T. Padmanabhan was born on 5 February 1931[5] in a family of poor financial means at Pallikunnu near Kannur, in the south Indian state of Kerala to Puthiyidath Krishnan Nair and Devaki (Ammukutty) as the youngest of their four children.[6] His father died when he was only a few months old and it was his mother and the eldest brother who looked after him during his childhood.[7] He completed his school education from Chirakkal Raja's High School, and did his college studies at Mangalore Government Arts College, before graduating in law from Madras Law College (now known as Dr. Ambedkar Government Law College, Chennai) to start his practice in Thalassery and Kannur courts.[8] By this time, he had already established himself as a budding writer and M. K. K. Nair, a known arts enthusiast and the then chairman and managing director of FACT,[9] invited him to join the company. Padmanabhan served FACT in different capacities including that of the head of Materials Division to superannuate from service as its Deputy general manager in 1989[10] during which time he had a number of legal tussles with the company after M. K. K. Nair left FACT in 1971.[11]
Padmanabhan was married to Kallanmarthodi Bharghavi[10] who died in 2014 and the couple had no children.[5] He lives a retired life in Kannur.[11] His major works include Prakasham Parathunna Oru Penkutty, Oru Kathakrithu Kurishil, Makhan Singhinte Maranam, Veedu Nashtapetta Kutti, Kalabhariavan, Nalinakanthi, Sakshi, Sayvinte Naya, Gouri and Kadal.
Legacyedit
What appeals most to his readers in all his early and recent stories is the lyrical quality of the language and the aesthetics of his perceptions, especially in the portrayal of loneliness and helplessness, writes K. Ayyappa Panicker, about T. Padmanabhan, in his book A Short History of Malayalam Literature.[12]
Padmanabhan started writing at the age of 19[13] and has written over 190 short stories[6] of which Prakasam Parathunna Oru Penkutty (The Girl Who Spreads Radiance, 1955), Oru Kathakrithu Kurishil (A Story Writer being Crucified, 1956), Makhan Singhinte Maranam (The Death of Makhan Singh, 1958), Kala Bhairavan, Gouri (1993) and Maraya (2017)[14][15][16] are some of his major works.[17] He has also written a book, Ente Katha, Ente Jeevitha (My Story, My Life)[18] which is a compilation of some of his essays and articles, an interview and an afterword by Pinarayi Vijayan.[19]
Padmanabhan, whose stories have been translated in almost every Indian languages[10] and foreign languages such as Russian, French and English.[20] has been credited with bringing the modern Malayalam short story nearer to the subjective intensity of the lyric.[21] His stories are known to have emerged, portraying an individualistic idiom, when Malayalam literature was rife with repeated depiction of romantic idealism and social commitment.[22]
His short story "Gauri" was adapted into a musical and was broadcast by Doordarshan in 1992;[23] the story was also made into a film the same year by Kaviyoor Sivaprasad.[24] Another of his stories, Gaadha, was taken up by the award-winning director/cinematographer, Shaji N. Karun, in 2016 but the film was never released.[25]
^"MG University D.Litt notification" (PDF). www.mgu.ac.in. 8 August 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
^"Mahatma Gandhi University Honorary Doctorate for M.A. Yusuff Ali". www.emiratespr.com. 12 February 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
^ ab"Mahatma Gandhi University honours T Padmanabhan, MA Yusuff Ali". Deccan Chronicle. 14 December 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
^"2023-ലെ കേരള പുരസ്കാരങ്ങൾ പ്രഖ്യാപിച്ചു; ടി. പത്മനാഭന് കേരള ജ്യോതി". Mathrubhumi. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
^ abTerms UP Malayalam (6 April 2016). "T Padmanabhan – a documentary". YouTube. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
^ ab"ടി പത്മനാഭന്...മലയാള കഥയുടെ കുലപതി". Deshabhimani (in Malayalam). Retrieved 13 April 2019.
^MediaoneTV Live (15 September 2013). "T.Padmanabhan-Prakasham Parathunna Ezhuthukaran". YouTube. Archived from the original on 19 December 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
^"കഥയുടെ എഴുത്തച്ഛൻ". ManoramaOnline. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
^"Biography of Eminent Nairs". www.nairs.in. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
^ abc"T. Padmanabhan – a Lifesketch". Mathrubhumi. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
^ absharulfilms (21 November 2013). "Kannur Peruma – T PADMANABHAN". YouTube. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
^K. Ayyappa Panicker (November 1977). A Short History of Malayalam Literature. Information & Public Relations Department, Kerala State. pp. 114–115.