G. Devarajan

Paravoor Govindan Devarajan (Malayalam: പരവൂര്‍ ഗോവിന്ദന്‍ ദേവരാജന്‍), popularly known as G. Devarajan or Devarajan master, was a Malayalam music composer. He is considered one of the best music composers for Malayalam movies.

He has scored music for more than three hundred Malayalam films, many dramas, and twenty Tamil and four Kannada movies. Many of his compositions remain ever green classics in Malayalam. His music in the Tamil film Annai Velankanni has received many accolades. Devarajan received Kerala Government's Best Music Director award five times, among other honours.

Early life

Born at Paravur, Kollam district in Kerala, Devarajan performed his first classical concert at the age of 18. He was soon attracted to the Communist movement and decided to dedicate his creative energy to popular music. He joined the once famous drama troupe of Kerala, the Kerala People's Arts Club (KPAC). The work that brought him to the limelight was the drama song titled "Ponnarivaal ambiliyil kanneriyunnoole", written by his friend O. N. V. Kurup and composed and sung by himself. KPAC and its members had a distinctive leaning towards the communist ideology, and their dramas played a role in spreading the ideology among the Keralite masses. Through his compositions, Devarajan would cast an indelible imprint in the Malayali theatre arena, especially after the famous KPAC drama Ningalenne Communistaakki, written by Thoppil Bhasi in 1952.