Biography of Govind Shankar Kurup | Jnanpith Award to Mahakavi G - Padma Bhushan - First poem of Govind Shankar Kurup

Biography of Govind Shankar Kurup:

G. Shankara Kurup, also known as Mahakavi G, was an Indian poet, essayist, and literary critic of Malayalam literature. He was born on June 3, 1901, in Nayathode, a hamlet in the erstwhile Kingdom of Cochin (now in Ernakulam district of the south Indian state of Kerala) to Nellikkappilli Variyath Sankara Warrier and Vadakkani Marath Lakshmikutty maarasyar. He was the first recipient of the Jnanpith Award, the highest Indian literary honor. He served as a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha from 1968 to 1972 and received the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest Indian civilian award, in 1967. He was also a recipient of Sahitya Akademi Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award, and Soviet Land Nehru Award.

Biography of Govind Shankar Kurup

Sankara Kurup published his first poem, called Salutation to Nature in 1918, while still a student and his first poetry anthology, Sahitya Kouthukam, was published in 1923. He was a prolific writer and his works include more than 40 original and translated works in Malayalam literature, including poetry, essays, translations, and literary criticism. His most famous work is Odakkuzhal (Flute), a collection of poems published in 1950.

Sankara Kurup passed away on February 2, 1979, aged 76, at Vappalassery, near Angamaly in Ernakulam district, Kerala, succumbing to the trauma following a surgery.