Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangham (Progressive Arts & Literary Organisation), also known as the PuKaSa, is an organization of artists, writers, and art and literature enthusiasts based in Kerala. [1] The association was formed on August 14, 1981, under the leadership of Malayalam poet Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon. [2]
Malayalam cinema is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Malayalam language, which is widely spoken in the state of Kerala and Lakshadweep islands of india. Malayalam cinema includes the commercial film industry, sometimes known as Mollywood, as well as independent cinema made in Malayalam.
Pandit Kumar Gandharva, originally known as Shivaputra Siddharamayya Komkalimath was an Indian classical singer, well known for his unique vocal style and for his refusal to be bound by the tradition of any gharana. The name, Kumar Gandharva, is a title given to him when he was a child prodigy; a Gandharva is a musical spirit in Hindu mythology.
Paliath Achan or Paliyath Achan is the name given to the male members of the Paliam family, a Nair/Menonroyalfamily from the Indian state of Kerala who ruled over Chendamangalam, Vypin, parts of Thrissur and regions that were under the erstwhile Kingdom of Villarvattom. The family had palaces and forts in these regions but their primary residence remained in Chendamangalam. The Paliath Achans were given the role of hereditary Prime ministership of the Kingdom of Cochin by the Kochi Maharajah.
Shaji Neelakantan Karunakaran, better known as Shaji N. Karun, is an Indian film director and cinematographer. His debut film Piravi (1988) won the Caméra d'Or – Mention d'honneur at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. He was the premiere chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, the first academy for film and TV in India and was also the executive chairman of the International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) from 1998 to 2001. He is best known for his award-winning films Piravi (1988), Swaham (1994), Vanaprastham (1999) and Kutty Srank (2009). He won the National Award for Best Director for his debut film Piravi. He also won two Kerala State Film Awards for Best Director for his films Swaham and Vanaprastham. Currently, he is the Chairman of Kerala State Film Development Corporation.
Karthika Menon, better known by her stage name Bhavana, is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Malayalam films, in addition to Kannada and Tamil films.
Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon was an Indian poet of Malayalam literature. Known for his works such as Kudiyozhikkal, Kannikkoythu and Mambazham, Menon was the founder president of the Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangham, an organisation of Kerala-based artists, writers and art and literature enthusiasts. He was a recipient of several honours including Sahitya Akademi Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Poetry, Vayalar Award and Odakkuzhal Award.
Mullamangalath Parameshwaran Bhattathiripad, commonly known as M. P. Bhatathirippad or Premji, was a social reformer, cultural leader and actor from Kerala state, India. Premji joined Yogakshema Sabha and worked with V. T. Bhattathiripad, E. M. S. Namboodiripad and his brother M. R. Bhattathiripad in the fight against the casteism and conservatism that existed in the Nambudiri community. Premji was also a noted stage and film actor who won the National Film Award for Best Actor for the film Piravi.
Malayalam poetry is poetry written, spoken, or composed in Modern, as well as Old and Classical, Malayalam.
The Kerala State Film Award for Best Director is an honour presented annually at the Kerala State Film Awards of India since 1969. It is given to a film director who has exhibited outstanding direction while working in the Malayalam film industry. Until 1997, the awards were managed directly by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the Government of Kerala. Since 1998, the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, an autonomous non-profit organisation functioning under the Department of Cultural Affairs, has been exercising control over the awards. The recipients are decided by an independent jury formed by the academy. They are declared by the Minister for Cultural Affairs and are presented by the Chief Minister.
Alappat Sreedhara Menon, known as A. Sreedhara Menon, was an Indian historian from Kerala. He is best known as the State Editor (1958–68) of Kerala District Gazetteers (1961–1975). He served as registrar of the Kerala University from 1968 to 1977, before retiring in 1980.
K. Srilata is an Indian poet, fiction writer, translator and academic based in Chennai. Her poem, In Santa Cruz, Diagnosed Home Sick won the First Prize in the All India Poetry Competition in 1998. She has also been awarded the Unisun British Council Poetry Award (2007) and the Charles Wallace writing residency at the University of Sterling (2010). Her debut novel Table for Four was long-listed in 2009 for the Man Asian Literary Prize and released in 2011.
The culture of Hyderabad, also known as Hyderabadi Tehzeeb or Dakhini Tehzeeb, is the traditional cultural lifestyle of the Hyderabadi Muslims, and characterizes distinct linguistic and cultural traditions of North and South India, which meet and mingle in the city and erstwhile kingdom. This blending was the result of the geographic location of the region and the variety of historical dynasties that ruled the city across different periods—its inception by the Qutub Shahi dynasty in 1591 AD, the occupation by the Mughal Empire and its decline, and the patronage under the Asaf Jahi dynasty.
Poovankery Francis Mathews is an Indian author of Malayalam literature and a screenplay writer in Malayalam film and Television industries. A Winner of a National Film Award for Best Screenplay and multiple State television and other literary awards including the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Novel and Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Story, he is known for his original style of writing. Literary works such as Muzhakkam, Kadalinte Manam, Adiyalapretham, Iruttil Oru Punyalan, and Chaavunilam and screenplays such as Sararaanthal, Mikhayelinte Santhathikal, Megham, Kutty Srank and Ee.Ma.Yau are his major works.
Nikhila Vimal is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Malayalam and Tamil films, in addition to Telugu films. After appearing in a minor role in Bhagyadevatha (2009), her lead role came in Love 24x7 (2015).
St. Albert's HSS is a boys school at Banerji Road in Kochi, India. It was popularly known as St. Albert's High School till 1998, when it was upgraded to a higher secondary school. It is the oldest boys school in Kochi. It has 1800 students and 85 teachers and non teaching staff on a five-acre (2.0 ha) campus.
M. R. Raghava Varier, also M. R. Raghava Warrier, is an Indian epigraphist and historian, formerly a Professor at the University of Calicut, from Kerala. He currently lives in Cheliya, Edakkulam-Koyilandi in Kerala. Varier is generally considered as left historian by political analysts.
KRG Studios is an Indian film production and distribution company based in Bengaluru, India. It primarily deals with the production and distribution of Kannada-language and non-Kannada films across Karnataka.
K.A. Gunasekaran was an Indian Dalit folklorist, theatre personality, and the first Dalit playwright in Tamil Nadu. He made significant contributions to the field of Tamil literature, theatre, and folklore, addressing the issues faced by marginalized communities, including Dalits, tribal people, transgender people, and other backward classes.
Raza Foundation is a Delhi-based non-profit organisation dedicated to arts, culture and ideas. It was established in 2001 by the Indian painter Sayed Haider Raza, the foundation creates venues for diverse artistic expressions by promoting conversations through presentations, panel discussions, concerts, and theatre. It has been hosting events such as publications, seminars, lectures, concerts, recitals, and art exhibits, with a focus on the younger generation.