MALAPPURAM: Novelist and short story writer E Harikumar passed away on Tuesday. He was 77.
He was under treatment for various ailments at his residence at Mundupalam in Thrissur. He died around 12.35am and the cremation was held at the residence at 10am.
He was born on July 13, 1943, in Ponnani to well-known poet Edasseri Govindan Nair and Janaki Amma, who in her early years had written stories and poems and translated Tagore’s ‘Fruit Gathering’ into Malayalam.
For his collection of short stories titled ‘Dinosaurinte Kutti’ (The Dinosaur’s Baby), he won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award in 1988. He received the Padmarajan Award for the short story ‘Pachappayyine Pidikkan’ (To Catch A Grasshopper) in 1997 and Nalappadan Award for the story ‘Sookshichuvecha Mayilpeeli’ (Treasured Peacock Feather ) in 1998.
He bagged Kathapeedam Award for ‘Anithayude Veedu’ (Anitha’s House) in 2006 andKerala State Chalachithra Academy Award for the best story for TV film ‘Sreeparvathiyude Paadam’ (Holy Foot of Goddess Sreeparvathi) in 2012.
Harikumar studied at Ponnani AV High School and Calcutta University. He had worked in various Indian cities since 1961.He published his first story ‘Mazhayulla Rathriyil’, in 1962. He published over 20 books, including ‘Aasakthiyude Agninalangal’, ‘Urangunna Sarpangal’, ‘Engine Drivere Snehicha Penkutti’, ‘Oru Kudumbapuranam’, ‘Thadakatheerathu’, ‘Kochambratti’, and ‘Pranayathinoru Software’.Harikumar is survived by wife Lalitha, son Ajay, brothers Sathish Narayanan, E Madhavan, E Divakaran, E Ashokakumar, and sisters Girija Devi and Usha Ragupathi.
