KOLLAM: Kakkanadan was born in Tiruvalla as the second son of George Kakkanadan and Rosamma on April 23, 1935.
The family later moved to Kottarakkara. Artist Rajan Kakkanadan and travelogue writer Thampi Kakkanadan (both deceased) and journalist G Ignatius Kakkanad are his brothers. He has two sisters Ammini, wife of the late P J Solomon ex-MP, and Annie. Kakkanadan began his career as a school teacher and later joined the Southern Railways in 1965. While serving in the Ministry of Indian Railways, he went to Germany in 1967. He returned after a year and courted the world of creative writing. Though Kakkanadan’s father was closely associated with the church, he was a Left sympathiser. Their house in Kottarakkara was a refuge for prominent Communist leaders of the past, who were forced to go hiding. Kakkanadan’s early works were notable for the influence of the Communist movement.
Gradually, his concern for the movement began to wane, as is evident from his novels such as ‘Ushnameghala.’