Narendra Prasad | |
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Born | 26 December 1946 Mavelikara, Travancore, British India |
Died | 3 November 2003 Kozhikode, Kerala |
(aged 56)
Occupation | College professor, actor, author |
Spouse(s) | Nanda (deceased) |
Children | 2 |
Parent(s) | V. Raghava Kurup, P. Janaki Amma |
Narendra Prasad (26 December 1946 – 3 November 2003) was a popular Indian actor, playwright, director, teacher and literary critic. He was born at Mavelikara, Alappuzha District, in the south Indian state of Kerala.
He studied at N.S.S College , Pandalam, for Pre-University and for his degree (in Mathematics).He moved to Institute of English, University of Kerala for his post-graduation in English Language and Literature. A voracious reader in Malayalam and English, Narendra Prasad distinguished himself as a potential man of letters even as a degree student. He used to take part in the Malayalam and English literary discussions, debates and competitions organised at the college and university levels, and won prizes. His play Souparnika won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1985.
Narendra Prasad started his career as a college teacher; he joined Bishop Moore College in 1967 as lecturer in English. He got into government service in 1968, and worked as Lecturer at Government Victoria College, Palakkad, and Govt. Arts College, Trivandrum, and as Professor at University College, Thiruvananthapuram. In 1989 while working as Professor of English at University College, he was selected for the prestigious post of Director, School of Letters of Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam. He continued in this post till his demise. He is survived by his wife,Nanda Prasad, and two daughters Deepa and Divya(Nritha).
Narendra Prasad's love of theatre prompted him to create "Natyagriham", a drama troupe, in the early 1980s. He composed, directed and produced plays for the troupe. Some of those who associated themselves with "Natyagriham" later became great actors in Malayalam films-- 'Bharat' Murali, Gopakumar, Aliyar Kunju and Rashid, to name a few. Kaithapram Damodaran Nambudiri, the noted Malayalam lyricist, used to compose music for the troupe. Sowparnika a play written and directed by him won the Sangeetha Nataka Academy Award in many categories in 1983. It also won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in the year 1985. Other productions include Velliyazcha, Shanidasha, Marthandavarma Engane Rakshapettu, Moonu Prabhukkanmar, Satheerthian etc.