K. C. Kesava Pillai

{{Infobox writer

| name = K. C. Kesava Pillai

| image =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1868|2|4}}

| birth_place = Travancore (present-day Paravur, Kerala, India)

| death_date = {{death date and age|1914|9|2|1868|2|4}}{{cite book|title=The Journal of the Music Academy, Madras|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VpvjAAAAMAAJ|year=2001|publisher=Music Academy|page=180}}

| death_place = Kerala, India

| nationality = Indian

| genre =

| occupation = Teacher, poet, musician

| notableworks = {{ubl|Kesaviyam|Adimalarina|Asanna Marana Chitha Sathakam|Sadarama|Bhashanarayaniyam}}

| spouse = Kalyani Amma
Nanikutty Amma

| children =

| relatives = Valiyavelichathu Veettil Raman Pillai (father)
Desathu Lakshmy Amma (mother)
R. Narayana Panickar

| awards =

| signature =

}}

Kanakku Chembakaraman Kesava Pillai (1868–1914) was an Indian composer of Carnatic music and a poet of Malayalam literature. He was the Poet Laureate of Travancore and was known for Kesaveeyam, a mahakavya in Malayalam, two attakathas and several bhajans and kirtans. He also translated the Sanskrit text, Narayaniyam, into Malayalam under the title, Bhashanarayaniyam.

Biography

K. C. Kesava Pillai{{Refn|group=note|K. C. stands for Kanakku Chembakaraman, a title given to Pillai's maternal family by the Maharajah of Travancore}} was born on February 4, 1868, in Travancore kingdom to Valiyavelichathu Veettil Raman Pillai and Desathu Lakshmy Amma.{{Cite web |url=http://www.keralasahityaakademi.org/sp/Writers/PROFILES/KCKesavapillai/Html/KCKPillaigraphy.htm |title=Biography on Kerala Sahitya Akademi portal |date=2019-03-07 |website=Kerala Sahitya Akademi portal |access-date=2019-03-07}} His early schooling was at Paravur Malayalam School where he studied up to 5th standard and followed it up with Sanskrit studies under the tutelage of Paravur Kesavan Asan and grammar studies under Enakkattu Rajaraja Varma.{{Cite web |url=https://www.veethi.com/india-people/k._c._kesava_pillai-profile-4517-25.htm |title=K. C. Kesava Pillai - Veethi profile |date=2019-03-07 |website=veethi.com |access-date=2019-03-07}} As a boy, Pillai regularly watched Kathakali and learnt the basics of Kathakali literature, costumes and mudras, besides gaining proficiency in music. Aged 15, he wrote his first attakadha, Prahladacharitham.{{Cite web |url=http://www.swathithirunal.in/articles/kcbhagyalekshmi.htm |title=A comprehensive website on the life and music of Swathi Thirunal |date=2019-03-07 |website=www.swathithirunal.in |access-date=2019-03-07}} Simultaneously, he studied English with the help of a few friends while working as a Sanskrit teacher at a Vaidya School. In 1897, he joined as a Sanskrit teacher at a Malayalam school in Kollam but shifted to an English school in 1901 before moving to Thiruvananthapuram in 1901 as the teacher of Velayudhan Thampi, the son of Sree Moolam Thirunal, the then Maharajah of Travancore.

Pillai married Kalyani Amma in 1890 but she died after two years. He married again in 1894; Nanikutty Amma, his father's niece, was the bride. A close associate of Pandalam Kerala Varma and A. R. Raja Raja Varma, Pillai died on September 4, 1913, at the age of 45 years. On account of his musical and poetical achievements, he was awarded the title of Sarasa Gayaka Kavimani by Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran.{{Cite book |url=http://opac.ssus.ac.in/cgi-bin/koha/opac-detail.pl?biblionumber=40658 |title=Sarasa gayaka kavimani K C Kesava Pillai |last=Jayakumar Vijayalayam |date=1987 |publisher=National |location=Kottayam}} Noted writer and Sahitya Akademi Award winner, R. Narayana Panickar, was his son-in-law.{{Cite web |url=http://www.keralasahityaakademi.org/sp/Writers/Profiles/RNarayanaPanikkar/Html/RNPanikkargraphy.htm |title=Biography of R. Narayana Panikkar |date=2019-04-09 |website=Biography on Kerala Sahitya Akademi portal |access-date=2019-04-09}}

Legacy

= Literary work =

Kesava Pillai's body of literary work, written in Sanskrit and Malayalam languages, comprises an epic, three attakathas for Kathakali, two Thullal songs, eleven short poems, six khandakavyas, four plays, two stories and four commentaries.{{Cite web |url=http://www.keralasahityaakademi.org/sp/Writers/PROFILES/KCKesavapillai/Html/KCKesavapillaibooks.htm |title=List of works |date=2019-03-07 |website=Kerala Sahitya Akademi portal |access-date=2019-03-07}} He wrote Prahlaada Charitham, later renamed, Hiranyasuravadham, the first of this three attakathas, when he was only 15. It was reported that Pillai, with his advice, assisted A. R. Rajaraja Varma in writing Vritha Manjari. His plays, such as Lakshmikalyanam, were reported to portray the social life of the Nair community of his times.{{cite book|author=K. M. George|title=Western Influence on Malayalam Language and Literature|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MZqqyxVkufQC&pg=PA147|year=1972|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|isbn=978-81-260-0413-3|pages=147–}} Kesaviyam, a mahakavya and Kerala Varma Vilasam, a poem on the life of Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran are two of his major works.{{cite book|author=T. K. Krishna Menon|title=A Primer of Malayalam Literature|url=https://archive.org/details/primerofmalayala0000kris|year=1990|publisher=Asian Educational Services|isbn=978-81-206-0603-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/primerofmalayala0000kris/page/63 63]–}} Kesaviyam has been written without observing the dvitīyākṣara prāsa (second syllable rhyming), which was in vogue during those times.{{cite book|author=K. M. George|title=Modern Indian Literature, an Anthology: Surveys and poems|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=m1R2Pa3f7r0C&pg=PA238|year=1992|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|isbn=978-81-7201-324-0|pages=238–}}

= Music =

Pillai composed six compositions, including Ganamalika, which has two volumes, besides over 100 songs. Sadarama, one of his compositions,{{cite book|author=Sisir Kumar Das|title=History of Indian Literature|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sHklK65TKQ0C&pg=PA274|year=2005|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|isbn=978-81-7201-006-5|pages=274–}}{{cite book|author=Amaresh Datta|title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Devraj to Jyoti|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zB4n3MVozbUC&pg=PA1083|year=1988|publisher=Sahitya Akademi|isbn=978-81-260-1194-0|pages=1083–}} is composed in the form of a Geya nataka, while Sangitamalika is an ensemble of 42 songs. The majority of his songs are devotional and are composed in ragas such as Todi, Sankarabharanam, Mohanam, Kapi, Kalyani and Pantuvarali.{{cite book|author=A D Madhavan|title=Core of Karnatic Music|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ce6vDQAAQBAJ&pg=RA4-PA405|date=25 January 2011|publisher=DC Books|isbn=978-93-81699-00-3|pages=4–}} One of his songs, 'Omanappennallayo...'' has been reworked by the Malayalam music director, M. Jayachandran, for the 2010 film, Kadaksham.{{Cite web |url=https://www.malayalachalachithram.com/song.php?i=17258 |title=Omanappennallayo ... (Kadaaksham - 2010) |date=2019-03-08 |website=www.malayalachalachithram.com |access-date=2019-03-08}}

Bibliography

= Attakadha =

Prahlaada Charitham, later renamed, Hiranyasuravadham
Soorapadmasuravadham
Sreekrishnavijayam

= Poetry =

Asanna Marana Chinta Satakam (Reflections of a Dying Man) although written for a competition, is a touching lyrical monologue with a predominant elegiac tone and anticipates the Khandakavyas or shorter poems of the poets of the renaissance. It has an underground connection with C. S. Subramanian Potti's Oruvilapam (A Lament: 1903), V. C. Balakrishna Panicker's Oruvilapam (A Lament:1908) and even Kumaran Asan's Veena Poovu (A Fallen Flower:1907) which may be thought of an elegy in disguise.
Adimalarina: A ragamalika in four languages: Malayalam, Tamil, English and Sanskrit.
Satya Swaroopavibho in raga Sankarabharana
Bhajikka Nee Ramane in Mohanam
Koti Divakara in Dhanyasi
Nana Jaathikal in Kambhoji
Vande Maatharam in Sindhubhairavi
Vande Maatharam in Kuntalavarali
Kamalanatha in Thodi
Sree vasudeva in Kāpi
Sreemoolarajavijayam, 1894, submitted to Sree Moolam Thirunal Maharaja.
Aasannamaranachintasatakam: a work consisting of 104 slokas (songs in Carnatic music or Indian music praising God) in Saardoolavikriditham.
Kerala Bhashaa Narayaneeyam: a translation of Narayaneeyam in Malayalam.
Subhashitha Ratnakaram
Abhinayamalika
Kesaviyam: A mahakavya modeled on the Sanskrit pattern, adhering to the rules of structure and style of the classical rhetorician, Dandi.{{Cite web |url=http://keralaliterature.com/old/book.php?bukid=1702 |title=kesaveeyam |website=keralaliterature.com |access-date=2019-03-08 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
Sadarama (A popular Tamil musical play)
A selection of attakkathas.

= Plays =

Lekshmi Kalyanam
Raghava Madhavam
Vikramorvaseeyam
Sadaarama

= Other works=

{{Cite book |url=https://buybooks.mathrubhumi.com/product/jyothisha-gurubhoothan/ |title=Jyothisha Gurubhoothan |last=K.C. Kesava Pillai |publisher=Mathrubhumi |language=en-US}}

= Musical compositions =

Sangeetha manjari and Sthavaratnavali: both contain kritis and bhajan songs
Sangeethamaalika and
Eswarasthothranga
Sthavaratnamalika
{{Cite book |url=http://raaga.org.in/composed-by/kc-kesava-pillai/ |title=Maya Gopala Bala |last=K. C. Kesava Pillai |publisher=Raaga |language=Sanskrit |quote=Raaga : Kaapi, Thaala: Aadi thala |access-date=8 March 2019 |archive-date=21 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321141758/http://raaga.org.in/composed-by/kc-kesava-pillai/ |url-status=dead }}

= Works on Kesava Pillai =

{{Cite book |url=http://www.indulekha.com/k-c-kesavapillai-kavithayude-samkramanakaalam-study-a-alice |title=K C Kesava Pillai: Kavithayude Samkramana Kaalam |last=A. Alice |publisher=National Book Stall |year=2014 |page=144 |language=Malayalam |quote=A study on the literary contributions of poet K C Kesava Pillai |archive-date=27 March 2019 |access-date=8 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327091324/http://www.indulekha.com/k-c-kesavapillai-kavithayude-samkramanakaalam-study-a-alice |url-status=dead }}

Notes

References

External links

{{Cite web |url=http://www.keralasahityaakademi.org/sp/Writers/PROFILES/KCKesavapillai/Html/KCKesavapillai.htm |title=Portrait commissioned by Kerala Sahitya Akademi |date=2019-03-07 |website=Kerala Sahitya Akademi portal |access-date=2019-03-07}}
{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1EI8Ok8zd8 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/R1EI8Ok8zd8 |archive-date=2021-12-19 |url-status=live|title=Jayasadajitha - a K.C.Kesava Pillai composition |date=2011-10-16 |website=YouTube |access-date=2019-03-07}}{{cbignore}}
{{cite book|author1=Nalini Natarajan|author2=Emmanuel Sampath Nelson|title=Handbook of Twentieth-century Literatures of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1lTnv6o-d_oC&pg=PA188%7CYEAR%3D1996%7CPUBLISHER%3DGREENWOOD+PUBLISHING+GROUP%7CISBN%3D978-0-313-28778-7%7CPAGES%3D188%E2%80%93%7D%7D%3C%2FREF%3E|year=1996|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-28778-7|pages=188–}}
{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyEmge4XbIw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/FyEmge4XbIw |archive-date=2021-12-19 |url-status=live|title=K C Kesava Pillai - Sameeksha |date=2015-01-24 |website=YouTube |publisher=Doordarshan |access-date=2019-05-29 |quote=documentary}}{{cbignore}}

Category:Malayalam poets

Category:Indian Sanskrit scholars

Category:Musicians from Kollam

Category:1868 births

Category:1914 deaths

Category:Writers from Kollam

Category:Carnatic composers

Category:Indian male composers

Category:Indian classical composers

Category:19th-century Indian composers

Category:20th-century Indian composers

Category:People from Kollam district