IANS/Kollam, Kerala
Well-known Malayalam novelist George Varghese Kakkanadan, popularly known as Kakkanadan, died here yesterday morning, his family said. He was 76.Kakkanadan was battling cancer for the past few years. He died at a private hospital in Kollam, 70km from Thiruvananthapuram. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.A multi-faceted personality, Kakkanadan began his career as a school teacher. He later worked with the Indian Railways in Delhi for 10 years but quit to pursue his interest in physics and went to West Germany in 1967.But after a few years of dabbling in physics, he quit his research and shifted full time to writing.He was often credited with laying the foundation of modernism in Malayalam literature and was a recipient of the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award.He authored numerous short stories and novels. Two of his popular works have been made into super-hit Malayalam films.His popular works include Ushnamekhala, Vasoori, Japana Pukayila, Kakkanadante Priyakathakal and Saakshi.Kakkanadan, known for his trade mark flowing hair, had a huge fan following.