- Sambasivan is a person who played a major role in bringing the art of story telling to heights.
- He made the Malayalam minds happy by presenting stories in a beautiful and lively way no matter how many times you listen to them.
- He was born on 4th July 1929 to Melut Velayudhan and Sharada of Chavara Thekumbhaga Naduwathucherry in Kollam district.
- He became a Story Teller at the age of nineteen because of his wish to study at the university after his Primary Education.
- I have a strong wish to do college Education but have no money.”I will tell you a story. Instead, you should help me by giving me money.” These were the introduction words of his first program.
- Even while studying “Devata” by Changampuzha Krishnapilla,He progressed all over Kerala by telling stories as a busy Story Teller.
- In 1963, creating a breakthrough,He staged the play “The Power of Darkness” (Tamashakti) by the great author Leo Tolstoy under the title “Anisya”.
- He left Anisya in the hearts of the fans with his heart-warming Story Telling.
- It is also noteworthy that this experiment was during the peak of his equal storytellers.
- Back then,Keralites did not have the level of Education they have today.
- He made the legendary characters of World literature familiar to us in simple language.
- His performance were heard by tens of thousands of during Festivals, Anniversaries and Political gatherings.
- He performed about 60 stories in more than 15000 venues in half a century.
- He not only make the important stories of the World literature easy to understand by the common villagers but also conveyed the realities of the Indian society of that period through the stories.
- People of Kerala learned Great William Shakespeare’s “Othello” through him.
- He also recited Stories against the hypocrisy,oppression and exploitation of the Indian ruling class at that time.
- The brilliant works of Indian and World literature were told through story and song.
- He also acted as the hero in the film ‘Pallankuzhi’ directed by NM Sreedharan.
- He received Kerala Music and Drama Academy Fellowship in 1980.
- He died on 23 April 1996.
- On 23rd April 2004, during the 8th death anniversary of him, The “Sambashivan Foundation” organization was started.
- With the financial assistance of the Department of Culture, Government of Kerala and under the leadership of Sambasivan Foundation, A memorial has been built for Sambashiva in his native place Chavara,Kollam.
- Chavara South Govt UP School has a children’s park named as Sambasivan memorial. There is also a block named Sambasivan.
sampasivan, sivan,