Biography of Vallathol

(Born: 16 October 1878, Tirur - Died: 13 March 1958, Kerala)

there are very few people outside Kerala who know Malayalam but who do not know the name of Vallathol. What Rabindranath Tagore has done for the Bangla literature the same can be said about Vallathol about his contribution to the Malayalam literature.

He was born on October 16, 1878, in Northern Kerala. From the beginning, he had an interest in writing Sanskrit and Malayalam poetry. But, at the age 32, he lost his hearing capability and after that he started taking the help of his friends for all his works.

He wrote a poem 'Badhira Vilapam' in which he described about the helplessness of a deaf person. He translated the Puranas' in Malayalam and wrote 'Chitrayogam', 'Magadalana Mariam'.

Vallathol was also a great nationalist. He wrote many poems in which he urged the youth to come forward and strengthen the national movement. At the age of 75, he completed the translation of the 'Rigveda'. Almost 79 books were written by him. Vallathol died in 1958.