EDAPPALLY RAGHAVAN PILLAI :( ഇടപ്പള്ളി രാഘവന്‍ പിള്ള)

EDAPPALLY RAGHAVAN PILLAI

:( ഇടപ്പള്ളി രാഘവന്‍ പിള്ള)

Edappally Raghavan Pillai (30 May 1909 – 4 July 1936) was a romantic Malayalam poet who committed suicide at a young age. He along with his close friend Changampuzha Krishanapillai brought in a new breath of life into the Malayalam poetry of the 1930s. They are considered as Shelly and Keats of Malayalm poetry. Raghavan Pillai has been compared by  Kesari Balakrishana Pllai to Giacomo Leopardi of Italy  Raghavan Pillai's best poem is perhaps Maninadam (The sound of the bells) which he wrote a short while before his death. The farewell song opens by:

                       The tolling bell; It is the sweet knell
                       Of the day of the death; I am coming;
                        Let me say my farewell words
                        To friends who come to see me off

It is believed that the famous Pastroal play Ramanan by Changampuzha is an elegy based on the life and death of his friend Raghavan Pillai. It is a play writtern in the form of verse which captures the loveliness of the landscape of Kerala with its evergreen trees and its numerous rivers. His works:

• Thushara Haaram (1935)
• Nava Saurabham (1936)
• Hridhaya Smitham (1936)
• Maninaadham (1944)
• Edappally Raghavan Pillayude Krithikal

Born in the year 1908, Edappalli Raghavan Pillai is one among the renowned modern  Malayalam poets. Along with Changampuzha Krishna Pillai, he is credited with ushering in a new breath of life into Malayalam poetry of the 1930s. His poetry is lyrical, romantic and melodious and has a unique haunting quality. His poems very often gave explicit expression to the subdued elements of the Vallathol School of poetry. Another remarkable feature of his poems is the close link between nature and the poet. 'Maninadam' is hailed as his best poem.The flow of his creative energy came to an abrupt halt with his suicide in 1936.

Edappally Raghavan Pillai romantic poet of malayalam language wrote this line in his poem "thusharaharam" in 1935. After one year he commited suicide with a agony of refused love and broken heart . He was just 34 years of age and already known as one of the revivors of Malayalam romantic poetry by the great poets and literary enthusiasts.His friend another great poet of the same time Changampuzha Krishna Pillai wrote an pastoral elegy Ramanan, based on Raghavan Pillai unsuccessful love story. Ramanan was told in the form of verses and went on to become a hit and later it was made a movie. Ramanan is also used as textbook in Kerala University.

A struggling kid growing up in the British India then, Raghavan Pillai`s mother ended her lie herself as to escape from the painful life of Cancer.His father remarried and the step mother was harsh on him. During schooling he went to tay in one of his relatives house and took part time tuition for school kids. There he met this girl and fell in deep and passionate love with his own student. When world start talking about their love, Romance was considered a taboo in the society. He was thrown out from the home he was staying and the girl’s wealthy family opposed this relation. Later he went on to stay with an aquaintance of the girl he loved, a lady doctor in Trivandrum, Dr. Parukuttiamma. He worked in many newspapers and went on to publish his first literary presetation THUSHARAHARAM.The Literary enthuiasts welcomed this book warmly and he got accepted in the literary world. In 1936 July 4th was a day of great loss for malayalam literature. That was the day on which Raghavan Pilla`s lady love was married to another man against her will.Or should we say that is the day Raghavan pillai wrote the poem MANINADAM(The sound of Bell). Or should we say that is the day Raghavan pillai showed his commitement to love by comitting suicide. All these happened the same day. When the wedding bells were on and the same moment his girl was married to another man, Raghavan pillai hanged himself. He was wearing wedding dress and garlands on his last journey. To my friends and foes ...this was the heading he wrote for his adeus letter. He was remembered as a shy man with a delicate and sensitive in heart by many of his friends. That could be the reason the parting of his love affected him in a very deep level.

                  "My heart trembles to reach the eternal beauty ...Death."  

                                                    Prof. John Kurakar 

                                              പ്രൊഫ്‌. ജോണ്‍ കുരാക്കാര്‍