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V.R. Prabodhachandran Nayar also popularly known as VRP Nayar (born August 04, 1938) is a Phonetics and Linguistics  expert. He took his PhD in these areas from the School of Oriental and African Studies in the University of London under a Common Wealth scholarship scheme in 1967. He has a long stint of carrier of 47 years as a reputed teacher, contributed to the society through diverse roles such as a composer and poet , writer  , patron of arts  , educationist and organizer.

Professional carrier
VRP Nayar commenced his professional career in 1959 when he was 20, as a Lecturer in Malayalam in the South Travancore Hindu College Nagercoil (Kanyakumari District, Tamilnadu), the then southern-most college in India. This stint helped him have exposure first to colloquial Tamil and in due course, to the language and literature in Tamil. Concurrently he progressed with his PhD program as a part-time Research Scholar under the guidance of Dean Professor / Dr PK Narayana Pillai, in the Department of Oriental Studies, University of Kerala. He was the first recipient of University Grants Commission’s Junior Research Fellowship in the Faculty of Oriental Studies in the University. In May 1963 he joined as the only Lecturer the University’s newly established Department of Linguistics and in 1965 submitted his PhD thesis entitled Descriptive Grammar of Krishnagatha- with Index. In 1967 Dr Nayar was granted a Commonwealth Scholarship for research in Phonetics and Linguistics at the School of Oriental and African Studies in the University of London. His studies in London overshot their stipulated aims, in the sense that he successfully completed another thesis called Malayalam Verbal Forms – A Phonetic and Phonological Study Supported by Experimental Findings which fetched him his second PhD. During this period of research he could make a study tour of a number of libraries and speech-laboratories in the UK as well as in France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Rejoining his parent Department in Thiruvananthapuram, Dr Nayar was promoted as Reader and subsequently as Professor and in 1981 as Chair-Professor, which position he held till his retirement in 1998. Simultaneously he served on several occasions in the following positions also:  Member /  Chair,   Board of Studies in Linguistics;  Member /  Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies; Director of the International Center for Kerala Studies;  Member of the Advisory Committee for the Oriental Research Institute and Manuscripts Library and the Department of Malayalam Lexicon; the first Vice-Chairman of the Council Monitoring the Choice – based Credit and Semester System, introduced for the first time in any University in Kerala. During his tenure as Professor of Linguistics in the University of Kerala, Dr Nayar organized a number of Seminars, Symposia, Conferences and Workshops at the regional, state and national levels (FN) and successfully completed several Research Projects (FN). After his retirement from the University of Kerala, Dr Nayar served the following institutions as a Visiting Professor and in various capacities as presented here:

Publications
Malayalam
 * Vivarthhanaththinte Bhaashaasaasthrabhuumika  (Translation -  Its Background Linguistics), State Institute of Languages, TVPM (SIL) 1974

English
 * Svanavijnjaanam (Phonetics), SIL, 1980
 * Lookabhaashakal ( The World Languages)DC Books, 1987
 * Ezhuththinte katha (The Story of Writing or the Letter), The Institute of Children’s  Literature, TVPM 1996
 * Malayalam Malayaaliyolam (Malayalam as Much as the Malayaali) SIL, 1999
 * Cherusseri (A literary biography of the author of Krishnagatha), Department of Publications, University of Kerala 1999
 * Uchchaaranam nannaavaan (For Improvement in Pronunciation) SIL 2000
 * Sailiibhamgikal (The Beauties of Style) SIL 2003
 * Harinaamakiirththanam (Annotated edition of the famous 16th century hymn) Thunchan Smaraka Samithi, TVPM-9, 2009
 * Bhaashaasaasthradrshtiyiluute (From the View point of Linguistics), SIL 2009
 * Draavidabhaashakal (Dravidian Languages Translation from English of MS Andranov’s original book in Russian)SIL 1975
 * Vivarththanchinthakal (Thoughts on Translation. Anthology of edited seminar papers, Current Books, Kottayam, 1994
 * Samgrihiitha-Sabdathaaraavali (Abbridged version of a famous dictionary in Malayalam called Sabdathaaraavali) SIL 1999
 * Chittappetuththiya kathhakalippadangal (Notated Kathakali songs: An anthology of 20 select pieces with introduction and notes) Keralakalamandalam 2004
 * Malayalam ezhuththum achchatiyum oru stail pusthakam (Malayalam Writing and Printing – A Style Book ) SIL
 * SriLalithaasahasranaamasthothram – (Annotated Edition with an introduction)Thunchan Smaaraka Samithi, TVPM-9, 2011
 * Bhaashaasaasthranighantu ( A Dictionary of Linguistics) SIL 2012


 * Malayalam Verbal Forms – Phonetics and Phonology of Colloquial Malayalam, with Experimental Findings, Dravidian Linguistics Association,TVPM 1972


 * Malayalam: A Linguistic Description, National Research Publications, Kazhakuttam TVPM 1973


 * Malayalam for Beginners, Swantham Books, TVPM-10; 1999


 * Kathakali Texts in Translation (in Phillip B Zarrilli: Kathakali-Dance Drama Where Gods and Demons Come to Play 2003)


 * Vidyarambham CD for Malayalam Self - Study (2001)
 * Vision, insights and Innovation (Report of the Calicut University Commission, 2000)


 * Many books and hundreds of technical papers and popular articles in English and Malayalam on Linguistics, Phonetics  and Performing Art forms. (vide details: www.vrpnayar.com)

Awards

 * Dr. K Godavarma Memorial Gold medal (1959)
 * Commonwealth Scholarship for post doctoral resarch at the School of Oriental and African Studies, univ. of London(1967)
 * IC Chacko Award of the Kerala Sahitya Akademy, for the best book in scientific literature (Swanavijnaanam) (Citation) (1981)
 * CL Antony Award of the Trissur Sahridaya veedi (Citation) (1998)
 * MKKNayar Award of the MKKNayar Memorial Cultural Institute, Pakalkuri (Citation) (2002)
 * NV Krishna Variar Award for scientific literature (2011)
 * Sakthi Thaayaatt Award for scientific literature (2011)
 * Professor CP Menon Award for scientific literature (Citation) (2013)
 * (Mukunda Raajaa) Smriti Puraskaaram of Kerala kalamandalam 2014 November 9)