P.Kunjanandan Nair

P. Kunjanandan Nair, better known by his pen name- Thikkodiyan, is an Indian screenwriter, Playwright, novelist, and lyricist who published many works in Malayalam. P. Kunjanandan Nair was born on 15 February 1916 in Thikkodi, which is a small village in Kozhikode, Kerala. His Parents were Puthiyedath Kunjappa Nair and P. Narayani Amma. His Parents passed away when he was very young and the writer was then raised by his Grandfather, who was a major theatre enthusiast and inspired the young Thikkodiyan to join the field. P. Kunjanandan Nair finished his studies at  Basel Mission Middle School in Koyilandy, Kerala, and then went on to become a teacher in the same school in 1936. During his time as a teacher, he became heavily involved in trade union activities, which eventually got him fired in 1938 when he was apprehended for being part of a strike. 

For the next few years, P. Kunjanandan Nair worked alongside other renowned figures such as V. R. Nayanar and K. Kelappan who was a politician, independence activist, and journalist. He met these people through his association with the ‘Bharat Seva Sangham’ and the ‘Devadhar Malabar Reconstruction Trust’. In 1942, P. Kunjanandan Nair contributed his efforts to founding the Orphanage- ‘Nayanar Balika Sadanam’ in Nayanar. During this time, he also worked at the ‘Dinaprabha Daily’ before moving to All India Radio in 1950, where he began to work as a scriptwriter. P. Kunjanandan Nair stayed at this company and worked his way up till 1979, when he managed to retire as a Drama Producer. P. Kunjanandan Nair was married to Parvathy and had a daughter, Pushpa. The writer passed away at the age of 84 in his home in Kozhikode on 28 January 2001.

P. Kunjanandan Nair’s first poem, ‘Veendum Karayatte', which he published in ‘Mathrubhumi’ was written under the pen name ‘ Anand Click to look into! >> Read More... ’. When he started writing Satires, Nair’s friend- Sanjayan suggested he change his pen name to ‘Thikkodiyan’. This stuck for the remainder of his writing career. At the encouragement of his companions, Thikkodiyan wrote a play, ‘Jeevitham', which won him a prize from Kendra Kala Samithy. Inspired by his achievement, he went on to write many more plays.

P. Kunjanandan Nair’s bibliography also includes novels like: ‘Chuvanna Kadal’, ‘Aswahridayam’ and ‘Pazhassiyude Padavaal’. ‘Chuvanna Kadal’ went on to become a renowned historical novel as it is set against the backdrop of the Portuguese invasion in the South. P. Kunjanandan Nair’s most famous publication was his autobiography 'Arangukanatha Natan', meaning ‘The Actor Who Had Never Been On Stage’, which won the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award (1995), Odakkuzhal Award, the Vayalar Award and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Biography and Autobiography. The autobiography explains the socio-cultural progress of Malabar during the post-independence era.