N. V. Krishna Warrier

Nerukkavu Variam Krishna Warrier (13 May 1916 – 12 October 1989) was an Indian poet, journalist, scholar, academic and political thinker. A prolific writer, Warrier's works covered the genres of poetry, drama, travelogue, translation, children's literature and science. He was a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry. The Kerala Sahitya Akademi honoured him with their fellowship in 1986, three years before his death in 1989.

Biography Nerukkavu Variam Krishna Warrier was born on 13 May 1916 in Njeruvisseri, near Arattupuzha in Thrissur district of the south Indian state of Kerala to Padikkaparambu Warriath Achutha Warrier and Madhavi Warasyar. He had two brothers, Shankara Warrier and Achutha Warrier and a sister, Ikkalikutty Warasyar. Krishna got his family name, Nerukkavu Variam, through matrilineal succession.

His early schooling was at the primary school in Vallachira after which he studied at the Sanskrit school in Peruvanam where he had the opportunity to study under Meloth Raghavan Nambiar and Keshavan Elayathu, both Sanskrit scholars. Later, he studied grammar under B. Sankaranarayana Shasthri of Tripunithura Sanskrit School (present-day Government Sanskrit College, Tripunithura) to pass Vyakarana Bhooshanam examination and learned Kavyaprakasham and Dhwanyalokam under K. Rama Pisharodi to pass Kavya Shiromani examination. Simultaneously, he passed Hindi Visharad examination too. Afterwards, he joined Govt High School Kodakara as a teacher and in 1948, joined Sree Kerala Varma College as its faculty. Subsequently, he had a short stint at Madras Christian College, too, before joining Mathrubhumi in 1952 as a member of its editorial board where he stayed until he was selected as the founder director of Kerala Bhasha Institute in 1968. After his superannuation from the institute in 1975, he rejoined Mathrubhumi as the chief editor; he also worked with Kunkumam weekly for a short while.

Warrier was married to Lakshmikutty Warasyar of the Palakkattu Kattukulath Puthan Warriath family, the marriage taking place in 1948, and the couple had 3 daughters, Usha, Parvathy and Vani, all of them medical doctors. His death came on 12 October 1989 in Kozhikode at the age of 73. He was the author the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award winning Gandhiyum Godseyum, a poem where he positioned Mohandas Gandhi and Nathuram Godse in various situations in the post-independent India for commenting on the socio-political state of affairs. Besides other poetry anthologies like Kochuthomman and Kalidasante Simhasanam, he also wrote literary criticisms such as Vallatholinte Kavyasilpam and a treatise in English, titled A History of Malayalam Metre. He was considered one of the best literary editors of his times. He is also credited with efforts on modernisation of Malayalam language; it was during his time as the head of the Kerala Bhasha Institute, the institute initiated efforts to modernise Malayalam typewriter. Krishna Warrier presided the Kerala Union of Working Journalists and the Sahitya Pravathaka Sahakarana Sangham (SPCS), served as a member of the Sahitya Akademi (advisory committee on Malayalam) and Kerala Sahitya Akademi, held the position of the treasurer of Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad, chaired the Sanskrit Committee of the Government of Kerala and sat in the advisory committee of the Jnanpith Award. Seven years later, he received the 1979 Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award for his book Vallatholinte Kavyasilpam (literary criticism). Kerala Sahitya Akademi honoured him again in 1986 with their Fellowship. He was also honoured by the University of Calicut by awarding him the degree of DLitt.

Two eponymous organizations have been formed in his memory, the N. V. Krishna Warrior Memorial Trust and the N. V. Sahitya Vedi; the former has instituted an annual literary award, the N. V. Krishna Warrior Literary Award while the latter has its own award in the name of N. V. Sahitya Vedi Award. N. V. Krishna Warrior Memorial Trust have also launched a digital archive to conserve Warrier's work online.

Positions held

Teacher – Sanskrit School, Kaladi Teacher – Sanskrit College, Tripunithura Publisher – Swathanthra Bharatham Chief Editor – Mathrubhumi Director – Kerala Bhasha Institute Editor – Kumkumam Editor – Yuga Prabhath. Editor – Akhila Vijnana Kosam President – Kerala Union of Working Journalists President – Sahitya Pravathaka Sahakarana Sangham (SPCS) President – Kerala Sahitya Parishad President – Kerala Sahitya Sammithi Member – Kerala Sahitya Akademi Member – National Book Development Council Member – Official Bhasha Committee.