The birth centenary celebrations of English professor ‘Shakespeare’ K. Velayudhan Nair will be held here on October 20, 2012. The maiden ‘Shakespeare Velayudhan Nair Award’ will be presented to poet O.N.V. Kurup at the function. T.K.A.Nair, Advisor to the Prime Minister, will present the award. Former Principal of the Kollam S.N. College V. Vijayaraghavan will preside. N. Peethambara Kurup, MP; M.A. Baby, MLA; M. Pareeth Pillai, Lok Ayuktha; the former Chief Justice of the Gujarat High Court K. Sreedharan; the former editor of Janayugam Thengamam Balakrishnan and the former Karnataka Minister J. Alexander will attend the function.
It was his mastery over the plays of Shakespeare and his teaching skills that earned Professor Velayudhan Nair the appellation ‘Shakespeare’ Velayudhan Nair. He was also instrumental in organising the private college teachers in the State. His teaching life spanned around 40 years. Professor Velayudhan Nas#mir began his teaching career at the Sacred Heart’s College, Thevara, in 1945 and then moved on to St. Albert’s College, Ernakulam. In 1950, he joined Sree Narayana College, Kollam, and also served at the SN College, Kannur, from 1961 to 1964. He returned to Kollam SN College in 1964 and retired in 1971 as principal of the SN College Chempazhanthy. Professor Velayudhan Nair had been a member of the Kerala University Senate for six years. He passed away in September 2004 in Kollam. His students include poets Changampuzha Krishna Pillai, O.N.V. Kurup, Thirunellur Karunakaran, and Puthussery Ramachandran; Swamy Chinmayananda; former Union Minister C.M. Stephen; and M. Pareeth Pillai
