V. R. Prabodhachandran Nayar

V.R. Prabodhachandran Nayar
V R Prabodhachandran Nayar receiving Mukundaraja Smriti Puraskaaram of Keralakalamandalam (2014 November 9)[1] from His Excellency the Governor of Kerala Justice P Sadasivam in the presence of Kerala State Minister of Cultural Affairs Sri KC Joseph and the Vice-Chancellor of Keralakalamandalam Shri. P.Suresh
Born	(1938-08-04) 4 August 1938 North Paravoor, EranakulamDistrict, Kerala, India
Residence	India
Nationality	Indian
Fields	Reputed Teacher Linguistics[2] with specialization in Phonetics theory and practice of translation and Malayalam studies educationist[3] scholar[4] speaker writer composer-cum-poet[5] patron of arts[6][7][8][9][10][11] organizer
Institutions	Kerala Kalamandalam Central University of Kerala University of Wisconsin–Madison Calicut Universitycommission Center for Developing Advanced Computing and for Imaging Technology, Trivandrum kutiyattam Center of the Central Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi Samskrithi, a multinational organization, promoting Kerala's heritage in classical music. Vivekananda Cultural Institute, TVPM Thunchan Smaaraka Samithi,TVPM Ezhuthachan National Academy, TVPM Kilippaattu monthly, TVPM Indian Council for Cultural Relations, TVPM Center Projects Review & Steering Group of the Dept of Information and Technology, Ministry of Communication & Information Technology,Govt of India.
Alma mater	Government English High School, N Parvoor BSc, studying Botany, Chemistry, English and Malayalam undergoing the program in the Union Christian College, Aluva , MA degree in the Malayalam Language and Literature in 1959, studying in the University College, Thiruvananthapuram PhD degree in Malayalam Studies from the University of Kerala (1967) PhD degree is in Phonetics and Linguistics (1970), completing the course work in the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
Known for	Erudition and Expertise in Linguistics[12] and Phonetics[13]
Notable awards	Dr. K Godavarma Memorial Gold medal (1959) Commonwealth Scholarship for post doctoral research at the School of Oriental and African Studies, university of London (1967) IC Chacko Award of the Kerala Sahitya Akademy, for the best book in scientific literature (Swanavijnaanam)1981 (Citation) CL Antony Award of the Trissur Sahridaya veedi 1998(Citation) MKKNayar Award of the MKKNayar Memorial Cultural Institute, Pakalkuri 2002 (Citation)[14] NV Krishna Variar Award for scientific literature 2011 Sakthi Thaayaatt Award for scientific literature 2011 Professor CP Menon Award for scientific literature 2013 Mukundaraja Smriti Purasakaaram of Keralakalamandalam(2014)

V. R. Prabodhachandran Nayar (also spelled Prabodhachandran Nair), popularly known as VRP Nayar, is a Phonetics^[15] expert of Kerala. He is the pioneer in the study of the phonology of the Malayalam language.^[16][17][18] Apart from phonology, he is also interested in syntax and stylistics.^[19]

Professional career

VRP Nayar commenced his professional career in 1959 when he was 20, as a Lecturer in Malayalam in the South Travancore Hindu College Nagercoil (Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu), the then southern-most college in India. He retired as Head of the department of Linguistics, University of Kerala, Trivandrum, in August 1998. However he is active as a teacher and was working as a Visiting Professor-cum- Coordinator, at Department of Linguistics, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod during the years 2012 and 2013. Association with South Travancore Hindu College,^[20] helped him have exposure first to colloquial Tamil and in due course, to the classical language and literature in Tamil. Concurrently he progressed with his PhD program as a part-time Research Scholar under the guidance of Dean Professor / Dr PK Narayana Pillai, in the Department of Oriental Studies,^[21] University of Kerala. He was the first recipient of University Grants Commission (India)'s^[22]’s Junior Research Fellowship^[23] in the Faculty of Oriental Studies in the University. In May 1963 he joined as the only Lecturer in the University’s newly established Department of Linguistics and in 1965 submitted his PhD thesis entitled Descriptive Grammar of Krishnagatha^[24], one of the oldest and classic poetic works by the legendary Malayalam poet Cherusseri Namboothiri. In 1967 Dr Nayar was granted a Commonwealth Scholarship for research in Phonetics and Linguistics at the School of Oriental and African Studies in the University of London. His studies in London overshot their stipulated aims, in the sense that he successfully completed another thesis called Malayalam Verbal Forms^[25][26]– A Phonetic and Phonological Study Supported by Experimental Findings which fetched him his second PhD. During this period of research he could make a study tour of a number of libraries and speech-laboratories in the UK as well as in France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Rejoining his parent Department in Thiruvananthapuram, Dr Nayar was promoted as Reader and subsequently as Professor and in 1981 as Chair-Professor, which position he held till his retirement in 1998. Simultaneously he served on several occasions in the following positions also: Member / Chair, Board of Studies in Linguistics; Member / Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies; Director of the International Center for Kerala Studies;^[27] Member of the Advisory Committee for the Oriental Research Institute and Manuscripts Library and the Department of Malayalam Lexicon; the first Vice-Chairman of the Council Monitoring the Choice – based Credit and Semester System,^[28] introduced for the first time in any University in Kerala. During his tenure as Professor of Linguistics in the University of Kerala, Dr Nayar organized a number of Seminars, Symposiums, Conferences and Workshops at the regional, state and national levels and successfully completed several Research Projects. After his retirement from the University of Kerala, Dr Nayar served the following institutions as a Visiting Professor and in various capacities as presented here:

Publications

Malayalam

• Vivarthhanaththinte Bhaashaasaasthrabhuumika (Translation - Its Background Linguistics), State Institute of Languages,^[41] TVPM (SIL) 1974
• Svanavijnjaanam^[42] (Phonetics), SIL, 1980
• Lookabhaashakal^[43] ( The World Languages)DC Books, 1987
• Ezhuththinte katha^[44] (The Story of Writing or the Letter),The Institute of Children’s Literature,^[45] TVPM 1996
• Malayalam Malayaaliyolam^[46] (Malayalam as Much as the Malayaali) SIL, 1999
• Cherusseri (A literary biography of the author of Krishnagatha^[47]), Department of Publications, University of Kerala,1999^[48]
• Uchchaaranam nannaavaan^[49] (For Improvement in Pronunciation) SIL 2000
• Sailiibhamgikal^[50] (The Beauties of Style) SIL 2003
• Hari Nama Keerthanam (Annotated edition of the famous 16th century hymn) Thunchan Smaraka Samithi,^[51] TVPM-9, 2009
• Bhaashaasaasthradrshtiyiluute^[52] (From the View point of Linguistics), SIL 2009
• Draavidabhaashakal^[53] (Dravidian Languages Translation from English of MS Andranov’s original book in Russian)SIL 1975
• Vivarththanchinthakal^[54][55](Thoughts on Translation. Anthology of edited seminar papers, Current Books, Kottayam, 1994
• Samgrihiitha-Sabdathaaraavali^[56] (Abbridged version of a famous dictionary in Malayalam called Sabdathaaraavali) SIL 1999
• Chittappetuththiya kathhakalippadangal^[57] (Notated Kathakali songs: An anthology of 20 select pieces with introduction and notes) Keralakalamandalam 2004
• Malayalam ezhuththum achchatiyum oru stail pusthakam^[58](Malayalam Writing and Printing – A Style Book ) SIL
• SriLalitasasahasranaamasthothramliteral explanation for Lalita Sahasranamam – (Annotated Edition with an introduction)Thunchan Smaaraka Samithi, TVPM-9, 2011
• Bhaashaasaasthranighantu^[59] ( A Dictionary of Linguistics) SIL 2012

English

• Malayalam Verbal Forms^[60] – Phonetics and Phonology of Colloquial Malayalam, with Experimental Findings, Dravidian Linguistics Association,TVPM 1972
• Malayalam: A Linguistic Description,^{[61][62][63][64]} National Research Publications, Kazhakuttam TVPM 1973
• Malayalam for Beginners, Swantham Books, TVPM-10; 1999
• Kathakali Texts in Translation (in Phillip B Zarrilli: Kathakali-Dance Drama^[65] Where Gods and Demons Come to Play 2003)
• Vidyarambham CD for Malayalam Self - Study (2001)
• Vision, insights and Innovation (Report of the Calicut University Commission, 2000)

Awards

• Dr. K Godavarma Memorial Gold medal (1959)
• Commonwealth Scholarship for post doctoral research at the School of Oriental and African Studies, univ. of London(1967)
• IC Chacko Award of the Kerala Sahitya Akademy, for the best book in scientific literature (Swanavijnaanam) (Citation) (1981)
• CL Antony Award of the Trissur Sahridaya veedi (Citation) (1998)
• MKKNayar Award of the MKKNayar Memorial Cultural Institute, Pakalkuri (Citation) (2002)
• NV Krishna Variar Award for scientific literature (2011)
• Sakthi Thaayaatt Award for scientific literature (2011)
• Professor CP Menon Award for scientific literature (Citation) (2013)
• (Mukunda Raajaa) Smriti Puraskaaram of Keralakalamandalam 2014 November 9)

See also

• Dravidian Linguistics Association
• Dravidian Languages

References

• http://www.getcited.com/mbrz/11124027
• https://books.google.com/books?id=4Q6Ay5VNGrIC&pg=PR10&lpg=PR10&dq=V+R+Prabodhachandran+Nair&source=bl&ots=4Kt92XygY