About the Poet

 

Born in 1938, into the Thevarmannil family, my father, K. T. Krishna Variar (aka K. K. Variar) was fortunate to grow up in the rustic, wooded countryside of Karamoola, which lies nestled in rugged terrains in the hinterlands of Kumaranellur, Mukkam, Kozhikode. His childhood was enriched and his muse inspired by the abundant verdure of this region and the bountiful river (Iruvazhinjippuzha) that surrounded it.

He began his schooling in Kumaranellur Government Lower Primary School. He completed his BE (Hons.) from Madras University and his ME from Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. He had also received a post-graduate diploma in Management from Derby Institute of British Railways.

Following his studies, he joined the Indian Railway Service and later the Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES). During his tenure with the Indian Railways, he had served as Chief Engineer, Metro Railway, Kolkata, and as Divisional Manager, Southern Railway, Mysore Division. He retired as Chief General Manager, RITES. His career had taken him across the world, including countries in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and the Far East.

For seven years, he was the editor of Pushpabhishekam, a magazine published by Mahalingapuram Temple, Madras. Post retirement, he also did a short stint as General Manager, Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala.

Father started writing and publishing poetry in his teens. He used to be a regular contributor of poetry to the children’s section of Mathrubhumi. Later on, his poetry and articles were featured in many other publications. Recognition for his poetry came in the form of A. P. P. Puraskaram and Venmani Puraskaram. Father left this world on December 3, 2022.

Some of his published works include: പുഴ, ചത്വരത്തിലെ പറവകൾ, കൊച്ചരിപ്പൂക്കൾ, ബലിക്കാക്ക, കടൽപ്പക്ഷി, കുരുക്ഷേത്രം, ശക്തിദുർഗ്ഗ, ധൂർജ്ജടി, ശാപമോക്ഷം, സൗന്ദര്യലഹരി (തർജ്ജമ), ഭാഷാഭഗവദ്‌ഗീത (തർജ്ജമ), ഈശാവാസ്യം (തർജ്ജമ), സ്വാമി അയ്യപ്പൻ.