Vellayani Arjunan
വെള്ളായണി അർജ്ജുനൻ
Born(1933-02-10)10 February 1933
Vellayani, Travancore, British Raj
(present day Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India)
Died31 May 2023(2023-05-31) (aged 90)
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
NationalityIndian
Occupations
  • Writer
  • linguist
  • academic
  • scholar
Years active1960–2023
SpouseRadhamani A.
ChildrenJayasree A R (deceased), Supriya A R, Sahithi A R, Rajasree A R, Jayasankar Prasad
Parents
  • G. Shankara Panicker
  • Narayani
AwardsPadma Shri
Paramacharya Award

Vellayani Arjunan (10 February 1933 – 31 May 2023) was an Indian writer, scholar, and linguist from Kerala.[1] He served two terms at the State Institute of Encyclopaedic Publications as chief editor from 1975 to 1988[2] and as director from 2001 to 2004.[3] During his tenure at the institute, seven volumes of the 12-volume Malayalam encyclopedia Viswasahityavijnanakosam were published.[1][4] He is credited with several publications, including children's literature and critical studies.[4][5][6][7] His book Gaveshana Mekhala has been a prescribed text for the post graduate course M.A. Malayalam at the Aligarh Muslim University.[8] A recipient of the Paramacharya Award from Sarojini Bhaskaran Memorial Charitable Public Trust, he was honored by the Government of India in 2008 with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri.[9]

In 2015, Aligarh Muslim University awarded him a third D.Litt. degree for his thesis in Malayalam on Influence of Sree Narayana Guru on Malayalam Poetry.[10] He was the first Indian to hold three D.Litt. degrees.[11]

Early life and education

Vellayani Arjunan was born on 10 February 1933 to G. Shankara Panicker, an agriculturalist and Narayani, a housewife, at Vellayani in the erstwhile Kingdom of Travancore. After receiving a Master of Arts degree in Malayalam, he went on to teach Malayalam Language and Literature at Sree Narayana College in Kollam. He later became the first Malayalam lecturer[12] in Aligarh Muslim University, from which he gained his PhD degree in 1964.[13] After leaving Aligarh Muslim University, he was appointed director of the State Institute of Encyclopaedic Publications in Kerala.[14]

Degree Topic Awarding Institution
D.Litt. Influence of Sree Narayana Guru on Malayalam Poetry. Aligarh Muslim University
D.Litt. A Comparative Study of the Mutual Relations and Uniformity of Hindi and Malayalam Languages. Agra University
D.Litt. The influence of Hindi Vocabularies on the South Indian Languages: A Linguistic study. Jabalpur University
Ph.D. A Comparative Linguistic Study of Common Vocables of Hindi and Malayalam Languages. Aligarh Muslim University

Other Degrees

Degree Subject
B.A. Hons Malayalam Language and Literature
M.A. Malayalam Language and Literature
M.A. Hindi Language and Literature
M.A. Hindi Special
P.G. Diploma Tamil, Telugu, Kannada

Death

Arjunan died in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala on 31 May 2023, at the age of 90.[15]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b S. N. Sadasivan (2000). A Social History of India. APH Publishing. p. 799. ISBN 9788176481700.
  2. ^ "Sarva". Sarva. 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  3. ^ "Gurudevan". Gurudevan. 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  4. ^ a b "KAU". Kerala Agricultural University. 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  5. ^ Vellayani Arjunan. Chandanathirikal. CSN Books.
  6. ^ Vellayani Arjunan (1972). Gaveshana Mekhala. Kottayam. ISBN 9788170991366.
  7. ^ Appan, M. P; Arjunan, Vellayani (1976), The golden goblet, Appan, retrieved 22 December 2014
  8. ^ "Syllabus" (PDF). Aligarh Muslim University. 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  9. ^ "Padma Shri" (PDF). Padma Shri. 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
  10. ^ "AMU NEWS". Aligarh Muslim University. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  11. ^ "82-yr-old gets third D.Litt from AMU". The Times of India. 24 June 2015. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  12. ^ "ബഹുഭാഷാപണ്ഡിതന്‍ വെള്ളായണി അര്‍ജുനന്‍ അന്തരിച്ചു". Samakalika Malayalam Vaarika (in Malayalam).
  13. ^ Daily, Keralakaumudi. "Padma Shri Dr Vellayani Arjunan passes away". Keralakaumudi Daily. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  14. ^ "Linguist Vellayani Arjunan dies at 90". The Times of India. 1 June 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  15. ^ "ബഹുഭാഷാപണ്ഡിതന്‍ ഡോ.വെള്ളായണി അർജുനൻ അന്തരിച്ചു". Manorama News. 31 May 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2023.

Further reading

External links

Padma Award winners of Kerala
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Recipients of Padma Shri in Literature & Education
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