Oyyarathu Chandu Menon

Oyyarathu Chandu Menon (popularly known as O. Chandu Menon) (1847–1899) was a Malayalam language novelist. He is the author of Indulekha, the first major novel in Malayalam published in 1889. Chandu Menon was born on 9 January 1847 in Oyyarath house near Naduvannur in the present day Kozhikode District. His family moved to Thalassery when he was an infant. Chandu Menon got his first lessons from Koran Gurukkal, one of his neighbors. He learnt Sanskrit poetry, drama and grammar from Pandit Kunjanbu Nambiar. About the same time, he received English lessons from a local school and later from K. Kunjan Menon. He had higher school education in the Basel Evangelical Mission Parsi High School in Thalassery. While studying there he is reported to have qualified for the uncovenanted Civil Service by securing a high rank in the test for that Service. In 1857, his 52 year old father died due to diabetes. In 1864 his mother died when he was in the matriculation class and he was forced to abandon studies.