SreeNarayanaGuru

[manu]

Kumaran Asan was born on April 23, 1873 at Kayikara, a Coastal Village, 40 km north of Thiruvananthapuram, in an untouchable Ezhava Community of a cultured Hindu by Narayan Perukuti and Kaliamma. “Narayan Perukuti was a great scholar in Malayalam and Tamil literature as well as the local classic music, Sopana Sangeetham", says C.O. Kesavan.[1] Because of this, Kumaran Asan has more chance to enjoy Kathakali and music from his birth onwards.



He started his education at the age of seven under the local scholar, Thundatil Asan. In the following year, he started to learn Sanskrit under Guru Vdayamkudi Kochuraman Vidyan. He did the Sidharupa to Magham under him.. After the age of eleven he joined in second standard at Government School, Kayikara. He passed the fourth stan­dard in 1887. He continued his Sanskrit Studies under Manamboor Govindan Asan for four years. At that time, he used to practice the knowledge of the Mahakavyas, Dramas, Champus, Alankara Satras, etc. Afterwards, he started his career as an accountant, teacher and a priest in a small temple named Velayudan Nada Temple nearby his home



Sri Narayana Guru was a great revolutionary social reformer of that time. Kumaran Asan has been influenced by his thoughts and reforms. In 1891, he joined with him at Aruvipuram Ashramam where he learned Bhakti Marga and Tamil. In 1895, Sri Narayana Guru sent him to Bangalore for higher education on Sanskrit. He joined in Sri Chama Rajendra Sanskrit College for Naya Vidyan in Thaka Satra. He continued three years there. But he could not attend the final examination because some students complained the government that he belonged to a lower caste community. In those days non-brahmins were not allowed to study in the college. He left to Madras and studied Sanskrit for a few months. In 1898, he left to Calcutta and he was attracted towards the Indian Renaissance Movement led by Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda. In 1900 he returned to Kerala and he associated himself with the formation of the Sri Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) Yogam in 1903. SNDP Yogam awakened the Ezhava Community to fight against the caste system and social evils and to secure political and educational rights for the backward castes. The Ezhava Movement is similar to Akali Movement in the Punjab, the Brahmo Sama j in Bengal and the non-Brahmin Movement in Tamil Nadu.



In 1904, the Yogam started a Monthly Magazine named as Vivekodayam, popularly known as Ezhava Gazette to venti­late the grievances of the backward classes. Kumaran Asan was the Editor of the Journal. In 1913, he became an elected legislative member of Sri Moolam as a representative of SNDP Yogam. He married Bhanumathi in 1918. In 1920 he resigned the post of the Secretary of SNIP Yogam and joined as a Legislative Member of Travancore Government. The British King, Vaise honoured him and gifted the ring and silk shawl in 1922. In 1924 January 16, he was killed by a Boat acci­dent on Pallana River at the age of fifty one.



Literary works of Kumaran Asan are follows in chronology:



1901 Published Sivastotramala

1901 Published a poem, Veenapoov

1901 Published a poem, Oru Singha Prasavam

1911 Published Nalini

1914 Published Leela

1915 Published Sri Budha Charitham

1916 Published Balaramayam

1918 Published Grama Vrikhathilay Kuyil

1919 Published Prarodhanam and Chinthavishtayaya Sita

1922 Published a collection of short poems, Pushpavadi, two long poems, Dhuravastha and Chandalabhishuki

1923 Published Karuna

1924 Published a collection of short poems, Manimala

1901 Published a collection of short poems, Vanamala