Thoppil Bhasi
| Thoppil Bhasi | |
|---|---|
Thoppil Bhasi
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| Born | Thoppil Bhaskara Pillai 8 April 1924 Vallikunnam, Alappuzha |
| Died | 8 December 1992 (aged 68) |
| Occupation | Playwright, Script writer, Film Director |
| Language | Malayalam |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Notable awards | Kerala Sahithya Academy Awards, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Academy, Professor N Krishna Pillai Award, SovietLand Nehru Award |
| Spouse | Amminiamma |
| Children | 4 sons – Ajayan, Soman, Rajan and Suresh, and daughter Mala . |
Thoppil Bhasi (8 April 1924 – 8 December 1992) was a Malayalam playwright, screenwriter, and film director. He was associated with the communist movement in Kerala and his play Ningalenne Communistakki (You Made Me a Communist) is considered to be a groundbreaking event in the history of Malayalam theatre.
Born Thoppil Bhaskara Pillai, on 8 April 1924 at Vallikunnam in Alleppey district, Kerala, Bhasi was the eldest son of Thoppil Parameshwaran Pillai and Nanikkutti Amma.
His elementary education was at the SNDP Sanskrit School, and later on at the Sanskrit School, Changankulangara, from where he graduated in the Sanskrit Shastri course. Knowing fully well his desire to learn indigenous medicine, his father had him enrolled at the Ayurveda College, Thiruvananthapuram. It was here that he spearheaded the Students' Agitation that led to installing many of the facilities and rights enjoyed by the current generation of students at the College of Ayurveda. He also graduated securing the Top Rank in the Vaidya Kalanidhi Examination.
His deep and enduring friendship with Kambisseri Karunakaran that extended through all spheres of their lives, also saw them at the forefront of some of the most significant political agitations in central Kerala. Once a staunch supporter and activist of the Indian Congress party, Thoppil Bhasi soon distanced himself from the same on matters of principles and found his direction in the neo movement of Communism via the Communist Party of India. He was associated with the communist movements that took place in Kerala during the 1940s and 1950s. Branded a Subversive and a Wanted Man by the government, he was on the run and went underground during the period of 1948–52, as a top priority suspect in the infamous Sooranad Incident, with a Rs 1000 bounty on his head. He was later acquitted, and went on to contest the first Panchayat elections in Kerala. He won, becoming the first president of the Vallikunnom panchayat. He was elected twice to the state assembly contesting the State elections, from Bharanikkavu in 1954 and Pathanamthitta in 1957.
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