His 1959 book The Red Interlude in Kerala published for the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee is a historical discourse on how the communists came to power in Kerala and the book is often quoted in analyses of the politics of that period. Pillai received the Kalyani Krishna Menon Puraskaram for his play, Vidhimandapam, in 1955. The Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Drama selected Swathi Tirunal, his 1966 play on the life of the former king of Travancore for their annual award for drama in 1967.He was given a Sahitya Akademi Award in 1967. Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai Foundation, is an eponymous organization which has instituted Kainikkara Award, an annual award for recognizing excellence in socio-cultural work.
