Ponniam Chandran is a native of Ponniam Chundangapoyil, Kannur, Kerala. He is the son of M. Govindan and M.K. Narayani.

He holds an M.A. in Political Science from the University of Mysore and pursued higher studies in France with a French Government Scholarship. He studied fine arts at the Kerala School of Arts, Thalassery, and received a Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Scholarship while he was an art student.

An accomplished artist, Ponniam Chandran has held 33 solo art exhibitions across different parts of the world. In 2005, he represented India at the World Festival of Youth and Students in Venezuela.

Literary Works

His published works include Women in Indian Painting (essay), K.C.S. Paniker – Art and Life (essay), T.K. Padmini – Art and Life (essay), Latin American Painting (essay), The Hunters’ Manifesto (short story), Emperors of Painting (essay), and the novels Olivujeevitham, Jawahar Ghat, and Khadija.

Awards & Recognition

He received Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Awards for his artwork in 1992 and 1994, and for his book on K.C.S. Paniker in 2013. His other recognitions include awards from Jaycees, Rotary, Adhyapaka Kalavedi, and Adhyapaka Sahithyavedi.

He received the Tagore National Award in 2022 (Bangalore), the Vidyarangam Kala Sahithyavedi Award, the Surendran Memorial Literary Award for Best Short Story, and the Mundassery Award, instituted by the Department of General Education, for his book Women in Indian Painting.

Career & Contributions

His studies and travels have taken him to France, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, Venezuela, Dubai, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Muscat.

He worked as an Art Teacher at Kuthuparamba High School for 33 years. He also served for three years as Secretary of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi and was a General Council Member of Vyloppilli Samskrithi Bhavan and the Kerala Sahitya Akademi.

In addition to his work in visual art and literature, Ponniam Chandran wrote the story and directed the short film Uchakanji.