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Malayalam is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was designated a "Classical Language of India" in 2013. Malayalam has official language status in Kerala, Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé), and is also the primary spoken language of Lakshadweep and is spoken by 35 million people in India. Malayalam is also spoken by linguistic minorities in the neighbouring states; with a significant number of speakers in the Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada districts of Karnataka, and Kanyakumari, Coimbatore and Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu. It is also spoken by the Malayali Diaspora worldwide, especially in the Persian Gulf countries, due to the large populations of Malayali expatriates there. They are a significant population in each city in India including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune etc. Malayalam is closely related to the Tamil language.
Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puduchery, is one of the six classical languages of India. Malayalam literature comprises those literary texts written in Malayalam, a South-Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala. The first travelogue in any Indian language is the Malayalam Varthamanappusthakam, written by Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar in 1785. Malayalam literature has been presented with 6 Jnanapith awards, the second-most for any Dravidian language and the third-highest for any Indian language.
Indian poetry and Indian literature in general, has a long history dating back to Vedic times. They were written in various Indian languages such as Vedic Sanskrit, Classical Sanskrit, Ancient Meitei, Modern Meitei, Telugu, Tamil, Odia, Maithili, Kannada, Bengali, Assamese, Urdu, and Hindi. Poetry in foreign languages such as English also has a strong influence on Indian poetry. The poetry reflects diverse spiritual traditions within India. In particular, many Indian poets have been inspired by mystical experiences. Poetry is the oldest form of literature and has a rich written and oral tradition.
Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan was a Malayalam devotional poet, translator and linguist. He was one of the prāchīna kavithrayam of Malayalam literature, the other two being Kunchan Nambiar and Cherusseri. He has been called the "Father of Modern Malayalam", the "Father of Modern Malayalam Literature", and the "Primal Poet in Malayalam". He was one of the pioneers of a major shift in Kerala's literary culture. His work is published and read far more than that of any of his contemporaries or predecessors in Kerala.
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References
- ↑ Menon, A. Sreedhara (2007-01-01). Keralacharithram (in Malayalam). DC Books. ISBN 978-81-264-1588-5.
- ↑ Menon, T. K. Krishna (1990). A Primer of Malayalam Literature. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 978-81-206-0603-6.
- ↑ Nair, Puravarikkal Krishnan (1973). ഉണ്ണിച്ചിരുതേവീചരിതം: പാഠപരിശോധനചെയ്തു പരിഷ്ക്കരിച്ചത് (in Malayalam). Kr̥ṣṇannāyar.
- ↑ Tarakan, Ke Eṃ (1990). A Brief Survey of Malayalam Literature: History of Literature. K.M. Tharakan.
- ↑ Malayalam Literary Survey. Kerala Sahitya Akademi. 1977.
- ↑ സോമൻ, പി (2001). ദേവദാസികളും സാഹിത്യചരിത്രവും (1 പതിപ്പ്.) (in Malayalam) (1st ed.). Thiruvananthapuram: പ്രഭാത് ബുക്ക് ഹൗസ്.
- ↑ admin. "ഉണ്ണിച്ചിരുതേവീചരിതം". Keralaliterature.com. Retrieved 2023-02-20.