KERALAM  Joseph Edamaruk : He Was a Well Known Rationalist and Former President of Indian Rationalist Associa- Tion

Home , Ezhuthachan Puraskaram, Malayalam poetry, Odakkuzhal Award, Randamoozham, Vallathol Award

the former acting Chief Justice of the Madras High Court. KERALAM  Joseph Edamaruk : He was a well known rationalist and former president of Indian Rationalist Associa- tion. He died in 2006. He had worked very hard to  Justice K.G. Balakrishnan : Senior most judge of eradicate super stitions and other irrational beliefs the Supreme Court, became the 37th Chief Justice of in the society. India from January 14, 2007. He is the first Chief Justice of India belonging to a scheduled caste. He  Appukuttan: An Indian American pioneer in digital suceeded Justice Y.K. Sabharwal. education has won the 2006 Champions Digital Lit- eracy Inspiration Award for his contribution glo-  Asan, Kumaran : He belongs to the famous ‘trio’ in bally to bridging the digital divide. the Malayalam poetry. The others being Ulloor, and Vallathol. He was a renowned social worker. He died  Prof. Ayyappa Panicker: Poet, critic and teacher who in a boat capsize. made a bold and meaningful intervention in the literary, cultural and intellectual realms in India. Al-  Shivsankar Menon : He is a most all the noted literary related awards and senior Indian foreign service honours had come his way. Padmashree in 2004, official, has been appointed as Saraswathi Samman in 2006 etc. the Foreign Secretary of India. Mr. Menon has held important  Sardar K.M. Panikkar: Eminent historian, writer posts of High Commissioner to and diplomat. He was one of the member in the first Pakistan, High Commissioner Indian team to the United Nations. He was Ambas- to Srilanka, Ambassador to Is- sador to China, Egypt and France. He was the first president of the Kerala Sahitya Academy. rael and Ambassador to China. Present foreign secretary of India  M. Krishnan Nair : Eminent  E.V. Krishna Pillai: Prominent Satirist, playwright, oncologist, Dr. Krishnan Nair was appointed mem- actor, lawyer; a versatile genius. He was editor to a ber of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Can- malayalam daily and Manorama cartoon Weekly. His cer Control Advisory Committee. Dr. Nair is the only works evoked laughter and thoughts to ponder. Indian nominee on the Committee. Seetha Lakshmi, Chiriyum Chinthayum, Kavitha Case were some of his works.  Vijay Nambiar : Vijay Nambiar, a senior Indian diplomat and former envoy to the United Nations, who  Chithira Tirunal Balarama Varma: He was the was a member of U.N. Secretary General Kofi last of the Maharajas of Travancore. He did a lot for Annan’s team of top advisors, is currently working the uplift of the people of the state. Sree Moolam for the new U.N. Secretary General Ban ki Moon. Assembly, Sri Chitra State Council, was formed in his tenure. He was the one who proclaimed the fa-  V.S. Valiathan : Artist V.S. mous Temple Entry proclamation in 1935. He be- Valiathan who has been cho- came Raja Pramukh in 1943, when Thiru-Kochi State sen for Raja Ravi Varma Prize was formed. instituted by the State Govern- ment. is a pioneer in the field.  Sree Narayana Guru :He was a popular social re- former. He founded the Sree Narayana Dharma  Capt. Krishnan Nair: Leel a Paripalana Yogam in 1903. Tagore, Gandhiji were Group Chairman Capt. some of the dignitaries who visited him. ‘One caste, Krishnan Nair was elected by Raja Ravivarma one religion, one God’ was his motto. He is consid- the United Nations as the Award 2006 ered as the father of modern renaissance in Kerala. South Asia Chairman of the World Committee on Tourism Ethics. (WCTE). The  Vallathol : He was one of the modern poet trios. He Leela group headed by Mr. Nair has contributed a as a eminent writer, poet and journalist. He edited lot to the Tourism industry in India. Keralodayam and Atmaposhini. Received Padma Bhushan in 1955. He was poet laureate of Kerala.  Justice K. Narayana Kurup: He was nominated by the New York based World Trade Centre’s Associa-  O.N.V. Kurup : Poet, lyricist and teacher. He is the tion as its ‘Gobal Ambassador of Peace’. He was Chairman to Kerala Kalamandalam. He had carved

86 6 himself a place in the contemporary malayalam lit- festival allowance for the em- erature. He had won Kerala Sahitya Academie, ployees and implemented pro- Kendra Sahitya Academie Soviet Land Nehru hibition of Liquor in the state. Awards, Vayalar Award etc. Mattuvin Chattangale,  M.T. Vasudevan Nair: Novel- Aganisalabhangal, Bhumikku oru Charama Geetham ist, Short Story Writer, Direc- were some of his works. tor, and editor. He was one of  V.S. Achuthanandan : Ch ief the leaders of renaissance in Minister of Kerala (2006). He the short story genre in Present had proved himself as an inte- Malayalam. He scripted and Defence Minister of India gral part of the political field in directed five Malayalam films. Kerala. As a leader par excel- Winner of the Gnanpith 1995. Vallathol Award 2005, lence, he always stood for so- and won national awards for Screenplay. Olavum cial issues and every major Theeravum, Kuttyedathi, Panchagni were some of events in the state. his screenplays and Vanaprastham, Randamoozham,  O.V. Vijayan:Ottupulakkal Chief Minister of Kerala Manju were some of his works. Velukutty Vijayan was a nov-  G. Sankarakuruppu: He was the first Malayali to elist, short story writer, journalist and a popular car- win the Gnanapith Award 1965. He was a great poet, toonist. The Legend of Khazak, The Saga of teacher, translator and a member of Rajyasabha. Dharmapuri, Gurusagaram were some of his works. Odakkuzhal Award is instituted in his name. In var- Every literary awards came to him, some of them ied genre of literature he had written about 50 books. were Ezhuthachan Puraskaram, Vayalar Award,  Joseph Mundasseri: Popular writer, journalist, Mathrubhumi, Sahitya Puraskaram etc. educationist and statesman. He was the minister of  V.T. Induchoodan : Real name is K.K. Neelakantan. education in the first Kerala Ministry. He was the He was a renowned ornithologist and writer. He was first Vice chancellor to the Cochin University the founder president of the Kerala Natural History founded in 1972. He was editor to the monthlies Society. He proved his eminency in positions as Kairali and Navajeevan. vice president of Nature Protection Committee, State  E.M.S. : First Chief Minister of the State of Kerala. Committee member to World Wild Life Fund for Na- He was one of the founding leaders of the com- ture, State Wild Life Protection Board etc. munist party of India. Wrote under the penname  A.K. Antony: The present Defence Minister of In- P.S. Surendran. dia, was a former Chief Minister to the State of Kerala,  C. Achutha Menon : Former Chief Minister of and was Cabinet Minister once. He is a prominent Kerala. He was the first CM to complete the tenure leader of the Indian Natural Congress. As Chief of 5 years continuously (1969 - 70, 1970 - 77). He Minister, he introduced ‘Unemployment allowance’, implemented Land Reform Act and Dias-Non.

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