P. C. Devassia facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mahakavi Prof. P.C. Devassia
Born	(1906-03-24)24 March 1906
Died	10 October 2006(2006-10-10) (aged 100) Nalanchira, Trivandrum, Kerala
Nationality	Indian
Education	M.A. (Malayalam) M.A. (Sanskrit)
Occupation	University Professor
Known for	Indian Sanskrit scholar and writer
Notable work	Kristubhagavatam Girigita

Plakkiyil Chacko Devassia, known as Mahakavi P. C. Devassia, was a brilliant scholar and poet from Kerala, India. He lived from March 24, 1906, to October 10, 2006. He was famous for his deep knowledge of Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language.

In 1980, he won the important Sahitya Akademi Award for Sanskrit for his epic poem called Kristubhagavatam. He also received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for all his amazing work in Malayalam literature.

Early Life and Background

P. C. Devassia was born on March 24, 1906. His family, the Plakkiyil family, was a well-known Eastern Catholic family. They belonged to the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church.

He was born in Kudamaloor, which is in the Kottayam district of what was then the Kingdom of Travancore in British India.

His Education Journey

P. C. Devassia loved learning from a young age. He went to different schools and colleges to gain his knowledge.

School and College Studies

• He started his education at the Government Primary School in Kudamaloor.
• He attended St. Ephrem's High School in Mannanam from 1916 to 1924.
• He then completed an Intermediate Course at CMS College Kottayam from 1925 to 1927.
• He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of Fine Arts Trivandrum between 1927 and 1929.

Advanced Language Studies

In 1937, he achieved a Master of Arts degree from the University of Madras. He specialized in two important languages: Sanskrit and Malayalam.

Learning Sanskrit Deeply

P. C. Devassia studied Sanskrit in a very traditional way. He learned from many famous teachers.

He learned the basics of Sanskrit from Sri. Mathu Asia. He studied Kavyas (poems) and Natakas (plays) from Sri. Panthalam Krishna Warrier. He also learned Vedas (sacred texts), Upanishads (philosophical texts), Champus (mixed prose and poetry), and Dharma Sutras (rules of conduct) from Sri. Venkitarama Sharma. For grammar (Vyakarana), he learned from Sri. Rama Poduval.

His Career as a Professor

P. C. Devassia spent many years teaching at different colleges. He was a respected professor of languages.

• From 1931 to 1945, he was a Lecturer in Malayalam at St. Thomas College, Thrissur.
• He then became a Senior Lecturer in Oriental Languages at Sacred Heart College, Thevara (1945-1958).
• Later, he was a Professor of Malayalam at Mar Ivanios College in Thiruvananthapuram from 1958 to 1966.

After he retired in 1966, he received a special fellowship. This allowed him to translate a huge Sanskrit epic called Kathasaritsagara by Somadeva into Malayalam.

Important Roles and Activities

P. C. Devassia held many important positions throughout his life. He helped shape literature and education in Kerala.

• He was the Secretary for a big conference of the Kerala Sahithya Parishad in 1938.
• He served as Vice President of the Kerala Chitrakala Samithy in 1941.
• He was a member of committees that decided on textbooks for Malayalam.
• He was also on the Board of Examiners for Malayalam at several universities.
• He helped guide studies in Malayalam and Sanskrit at various universities.
• He was a delegate to the Fifth World Sanskrit Conference in 1981. There, he gave a speech in Sanskrit about epic poems written by people from Kerala.

His Literary Works

P. C. Devassia was very active in writing and publishing. He wrote many different types of works in both Malayalam and Sanskrit.

Editing and Contributions

• He was one of the editors for Keralam, a literary magazine published from 1932 to 1934.
• He was also the Managing Editor of Jayabharatham, another Malayalam magazine, from 1949 to 1970.
• He wrote many articles, essays, short stories, and poems.
• He translated well-known books from English and Sanskrit into Malayalam.
• He gave many talks and read poems on the radio for several years.

His Hobbies

Besides writing, P. C. Devassia also enjoyed art. His hobbies included portrait painting and sculpture. He painted portraits of famous people like Rabindranath Tagore and John Henry Newman in the early 1930s. These paintings are still kept at St. Thomas College, Thrissur.

List of His Publications

P. C. Devassia published many books. Here are some of his notable works.

Works in Malayalam

• Bharata Shilpikal (1952) - This book contains biographical sketches of important Indian figures.
• Balanagaram (1953) - A translation of the book Boys Town.
• Pathimoonnu Kathakal (1955) - A collection of 13 short stories.
• Rajaneethi (1959) - His translation of Niccolò Machiavelli's famous book, The Prince.
• Kala Sourabham (1971) - A collection of his essays on arts and literature. This book was used as a textbook in several universities.
• Katha sarith sagaram (1978) - A complete translation of Somadeva's epic Kathasaritsagara into Malayalam.
• Marubhoomiyile Garjitham (1995) - A short poem about the assassination of John the Baptist.

Works in Sanskrit

• Janakeeya Kavyam (1948) - A satirical poem written in Sanskrit.
• Kristubhagavatam (1977) - This was the first epic poem in Sanskrit that told the life story and teachings of Christ. It won the National Sahitya Akademi Award in 1980.
• Karshaka geetham - His translation of Vallathol Narayana Menon's poem Karshakante paattu into Sanskrit.

Awards and Honors

P. C. Devassia received many awards and titles for his contributions to literature and scholarship.

Major Awards Received

• The Maharani Sethu Parvathibhai Award (1979).
• The National Sahitya Akademi Award (1980) - This is one of India's highest literary honors.
• The Award of Visva Samskrita Prathishtanam (1981).
• The Award for Samagra Sambhavana (Total Contribution) from the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (1993).
• The Sree Sankara Award of Kaladi Sanskrit University (1996).

Special Titles Obtained

• Panditaratnam (Jewel among Scholars) - This title was given to him by the Visva Samskrita Pratishtanam in 1981.
• Vidyabhooshanam (Adornment of Knowledge) - He received this title from the Sri Sankara Samskrita Akademi in 1993.