Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, commonly known as Thakazhi because, naturally, people love shortcuts, made quite the name for himself as a Malayalam novelist and short story writer from 1912 to 1999. His literary playground? The not-so-cheerful lives of the oppressed classes. Those works of his didn’t just spin tales; they were practically history lessons in disguise. Thakazhi whipped up a banquet of fiction comprising several novels and the dizzying count of over 600 short stories. Among his crowning achievements? The not-so-subtly named Kayar from 1978 and the seafood classic Chemmeen, which even got a film spin-off in '65. Toss in the prestigious Jnanpith award in 1984, and it’s clear he wasn’t just anybody with a pen
