Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai

Who is Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai?

Swathithirunal Kainikkara Padmanabha Pillai was a Malayalam author and actor, a prominent speaker, teacher and thinker. His plays addressed serious themes such as patriotism, sacrifice and justice. He created characters of great heroism in his plays, which may show some influence by Shakespeare. He also drew on the tragic heritage of E.V. Krishna Pillai with his works Veluttampi Dalava and Kalvariyile Kalpapadapam. Veluttampi Dalava describes the herioc deeds and tragic death of a minister of the state of Travancore.

His 1959 book The red interlude in Kerala published for the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee gave a thoughtful discussion of how the communists came to power in Kerala, often quoted in analyses of the politics of that period. He was given a Sahitya Akademi Award in 1967.

His brother, Kainikkara Kumara Pillai also became a famous playwright, with classics such as "Harichandra".