Vallathol Narayana Menon (16 October 1878 – 13 March 1958) was an Indian poet in Malayalam, honoured with the title Mahakavi, “great poet”. With Kumaran Asan and Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer he formed the triumvirate that brought Malayalam poetry into the modern age. He was the poet of Indian nationalism in Kerala, and, though he became deaf in his early thirties, he founded the Kerala Kalamandalam and saved the dance-drama Kathakali and other performing arts from extinction.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Vallathol Narayana Menon |
| Born | 16 October 1878, Chennara, near Tirur, Malabar (now Malappuram district, Kerala) |
| Died | 13 March 1958 (aged 79), Kochi |
| Occupation | Poet, translator |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Known for | Founder of Kerala Kalamandalam (1930) |
| Notable works | Chitrayogam, Badhiravilapam, Sahitya Manjari, Magdalana Mariam, Ente Gurunathan, Sishyanum Makanum |
| Honours | Padma Bhushan (1954) |
Early Life
Vallathol was born at Chennara, near the mouth of the Bharathappuzha river, into a Nair family. He had no English schooling. He studied Sanskrit and Ayurvedic medicine in the traditional way under an uncle and other teachers, and began writing verse as a boy. He worked for a time as manager of a press at Thrissur, where he edited literary journals.
Poetry
His early work followed Sanskrit models. Between 1905 and 1907 he translated the whole of Valmiki’s Ramayana into Malayalam verse, and in 1913 published Chitrayogam, a long poem in the classical epic form, which earned him the title Mahakavi.
Around 1909 he lost his hearing. He recorded the experience in Badhiravilapam, “The Lament of a Deaf Man”. In the years that followed he turned away from ornate epic to shorter lyric and narrative poems in a simple, musical Malayalam. The eleven volumes of Sahitya Manjari collect these, along with poems such as Bandhanasthanaya Aniruddhan, Sishyanum Makanum and Kochu Seetha, about a girl who chooses death over a life of dishonour. Magdalana Mariam (1921) retells the Gospel story of the repentant woman with a tenderness that won readers of every faith.
He joined the national movement in the 1920s, and attended sessions of the Indian National Congress. Ente Gurunathan, “My Master”, is his tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, whom he saw as uniting the virtues of Christ, Krishna, the Buddha and Muhammad. His patriotic songs were sung across Kerala. In 1922 he refused a title and robe of honour offered during the visit of the Prince of Wales. In later life he was drawn to the peace movement and travelled to the Soviet Union and China.
He also translated the Rig Veda, several Puranas and Sanskrit plays into Malayalam.
Kerala Kalamandalam
By the early twentieth century Kathakali, the classical dance-drama of Kerala, had lost the patronage of the great households that had kept troupes of actors, and was dying out. Vallathol, who could no longer hear its music, resolved to save it. With Mukunda Raja of Manakkulam he formed a society and raised money through a public lottery, and on 9 November 1930 the Kerala Kalamandalam opened at Kunnamkulam, near Thrissur. It soon moved to Cheruthuruthy, on the bank of the Bharathappuzha.
He recruited the best teachers, set up a residential school on the old model of master and pupil and led its troupes on tours of India and abroad, including Europe, the Soviet Union and China. He revived Mohiniyattam, the solo dance of women, which had fallen into disrepute, by finding its last practitioners and bringing them to teach. The government of Cochin took over the institution in 1941. It is now a university of the performing arts.
Death and Legacy
He received the Padma Bhushan in 1954. He died in Kochi on 13 March 1958. The poet who never heard a line of his later work sung gave Malayalam some of its most melodious verse, and gave Kerala’s performing arts the institution that carried them to the world.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Vallathol Narayana Menon born?
Vallathol Narayana Menon was born on 16 October 1878 in Chennara, near Tirur, Malabar (now Malappuram district, Kerala).
When did Vallathol Narayana Menon die?
Died: 13 March 1958 (aged 79), Kochi.
What is Vallathol Narayana Menon known for?
Known for: Founder of Kerala Kalamandalam (1930).
What honours has Vallathol Narayana Menon received?
Padma Bhushan (1954).
Featured image: Vallathol Narayana Menon in his later years. Photo by an unknown photographer, in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
