Kumaranasan
- Kumaranasan was one of the prominent figures in the Kerala Renaissance.
- He was a poet, philosopher, social reformer and disciple of Sree Narayana Guru.
- He was born on 12 April 1873 at Thommanvilakam Veedu in Chirayinkeezhu Taluk of Thiruvananthapuram district.
- His father’s name is Narayanan Perungudi and mother’s name is Kaali.
- His childhood name was Kumaru.
- In 1909 Kumaranasan was appointed as a member in Travancore Legislative Council.
- Kumaranasan met Sree Narayana Guru in 1891.
- Guru sent him to Bangaluru for higher studies.
- There he met Dr. Palpu. Dr. Palpu called Kumaranasan as Chinnaswami.
- In 1917 Asan married Bhanumathiamma, the daughter of Thachakudy Kumaran – younger brother of Padmanabhan, Palpu's father. Bhanumathiamma, who was an active social worker, later remarried after Asan's death.
- He started a printing press, Sarada Books Depot in 1921.
- And he started ‘Union Tile Works’ at Aluva in 1921.
- When Rabindranath tagore visited Sree Narayana Guru at Sivagiriin 1922, Asan translated the dialogue.
- He authored Divyakokilam as a tribute to Tagore.
- Joseph Mundassery called him as ‘Viplavathinte Sukranakshathram’.
- He was the first secretary of SNDP Yogam which was founded in 1903.
- He edited Vivekodayam the mouth piece of SNDP in 1904 along with M. Govindan Nair who was its official editor.
- Kumaranasan was one of the modern triumvirate poets of Kerala.
- He was the only poet in Malayalam who became Mahakavi without writing a Mahakavyam.
- The prefix Mahakavi was awarded to him by the Madras University in 1992.
- It was the Prince of Wales who gave pattu and vala to Kumaranasan.
- He died on 16 January 1924 in Redeemer boat accident at Pallana River in Alappuzha. The spot where Asan met death is known as Kumarakodi.
- The Kumaran Asan National Institute of Culture at Thonnakkal was founded in 1958 in his memory, and includes a small house which he had built on his land.
- Kumaranasan is the first Malayalam poet who was appeared in Indian Postal stamp. (12 April 1973).
- Asan: Navothanathinte Kavi was written by Sankaran Thayattu.
- Asan memorial Prize is a literary aerd instituted in 1958 in his memory.
- The prize was distributed in 1989 and the first winner was N. N. Kakkadu. Second winner was Yusuf Ali kecheri and the first woman winner was Sugathakumari.
Major Works of Kumaranasan
• Sthothrakrithikal (1901)• Saundaryalahari (1901)
• Veenapoovu (1907)
• Oru Simhaprasavam (1909)
• Nalini (Subtitle: Allengkil Oru Sneham) (1911)
• Leela (1914)
• Sribuddhacharitham (1915)
• Baalaraamaayanam (1916)
• Graamavrikshattile Kuyil (1918)
• Prarodanam (1919)
• Chintaavishtayaaya Sita (1919)
• Pushpavaadi (1922)
• Duravasthha (1922)
• Chandaalabhikshuki (1922)
• Karuna (1923)
• Manimaala (1924)
• Vanamaala (1925)
- His first notable work Veenapoovu (The Fallen Flower) was first published in Mitavadi Magazine.
- C. S. Subrahmanyan Potti re-published Veenapoovu in Bhashaposhini.
- He is known as Poet of Love (Snehagayakan) as well as Aasayagambheeran.
- Asan wrote the epic poem Sri Buddha Charitha for which he got inspiration from Light of Asia by Edwin Arnold.
- Kumaranasan’s Prarodanam is an elegy written at the death of A. R. Raja Raja Varma.
- His Duravasta is set against the historical background of Moplah Rebellion.
- His poems Chandalabhikshuki and Karuna were written on Buddhist legends.
- The preface to Asan’s Nalini was written by A R Raja Raja Varma.
