C. N. Sreekantan Nair

C. N. Sreekantan Nair Biography

C. N. Sreekantan Nair was a renowned playwright and writer associated with Malayalam literature. Nair is best remembered for the play, Kanchana Seetha (1961), followed by Saketham and Lankalakshmi – a trilogy based on the epic work Ramayana. He received the Kendra Sahitya Academy Award in 1962 for Kanchana Sita and it was made to a Malayalam film with the same title by the renowned director G. Aravindan in 1977. Highly praised by critics, the movie is regarded one of the best Indian films ever made. Sreekantan Nair took inspiration for this play from the Uttara Kanda of Valmiki’s Ramayana. It is a questioning of Rama's dharma from diverse points of view. Oxford University Press later translated his work to English.

He was born in Kollam, Kerala in the year 1928. One of Kerala's most famous playwrights in the contemporary period, he experimented successfully with stage direction and concepts of theatre. He also wrote short stories and served as an editor for a few journals. Apart from trilogy in Ramayana, his published works include – Nashtakkachavadam, Aa Kani Thinnaruth, Aettile Pashu, Madhuvidhu, Sindoorappottu, Thilakkunna Ponnu, Pichippoo, Puliyilakkara Neryath and In the Shade of Sahyadri.

In 2005 the British Council and Oxford University Press presented a dramatized reading of his most renowned work - "Kanchana Sita" in English format. The work sees Lord Rama from a woman's point of view. The translation work was done by Vasanthi Sankaranarayanan. Through his works, Saketham and Kanchana Sita, his poetic and philosophic skills were well exposed. His talent as a playwright is well expressed through his play – Lankalakshmi published in 1964. A recipient of M. P. Paul Prize, he passed away in 1976.

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Updated: March 27, 2016