Mathew M. Kuzhiveli

Mathew M. Kuzhiveli is an Indian teacher, educationalist, publisher, children's writer, and the first encyclopedia author in Malayalam. He received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Fellowship and the Padma Shri (posthumously). In 2019, India Post has honored him by releasing a commemorative postage stamp.

Biography Mathew M. Kuzhiveli was born on April 20, 1905, at Pala in present-day Kottayam district of Kerala. He was born in Kuzhiveli family, which was one of the founding families of the Pala Lalam Old Church, to Mathai Kuzhiveli and Maria. He studied at Pala St. Thomas School and Changanassery S.B. College. He was also studied at University of Madras.

After studies, Kuzhiveli became a teacher at Pala St. Thomas High School and later, he became the headmaster of St. Thomas Training School there. He retired from service in 1962 as the Director of Publications Department, Kerala University. He also wrote about sixty books himself. It contains 1622 entries and 1603 pictures in 10376 pages.

The first volume of the encyclopedia was formally released by the then ruler of Thiru-Cochin, Sree Chithira Thirunal Maharaja, in 1956 at the Kawadiyar Palace in the presence of his mother, Amma Maharani, his daughter Karthika Thirunal, and Colonel Godavarma Raja.

While in Thiruvananthapuram, he continued to publish an English magazine called Trivandrum Letters and a Malayalam publication called Kuzhiveli Patrika.

Awards and honors Kuzhiveli has received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Fellowship and the Padma Shri (posthumously), one of the highest civilian awards given by the Government of India.

On November 22, 2019, India Post honored M.M. Kuzhiveli by releasing a commemorative postage stamp in his memory. The Pala Municipality has paid tribute to him by naming the Municipal Library in Pala as the Padmashri Mathew M. Kuzhiveli Memorial Library.