Prof. V. Madhusoodanan Nair was born on 25th February1949 at Aruviyodu a hilly hamlet by the river Neyyar, down south in Neyyattinkara in the district of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Madhusoodhanan Nair imbibed quite early the tradition of many a ritualistic song from K.Velayudhan Pillai, his father, who was a reciter of Thottam Pattu. Soon after securing his M.A he has had a brief stint at journalism before joining St. Xavier’s College, Thiruvananthapuram.

He took to writing poetry while at school and began publishing his pieces only in 80’s. His first collection “Naranathu Bhranthan’ was published in 1992. He is the recipient of Kerala Sahithya Akademy Award, Kunju Pillai Award and K. Balakrishnan Award.

He is well versed in Malayalam, English, Hindi, Sanskrit and Tamil. He has written and rendered lyrics for three Malayalam films and wrote lyrics for Tharangini and Manorama Music.

He is now fully devoting his time to his literary works having retired from the College as the Professor and Head of the Department of Malayalam.






Address
V. Madhusoodanan Nair,
T.C.4.1568,
Devaswom Board Junction.,
Thiruvananthapuram-3,
Kerala.
Ph: 0471-311625
He is married and having three children. He is now residing in Thiruvananthapuram


Education & Research
He completed his M.A. scoring high marks from University College. He passed the translation training course from the State Institute of Languages and did two refresher courses from Academic Staff College, Thiruvananthapuram.

As a part of research he completed a thesis in the subject ‘ The influence of Vedic Metaphors and mythical images in the poetry of Vallathol’

Membership in Cultural bodies
· Member, Advisory Board, central Sahitya Academy, New Delhi
· Member, Kerala Sahitya Academy General Council (2 terms)
· Member, State Curriculum Committee, Government of Kerala
· Managing committee member, Asan Memorial, Thonnakal
· Member (for 3 years), Raja Ram Mohan Roy Library Foundation Planning
· Member, Executive Committee, C.V. National Foundation
· Life Member Drishyavedi, Thiruvananthapuram

Awards
· Sahitya Academy award for poetry in the year 1992
· Asan Award for Poetry – 2003
· Kunju Pillai Award for poetry in the year 1986
· K.Balakrishnan Award for poetry in the year 1990
· R.G. Mangalom Award –2003
· Souparnikatheeram Prathibhapuraskaram – 2003
 

Other Activities
For 17 years, out of his 27 years of College teaching experience, he worked as Cadre Professor and Head of the Department.He worked as the Resource person to Academic Staff College, Thiruvananthapuram and Advisor and Expert to SCERT. He has served as guest faculty for Post Graduate courses in the Institute of Distance Education, University of Kerala, Post Graduate classes in the Affiliated Colleges, Training Colleges, DIET, Literacy Programmes and Adult Education, Institute of Management in Government, Thiruvananthapuram.He was the consultant in IGNOU and was the examiner in the School of Drama, Thrissur.He is presently the member of the Editorial Board of ‘History of Malayalam Literature’ of Sahitya Academy, New Delhi and Convenor, Editorial Board, Vivekodayam, Asan Memorial, ThonnakalHe worked as Translator – Sub Editor in the State Institute of Languages for 1 year, Veekshanam Daily for three years and Keralam desam-Kumkumam group of journals.He has also served as the Guest director and script writer of Cultural and Educational programmes in Doordarsan, AIR and other visual media.

Membership in Boards of studies

He is the Member in the Board of studies of Mahatma Gandhi University, Manonmanium Sundaranar University and University of Kerala.

Membership in cultural bodies

He was the member of the Kerala Sahitya Academy and Advisory Board of Malayalam Central Academy, Executive member of Asan Memorial, Thiruvananthapuram and Planning Board member of the Rajaram Mohan Ray Liberary foundation.

Seminars and workshops-convened and directed

1. Convenor, National Seminar, Sahitya Academy, 1995

2. Director, Poetry Workshop, Field publicity, Wynad

3. Director, Poetry workshop, Field Publicity, Kozhikode

4. Director, Poetry workshop, Sahitya Academy

5. Has been working as the convenor of workshops and seminars, Kerala Sahitya Academy

6. Director, Literary workshop, Department of Backward Classes.

Translation Training Camps

He participated in Translation workshop conducted by South Indian Languages society and the National workshop on translation, conducted by Central Sahitya Academy, New Delhi
Books Published

1. Naranathu Bhranthan (Poetry) D.C. Books [The best seller in India. 22 editions in 8 years]

2. Gandharvam (Poetry) D.C. Books

3. Eliotum Richardsum (Criticism) State Institute of Languages

4. Asia Kanmunpil (Sociological) State Institute of Languages

5. Science Nikhantu (Lexical) State Institute of Languages

6. Nadodi Vignanam (Folk lore of Kerala) (Kerala Vignanakosam)

7. Budhivikasam (Special education) Kanmani Publishers


Treatises Published

1. Poetic Languages of Kumaran Asan (Presented in National Seminar, New Delhi)

2. Poetry and Secular Vision of Asan (Presented in a Seminar in London)

3. Progressive Nationalism of Vallathol (Vallathol Memorial Lecture, Kalamondalom)

4. Language, Milieu and the poet: on Ezhuthachan (Thumjan Prabhasham, Thiroor)
5. Development of Poetic language of Malayalam (Seminar, South Zone Cultural Centre at Thiroor)

6. Malayalam of the Future [Kerala University jubilee seminar]

7. Need for a new Vedic Dictionary (Seminar on Lexicography)

8. The evolution of Vac and Images-Its Indian Concepts (Paper for Texas University)

9. Lipi Parishkaram (Seminar Paper, Language Institute and Lexicon)

10. ‘How words are coined by the poet’ (Seminar paper, Lexicon)

11. The Characters of C V (C V Foundation Lecture)

12. Aesthetics and Spirituality (Paper in ‘Mathavum Chinthayum’)

13. Ubaid: The poet and the Man (Ubaid Memorial Lecture, Kasaragod)

14. Music and Literature (Lecture, Department of Music, University of Kerala)

15. Sopanam and Folk Music in Kerala (Lecture delivered in Sooryakanthi Fine Arts Society)

16. The Diachronic change of the meaning of Malayalam words (Vijnanakairali)

Other essays

About 40 essays on literature, culture, linguistics, folk songs, mythology, Vedic lore, tantra, Music and 9 introductions to poetic works and fine arts.

Participation in International and National Meets

He represented Kerala in a Literary Seminar in London, Cultural-Literary Seminar and Poets’ Meet of the Orissa Government in Bhuvaneswar, Poets’ Meet and Cultural Seminar of the south zone Cultural Centre, Madras and Tanjore.

He represented Kerala Sahitya Academy in the Literary seminar in Mumbai

He participated in the National seminar in New Delhi, organized by Central Sahitya Academy

He inaugurated Literary Seminar, Keynote Address, Language in the new Millennium, participated spoke in the cultural meeting of 10th FOKANA Convention, Chicago, USA and the MSLAN Annual meeting in Detroit, USA.

He has visited United Kingdom, USA, UAE, Bahrain, Doha, Oman And Kuwait.

Audio poetry-cassettes-To propagate classical and modern poetry

1. Own poetical works, composed and sung in 7 volumes

2. Poetry of Vayalar Rama Varma, 6 volumes (composed and sung)

3. Poetry of Changampuzha, 2 volumes (composed and sung)

4. Poetry of Vylopillil, 2 volumes (composed and sung)

5. Poetry of Kumaran Asan, 2 volumes (composed and sung)

6. Poetry of Sree Narayana Guru, 2 volumes (composed and sung)

7. Children’s poems, 2 volumes (composed and sung)

8. Harinama Keerthanam, 1 volume (sung)

9. Jnanappana, 1 volume (sung)

10. Amruthavani, 1 volume (Qran verse-composed and sung)

11. Adhythma Ramayanam, 1 volume