Civic Chandran Explained

Civic Chandran
Native Name:സിവിക് ചന്ദ്രൻ
Native Name Lang:ml
Birth Name:C. V. Kuttan
Birth Date:5 April 1951
Birth Place:Murikungal, Trichur district, Travancore-Cochin
Occupation:Teacher, writer, editor, activist
Language:Malayalam
Subjects:-->
Spouse:P. Sridevi
Partners:-->
Children:2

Civic Chandran (born 5 April 1951) is an Indian playwright, poet, editor, former Naxalite,[1] social activist and political commentator from Kerala. He is the editor of Patabhedam magazine. He was instrumental in popularising street theatre in Kerala and is a strong critic of Kerala's mainstream left.

Life

He was born on 5 April 1951 in Murikungal village near Kodakara in Trichur district. He was the eldest of four children born to Velappan and Lakshmi. His birth name was C. V. Kuttan.[2] From 1968 to 1981, he worked as a teacher in Wayanad and Eranad. In 1981, he was suspended from the job on charges of Naxalite links. Following the acquittal by the High Court, he returned to teaching in 1991.[2] Now retired, he lives in West Hill, Calicut. He was married to P. Sridevi, who died some years before. There were two daughters from the marriage.[2] [3]

In July 2022, a complaint was lodged against Civic Chandran for sexually assaulting a woman activist.[4] [5]

Career

Civic was a member of the editorial board of Yanan magazine. This magazine was later confiscated by the government. He was imprisoned during the Emergency.[6] He edited an anthology of poems titled Thadavara Kavithakal (Poems from Prison). He notes that political prisoners like him started to write poems in prison as part of survival and resistance.[7]

Civic was the secretary of Janakiya Samskarika Vedi and editor of its mouthpiece Prerana.[8] Civic was instrumental in popularising street theatre in Kerala.[2] The magazines Vakku and Patabhedam were published under his leadership.[2] In 1995, he staged the play Ningal Aare Communist Akki (Who did you make a communist), a counter drama based on Thoppil Bhasi's Ningal Enne Communist Akki (You made me a communist).[9] The play sparked off a storm by taking an unsparing look at mainstream communism, calling it anti-Dalit and patriarchal.[10] The play also led to the Civic Chandran v. Ammini Amma case, a landmark case in Indian copyright law.

Civic is a regular columnist in magazines and newspapers and writes about cultural issues. Civic is a distinct voice in Kerala's cultural arena, often clashing with and opposing the traditional left. He handled columns in Madhyamam and India Today. He is now the editor of Pathabhedam magazine.[2]

Works

Poetry
Plays
Essays
Memoirs

External links

Articles

Notes and References

  1. News: Chronicling a revolution . 13 February 2023 . . 15 October 2015.
  2. Web site: സിവിക്‌ ചന്ദ്രൻ . Puzha.com . 13 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200804023749/http://www.puzha.com/malayalam/bookstore/cgi-bin/author-detail.cgi?code=698 . 2020-08-04 . ml.
  3. News: Anna Bijoy . For the love of transcreation . 13 February 2023 . . 11 June 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190612131552/https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2019/jun/11/for-the-love-of-transcreation-1988584.html . 12 June 2019.
  4. News: Writer Civic Chandran booked on charge of sexual assault . 13 February 2023 . . 17 July 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220717160439/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/writer-civic-chandran-booked-on-charge-of-sexual-assault/article65651443.ece . 17 July 2022.
  5. News: 'Feminist movement in State split over Civic Chandran case' . 13 February 2023 . . 3 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220903165316/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/feminist-movement-in-state-split-over-civic-chandran-case/article65845650.ece . 3 September 2022.
  6. News: P. Venugopal . Remembering Rajan, the Innocent Victim of Brutal Emergency Excesses . 13 February 2023 . . 27 June 2015.
  7. Mini Chandran (2017). The Writer, the Reader and the State: Literary Censorship in India. India: SAGE Publications.
  8. K. Sreejith . Naxalite Movement and Cultural Resistance: Experience of Janakiya Samskarika Vedi in Kerala (1980-82) . . 2005 . 40 . 50 . 5333–5337 . 4417526 . 13 February 2023.
  9. News: Shaju Philip . Civic Chandran: Radical Left thinker and CPM critic, now at centre of sexual assault row . 13 February 2023 . . 18 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220818170929/https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/civic-chandran-sexual-assault-case-bail-cpm-8098403/ . 18 August 2022.
  10. News: M. G. Radhakrishnan . Plans to stage controversial play, Ningal Are Communistakki?, rouse Kerala communists' ire . 13 February 2023 . . 31 August 1995 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230213163924/https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/society-and-the-arts/story/19950831-plans-to-stage-controversial-play-ningal-are-communistakki-rouse-kerala-communists-ire-807665-1995-08-30 . 13 February 2023.
  11. News: 4 December 2017 . സിവിക്കിന്റെ ചോദ്യങ്ങള്‍ സമൂഹത്തെ തട്ടിക്കുടയുന്നു- സാറാ ജോസഫ് . . 13 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230213155447/https://archives.mathrubhumi.com/books/news/civic-chandran-sarah-joseph-mathrubhumi-book-fair-1.2433751 . 13 February 2023.
  12. Web site: . മൗനത്തിന്റെ മുഴക്കങ്ങൾ . . 13 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121220090014/http://www.madhyamam.com/weekly/1680 . 20 December 2012.
  13. Web site: കരിങ്കണ്ണാ നോക്കണ്ടാ . Puzha.com . 13 February 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160404055224/http://www.puzha.com/malayalam/bookstore/cgi-bin/book-detail.cgi?code=1202 . 2016-04-04 . ml.

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