Balakrishnan

V. Balakrishnan was a Malayalam writer, born in the small town of Pala, Kerala, on the 13th of February, 1932. He was prominently known for translating texts in Sanskrit, Malayalam, and English. He also actively participated in the Indian Independence Movement, which resulted in his expulsion from the college. He won many competitions early on in his career. He won first prize in a competition held by the Kerala Dhwani newspaper in 1960, with his short story titled ’Neelakoduveli’. ‘Ithu Nammute Naatanu’ (This is our village), a children’s book, was awarded first prize in a competition held by the Sahitya Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sangam.

In 1962, in a competition held by the Southern Language Book Trust, he won the first prize with his fantastic story about a rogue elephant, ‘Ottayan’, which would later be translated into all the South Indian languages. Balakrishnan was married to Dr. R. Leela Devi, after which they pursued a passion for literature together. According to some sources, the couple shares the same birthday and birth town. In 1967, they compiled the first Malayalam encyclopedia together. He resigned from his job as a high school teacher to pursue his writing endeavors. They kept working together until Leela Devi’s demise in 1998. He wrote ‘Amir Hamsa’, a children’s book with over 500 illustrations.

He has printed over 67 books (approx. 12000 pages) in the children’s literature category. Balakrishnan and Leela Devi coauthored sixteen books relating to the topics of Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity. They also wrote an encyclopedia on Islam. They translated the Sanskrit Vedic works; Vedas, Puranas, Aranyakas, Upanishads, Dharsanas, Mahabharata, Valmiki Ramayana, Devi, and Bhagavata Purana to Malayalam. Balakrishnan passed away on the 2nd of August, 2004, in his birth town.