Thirunainar Kurichi Madhavan Nair
Thirunainar Kurichi Madhavan Nair (16 April 1916 – 1 April 1965) was an Indian poet, novelist and lyricist who worked in Malayalam cinema. He also served at the Travancore Radio Station in Trivandrum, which later merged with All India Radio. Between 1951 and 1965 he wrote over 300 film songs, many of which became popular. He and music director Brother Lakshmanan formed a famous composing duo in the 1950s and 60s.
Born in Thirunainarkurichi near Colachel (then part of Travancore; now in Tamil Nadu), he was the son of Raman Nair and Narayani Pillai. His father died when he was young. After studying in Trivandrum and his hometown, he worked as a teacher in Colachel. He married Ponnamma and had a daughter named Jayashree.
As a writer, Madhavan Nair produced several novels and dramas in the 1950s and 1960s. His novel Maina was adapted into the film Kattumaina. Other works include Paricharika, Pension Kunnu, Grama Seema, Kadamakalkkuvendi, Sarva Sakshi, Cheriya Valiyavan and Mayadevi. His famous songs include "Athmavidyalayame" from Harishchandra (1955) and "Ishwara Chinthaithonne Manujanu" from Bhakta Kuchela (1961). Most songs were tuned by Br. Lakshmanan and sung by Kamukara Purushothaman.
He died of cancer in Trivandrum on 1 April 1965 at the age of 48. His tharavad is about 180 years old and still stands in Thirunainarkurichi.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 12:15 (CET).