Kumaran Asan

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Mahakavi

Kumaran Asan
Trivandrum, Travancore
Died16 January 1924(1924-01-16) (aged 50)
River Pallana, Alleppey, Travancore
OccupationPoet and writer
NationalityIndian
Notable works
  • Duravastha
  • Chinthavishtayaaya Seetha
  • Nalini
  • Leela
  • Chandala Bhikshuki
  • Prarodanam
    • SpouseBhanumathiamma
    ChildrenPrabhakaran and Sudhakaran
    Relatives
    • Narayanan Perungudi (father)
    • Kochupennu (mother)
    This article is part of a series on
    Reformation in Kerala
    Narayana Guru, the most prominent face of the movement
    Background
    Notable people
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    Mahakavi Kumaran Asan (Malayalam: എൻ. കുമാരൻ ആശാൻ) (12 April 1871 – 16 January 1924) was a poet of

    triumvirate poets of Kerala and a disciple of Sree Narayana Guru. He was awarded the prefix "Mahakavi" in 1922 by the Madras university which means "great poet".[note 1]

    Biography

    Kumaran Asan (standing right) with Narayana Guru (seated middle).

    Asan

    Shree Narayana Guru and became the spiritual leader's disciple.[2]

    Narayana Guru's influence led Asan to spiritual pursuits and he spent some time at a local temple, in prayers and teaching Sanskrit.

    Indian Renaissance, but his stay was again cut short due to plague epidemic.[3][4] He returned to Aruvippuram in 1900.[2]

    Asan was also involved with the activities of the

    Quilon constituency but lost to Sankara Menon.[11]

    Asan married Bhanumathiamma, the daughter of Thachakudy Kumaran Writer who was a in 1917.[12]

    Death

    On January 16, 1924, he died by drowning, when Redeemer the boat he was traveling capsized in River Pallana.[13] His body was recovered after two days and the place where his mortal remains were cremated is known as Kumarakodi.[14]

    Legacy

    Remove the bonds of your effete tradition / Or it will ruin you within your own selves, Excerpts from Duravastha - Kumaran Asan[4]

    Handwriting of Kumaran Asan : From the notebooks of Asan kept at Thonnakkal Asan museum

    Kumaran Asan was one of the

    triumvirate poets of modern Malayalam, along with Vallathol Narayana Menon and Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer.[15] Some of the earlier works of the poet were Subramanya Sathakam and Sankara Sathakam, which were devotional in content but his later poems were marked by social commentary.[16] He published Veena Poovu (the fallen flower) in December 1907 in Mithavadi of Moorkoth Kumaran which went on to become a literary classic in Malayalam; its centenary was celebrated in 2017 when a book, Veenapoovinu 100 was published which carried an introduction by M. M. Basheer and an English translation of the poem by K. Jayakumar.[17] Prarodanam, an elegy, mourning the death of his contemporary, friend and grammarian, A. R. Raja Raja Varma, Khanda Kavyas (poems) such as Nalini, Leela, Karuna, Chandaalabhikshuki, Chinthaavishtayaaya Seetha, and Duravastha are some of his other major works.[18] Besides, he wrote two epics, Buddha Charitha in 5 volumes and Balaramayanam, a three-volume work.[19]

    Honours

    In 1958, when

    K. Ayyappa Panicker and K. Satchidanandan are some of the recipients of the award.[24] Asan Memorial Senior Secondary School is a CBSE affiliated higher secondary school run by Asan Memorial Association.[25] The India Post issued a commemorative postage stamp depicting Asan's portrait in 1973, in connection with his birth centenary.[26][27][note 4]

    Works

    Kumaran Asan - Chandalabhikshuki - a mural at Thonnakkal Asan Smarakam

    Major works

    Year Work Remarks
    1907 Veena Poovu (The Fallen Flower)[28] Asan scripted this epoch-making poem in 1907 during his sojourn in
    Jain Medu, Palakkad.[29] A highly philosophical poem, 'Veena Poovu' is an allegory of the transience of the mortal world, which is depicted through the description of the varied stages in the life of a flower. Asan describes in such detail about its probable past and the position it held. It is an intense sarcasm on people on high powers/positions finally losing all those. The first word Ha, and the last word Kashtam of the entire poem is often considered as a symbolism of him calling the world outside Ha! kashtam (How pitiful).[30]
    1911 Nalini[31][32] It is a love poem, which details the love between Nalini and Diwakharan.[33]
    1914 Leela[34] A deep love story in which Leela leaves Madanan, her lover and returns to find him in forest in a pathetic condition. She thus realises the fundamental fact Mamsanibhadamalla ragam (true love is not carnal)[35]
    1919 Prarodanam (Lamentation)[36] An elegy on the death of
    Adonaïs, with a distinctly Indian philosophical attitude.[6]
    1919 Chinthavishtayaaya Sita (Reflective Sita) [37] An exploration of womanhood and sorrow, based on the plight of Sita of Ramayana.[38]
    1922 Duravastha (The Tragic Plight)[39] A love story depicting the relationship between Savithri, a
    Namboothiri heiress and Chathan, a youth from a lower caste. A political commentary on 19th and early 20th century Kerala.[40]
    1922 Chandaalabhikshuki[41] This poem, divided into four parts and consisting of couplets, describes an untouchable beggar-woman" (also the name of the poem) who approaches Lord
    Sravasti.[42]
    1923 Karuna (compassion)[43] The story of Vasavadatta, a
    Buddhist monk.[44][45] Tells the story of sensory attraction and its aftermath.[46]

    Other works

    A statue of Kumaran Asan in front of the University of Kerala.
    Year Work Remarks
    1901 Sthothrakrithikal Poetry anthology
    1901 Saundaryalahari Poetry anthology
    1915–29 Sree Budhacharitham[47] This is an
    couplets
    1917–21 Baalaraamaayanam This is a shorter epic poem consisting of 267 verses in three volumes. Most of these verses are couplets, with the exception of the last three
    quatrains
    viz. Balakandam (1917), Ayodhyakandam (1920) and Ayodhyakandam (1921). There are, therefore, 540 lines in all
    1918 Graamavrikshattile Kuyil[48]
    1922 Pushpavaadi[49]
    1924 Manimaala[50] Poetry anthology
    1925 Vanamaala[51] Poetry anthology

    Kumaran Asan also wrote many other poems. Some of these poems are listed in the book Asante Padyakrthikal under the name "Mattu Krthikal" (Other Works):

    • Sadaachaarasathakam
    • Sariyaaya Parishkaranam
    • Bhaashaaposhinisabhayodu
    • Saamaanyadharmangal
    • Subrahmanyapanchakam
    • Mrthyanjayam
    • Pravaasakaalaththu Naattile Ormakal
    This is another collection of poems that come from various letters Kumaran Asan wrote over the course of several years. None of the poems were longer than thirty-two lines.
    • Koottu Kavitha

    The other poems are lesser known. Only a few of them have names:

    • Kavikalkkupadesam
    • Mangalam
    • Oru Kathth
    This is another one of Asan's letter-poems.
    • Randu Aasamsaapadyangal

    poems or stories which are written by kritikal 1. Leela 2. veenpuv 3. nlene 4. kruna 4. parodnam

    Prose

    • Kumaran Asan, N. (1991). Brahmasri Sri Narayana Guruvinte Jeevacharithra Samgraham (3rd. ed.). Thonnakkal: Kumaran Asan Memorial Committee.
    • Kumaran Asasn, N. ed (1984). Kumaran Asante Gadyalekhanangal v.1. Thonnakkal, Trivandrum: Kumaran Asan Memorial Committee. 3 volumes {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)
    • Kumaranasan; Shaji, S. (2010). Aasante kathukal. Kottayam: Sahitya Pravarthaka Co-operative Society.

    Translations

    • Asan, Kumaran; Gangadharan, P. C (1978). The Tragic plight (1st ed.). Thonnakkal : Kumaran Asan Memorial Committee; [Madras : distributed by Macmillan].

    Works on Asan

    See also

    Notes

    1. Madras University
      in 1922, means "great poet" and the suffix Asan means "scholar" or "teacher")
    2. Madras University
      in 1922, means "great poet" and the suffix Asan means "scholar" or "teacher")
    3. ^ present-day Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala, South India
    4. ^ Please check year 1973

    References

    1. ^ a b "Biography on Kerala Sahitya Akademi portal". Kerala Sahitya Akademi portal. 2 March 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
    2. ^ a b c d e "Chronicle". kanic.kerala.gov.in. 2 March 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
    3. ISBN 978-81-7201-798-9
      .
    4. ^
      ISBN 0-313-28778-3
      . Retrieved 8 February 2015.
    5. ^ "SNDP Yogam". Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    6. ^
      ISBN 978-81-7201-006-5
      .
    7. ISBN 978-81-7648-170-0
      .
    8. ^ "Kumaranasan - Kerala Media Academy". archive.keralamediaacademy.org. Archived from the original on 19 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    9. ^ "History of legislative bodies in Kerala-- Sri Moolam Praja Sabha". keralaassembly.org. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    10. ^ "Kumaran Asan As A Business Man". veethi.com. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    11. ^ "Kumaran Aasan once contested from Kollam". Manorama. 20 March 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2019.
    12. ^ K. M. George (1972). Makers of Indian Literature. Kumaran Asan. Sahitya Akademi. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    13. ^ "Kumaranasan Biography Kerala PSC". pscteacher.com. 3 March 2019. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    14. ^ "Kumarakodi - District Alappuzha". Government of Kerala. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    15. ^ "When poesy met poise on stage - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    16. ^ "Kumaran Asan - Indian poet". Encyclopedia Britannica. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    17. ^ "Veena Poovu: still in bloom". The Hindu. 21 December 2007. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    18. ^ "Kumaran Asan - A Biography" (PDF). sayahna.org. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    19. ^ "Books and Works". kanic.kerala.gov.in. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    20. ^ "Kumaran Asan National Institute of Culture". kanic.kerala.gov.in. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    21. ^ "The Memorial of Asan". www.keralaculture.org. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    22. ^ "Asan Memorial, Kayikkara". www.keralaculture.org. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    23. ^ "Asan Smaraka Kavitha Puraskaram". asaneducation.com. 3 March 2019. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    24. ^ "List of Awardees". asaneducation.com. 3 March 2019. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    25. ^ "ASAN Memorial Senior Secondary School". asancbse.com. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    26. ^ "Amrut Philately Gallery - 1973". amrutphilately.com. 3 March 2019. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    27. ^ "Commemorative and definitive stamps". postagestamps.gov.in. 3 March 2019. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    28. ISBN 9788126417995
      .
    29. ^ Paul, G.S. (21 December 2007). "The Hindu : Friday Review Thiruvananthapuram / Dance : Visual poetry". Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 20 July 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
    30. ISBN 978-81-260-1221-3
      .
    31. ISBN 9788126424108. Archived from the original
      on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    32. ^ Kumaran Asan (1970). Nalini. Thonnakkal: Sarada book dipo. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    33. ISBN 978-81-260-0413-3
      .
    34. ^ Kumaran Asan (1970). Leela. Thonnakkal: Sarada book dipo. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    35. ^ "ലീലയ്ക്ക് 100 വയസ്". Azhimukham (in Malayalam). 7 October 2014. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    36. ^ Kumaran Asan (1968). Prarodanam. Thonnakkal: Sarada book dipo. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    37. ^ Kumaran Asan (1970). Chindavishtayaya Seetha. Thonnakkal: Sarada book dipo. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    38. ISBN 978-1-351-10359-6
      .
    39. ^ Kumaran Asan (1969). Duravastha. Sarada book dipo: Sarada book dipo. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    40. ^ "Theatrical adaptation brings Kumaran Asan's poem to life - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    41. ^ Kumaran Asan (1970). Chandala bhikshuki. Thonnakkal: Sarada book dipo. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    42. ISBN 978-81-7648-170-0
      .
    43. ^ Kumaran Asan (1969). Karuna. Sarada book dipo: Sarada book dipo. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    44. ISBN 978-81-7648-170-0
      .
    45. ISBN 978-81-260-1535-1
      .
    46. ISBN 978-1-136-81957-5
      .
    47. ^ Kumaran Asan, N. (1915). Sree Budhacharitham. Trivandram: Sarada Book Depot. 5 volumes
    48. ^ Kumaran Asan (1970). Kuyil. Sarada book dipo: Sarada book dipo. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    49. ^ Kumaran Asan (1969). Pushpavadi. Sarada book dipo: Sarada book dipo. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    50. ^ Kumaran Asan (1965). Manimala. Sarada book dipo: Sarada book dipo. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
    51. ^ Kumaran Asan (1925). Vanamala. Sarada book dipo: Sarada book dipo. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.

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