Dr. C N N NAIR A SCHOLAR WITH A MASS APPEAL

As the year 2025 is drawing to a close, Dr CNN Nair left us forever in the morning hours of 26 th December. He was ailing for some time, and he wrote, quoting from a poet: “At my back, I alwayshear Time’s winged chariot hurrying near”. He went in the chariotand left a void that is impossible to fill. And the Mumbai’s literaryworld deeply mourned in unison.He was a man of many parts, a bilingual writer (Malayalam andEnglish) - poet, short story writer, critic, translator, orator,management expert, all rolled into one. With his ElectricalEngineering background, he had migrated to the then Bombayand pursued his higher education – took a string of Degrees inEnglish literature and aesthetics, Psychology, BusinessManagement, Law and finally, a doctorate in English literature.

He joined service as a technical assistant with the OverseasCommunications Service, VSNL, which was later taken over by theTatas. And he retired after 38 years of service, as GeneralManager in the Corporate Office. He was the first one to write three books on the history of telecommunications in India – “TheStory of India’s Overseas Communication” released in 1988 by the then Union Minister Vasant Sathe, “Back to the Dots” released in1996 by the then Union Minister Beni Prasad Verma, and “TheStory of Videshsanchar” in 2003 by the Tata group ChairmanRatan Tata. He was felicitated on these occasions with scroll ofhonour and shawl.“A Bed of Roses” (Bhishma Pitah’s reflections), “Sankara Sagaram”(English translation of poet Krishnan Parappally’s poetic work onJagadguru Shankaracharya’s life, and English translation of SreeNarayana Guru’s “Daiva Dasakam”, are some of his English books.Besides, his Malayalam works include “Bhaktimanjusha”,“Baalyam Deptham” (memoirs), “Shirdi SaibabayudeVachanangal” (great sayings), “Chiranjeevi”, a drama based oncritical introspection and internal conflicts of Vibheeshana inRamayana. He has translated a number of English/Greek stories in to Malayalam. “The Enchanting stories from East and West”was getting ready for publication.

He was a regular writer in the Malayalam mainstream media. A prolific writer, he used to contribute his articles and stories to all publications from and around Mumbai. As an orator, he used to entertain and enlighten his audience with his wit and wisdom. He was editor of “Vishala Keralam”, a popular Malayalam magazine from Mumbai and also convenor of Mumbai Sahithyavedi, a forum for literary discussion,for a few years. A Sanskrit scholar and well versed in all poetic works, he was a regular participant in all Aksharaslokam (Poeticrecitation game) competitions.

What gained him a lot of plaudits was his one-page graphical presentations; e.g. `Tides of the Times’ depicted the history of English literature from AD 1200 to 2000 on one page, with all cross-references. Similarly, “11,000 years of India’s History” in six parts, “Malayala Bhasha Tharangangal” (linguistic and socialhistory of Malayalam from AD 800 to 2005), “Evolution of Sikhism” (history from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh), “India’s Cultural Heritage” (lineage from Soma/Chandra vamsha,including the epics), and “Ramayana Graph” (from Brahma to Lav-Kush). Similar graphical charts were prepared for the Greek classics like The Iliad and The Odyssey, Oedipus, Italian poetVirgil’s Aeneid, etc. Prior to his retirement to Bengaluru, he donated most of his collection of books and the graphical charts to the college of Sree Narayana Mandira Samiti, Mumbai, and some,to the Borivli Malayali Samajam. Researchers and students will find them quite useful. He was a patron for all young and aspiring writers in Mumbai. He has travelled abroad extensively. Among the many awards and recognitions bestowed on him, Mumbai Sahithyavedi’s first VT Gopalakrishnan award, FAIMA’s Award of Excellence in Aesthetics, Award of Appreciation by Zoroastrian College, Life-time Achievement Award from Nair Samskarika Samiti (Mumbai),UN Millennium Goals – Silver Jubilee Award, stand out.

He was born on 6 th March 1942, at Ettumanoor in Kottayam district of Kerala. M K Neelakantha Pillai and N P MadhaviAmma were his parents. Smt. Gourikutty Amma, his life-partner, is a made-for-each other soul and is well known for her hospitality. He once wrote: “But for her whole hearted cooperation and support I could not have pursued my higher studies and engaged in writing.” Their children Anjali and Ajit are settled abroad with their families. It is a matter of providence that both of them were at his bedside when he breathed his last.Despite his standing and the achievements, he was humble and cooperative; his erudition did not weigh on him in interacting with others, especially the common man. As a trustee of Indian Development Foundation, he was at the service of the sick and the needy.In Dr CNN Nair’s demise, Mumbai’s literary world has lost an erudite litterateur and a fine social being. And personally, for me,he was more like an elder brother and a friend at the same time. He was always open with me on any issue; he once wrote: