KJ Baby

KJ Baby was a writer cum director in the Malayalam industry. He was born on 27^th February 1954 in Kannur. While he was doing his higher secondary, his family shifted to Wayanad. Baby was married to Shirley, a college professor, and had two daughters, Geethi and Shanthi.

Baby was a social activist and took part in cultural activities during the 1970s. In 1994, along with his wife, Shirley, Baby founded a school for the tribal children, Kanavu. The same year, he was honoured with the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award. He is also the recipient of the Bharat Bhavan Award. In 2003, Baby debuted as a director with the film Guda, which spoke about the Kattunayakar tribe.

Nadugaddika, Mavelimantram and Bespurkana are some of his famous novels. Mavelimantram is the first Malayalam anthropological fiction. He penned the song, Kaadu En Veedu, Wayanad. This is famous among the people in the Wayanad region. Kunhimayan Enthayirikkum Paranjath is the last drama penned by Baby. It was based on Kunhimayan, a farmer who died in Trichy jail in 1857 during British rule.  In 2019, Baby wrote a novel, Goodbye Malabar, and this is his last novel.

His wife Shirley died in 2021. Her sudden demise affected Baby and he was seen in a depressed state. KJ Baby was found dead near his house in Wayanad on 1st September 2024.