C. V. Raman Pillai

Cannankara Velayudhan Raman Pillai(C.V.Raman Pillai) (Malayalam:സി.വി. രാമന്‍പിള്ള) (May 19, 1858- March 21, 1922) was one of the great Indian novelists and playwrights and the greatest novelist and pioneering playwright and journalist in Malayalam. He is often called and known as C.V.

Early life

Born in Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), capital city of the erstwhile native State of Travancore, on May 19, 1858 to Neelakanta Pillai, a Sanskrit scholar and Parvathy Pillai, who were both from middle class families and were employees at the Palace of the Maharaja of Travancore. C. V.'s mother, Parvathi Pillai, was a scion of an ancient matriarchal family. Her matriarchal ancestral family abode, was called Cannankara, the "C" in C.V. Named Raman and fondly called Ramu by near and dear ones, the boy had a traditional Sanskritized education, early in life, under his father's tutelage which included lessons in Ayurveda and even magic and Tantra. When he was 12 years old, under the patronage of Sri Kesavan Thampi,great grandson of Raja Kesava Das, a former great Dewan of Travancore, and Kaaaryakkaar (Manager) of Bhajanappura Madhom Palace, residence of the heir-apparent to the throne of the then Travancore State, Raman entered the first English school in Thiruvananthapuram and later graduated from H. H. Maharaja's College in Thiruvanathapuram, the first-ever College in Travancore, and at the end of a brilliant academic career under European...
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