Iyyamcode Sreedharan (also spelled as Iyyamkode or Iyyamkodu) is a Malayalam language writer from Kerala, India. He is well known in various fields of literature such as travelogue writer, Aattakkatha writer, playwright, poet and biographer. He received several awards including Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Overall Contributions, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for travelogue, Kerala Kalamandalam Mukundaraja Award and Kerala Kalamandalam Award for outstanding contribution in the field of literature.
Iyyamcode Sreedharan | |
|---|---|
| Native name | ഇയ്യങ്കോട് ശ്രീധരൻ |
| Born | Sreedharan (1941-07-04)July 4, 1941 Iyyamcode near Nadapuram, Malabar district, British India |
| Occupation | Writer, Playwright |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Citizenship | India |
| Genre | Travelogue, Poetry, Short story, Biography |
| Notable awards | Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Overall Contributions Kerala Sahithya Akademi Award for travelogue Kerala Kalamandalam Mukundaraja Award Kerala Kalamandalam M. K. K. Nair Award |
| Spouse | Komalavalli |
| Children | 3 including S. K. Kavitha |
| Parents | M. Narayana Kurup M. P. Karthayani Amma |
Sreedharan was born on September 4, 1941, in Puthiya veettil House in Iyyamcode near Nadapuram in present-day Kozhikode district of Kerala.[1][2] His father M. Narayana Kurup was a teacher, poet, painter and sculptor.[3] His mother, M. P. Karthayani Amma, is the sister of M. P. Narayanan Nambiar, a prominent leader of the Karshaka Sangham, a long-time farmers' movement in Kerala.[2] He had his primary education at Nadapuram C.C. UP School.[4] After passing tenth class from Kadathanad Rajas High School in Kozhikode District, he studied Kathakali chamayam (makeup of Kathakali artists) for three years at the Kerala Kalamandalam in Cheruthuruthy.[5] In 1961, he joined Kollankode Rajas High School in Palakkad district as a teacher in Kathakali chamayam and later became a descendant of poet P. Kunhiraman Nair, who was a colleague there.[5]
Sreedharan started writing poems at the age of fifteen. In 1962, he won the first prize in the Mathrubhumi Weekly poetry competition for students.[2] Subsequently, in 1964, he was awarded the Kerala Sahitya Samithi Poetry Award.[2] He brought together theatre artists from Kollengode and the surrounding areas, and formed a theater troupe in 1975 and performed plays all over Kerala.[1]
He was instrumental in establishing the P. Smaraka Kalakendram (P. Memorial Art Center) at Kollengode in In 1981, in memory of the poet P. Kunhiraman Nair. Iyyamcode has been the secretary of the art centre for the last forty years. In 1988, when he was the secretary of the Kerala Kalamandalam, he formed a Kathakali group named Kerala Kalabhavan and wrote three aattakkathas including 'Kinglier', and performed in many stages including in foreign countries.[5][2]
Iyankode Sreedharan, who has been one of the directors of the Kerala Institute of Children's Literature held several other positions including member of the Kerala Sahitya Samithi and the Vice President of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi.[6] He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi for seven years and was the state secretary of the Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangh, a group of progressive literary activists.[2] He represented India in World Ramayana Festival.[1]
He and his wife Komalavalli have 3 children.[5] His daughter S. K. Kavitha is a Malayalam language poet.[1] They lives in their house 'Sakalya' in Vattekatte near Kollengode in Palakkad district.[5]