Plakkiyil Chacko Devassia, often known as Mahakavi P. C. Devassia (24 March 1906 – 10 October 2006), was a Sanskrit scholar and poet from Kerala, India. In 1980 he won the Sahitya Akademi Award for Sanskrit for his Mahakavyam (epic poem ) Kristubhagavatam. He has also received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for his overall contributions to Malayalam literature. Early life Plakkiyil Chacko Devassia was born into the aristocratic Plakkiyil family, who were Eastern Catholics of the Syro-Malabar Church, on 24 March 1906 at Kudamaloor, Kottayam District, Kingdom of Travancore, British India. Education Primary Education : Government Primary School, Kudamaloor. High School Education: St. Ephrem's H.S. Mannanam (1916-1924). Intermediate Course: CMS College Kottayam (1925-1927). Bachelor of Arts: College of Fine Arts Trivandrum (1927-1929). Master of Arts: two languages Sanskrit and Malayalam from University of Madras (1937) Study of Sanskrit He learned the basics of Sanskrit in the traditional way from Sri. Mathu Asia of Olesha; Kavyas and Natakas from the celebrated scholar Sri. Panthalam Krishna Warrier; Vedas, Upanishads, Champus, Dharma Sutras from Vidyabhooshana Sri. Venkitarama Sharma of Trivandrum; and Vyakarana from Vyakaranabhooshana Sri. Rama Poduval of Trissur. Professional career Lecturer in Malayalam at St. Thomas College, Thrissur (1931-1945); Senior Lecturer in Oriental Languages at Sacred Heart College, Thevara (1945-1958); Professor of Malayalam at Mar Ivanios College, Trivandrum (1958-1966); On his retirement in 1966, Devassia received a Fellowship from U.G.C. under which he prepared a complete translation of Somadeva's epic Kathasaritsagara from Sanskrit into Malayalam. Positions held Secretary, the 12th Conference of the Kerala Sahithya Parishad held at Kottayam (1938). Vice President, Kerala Chitrakala Samithy, Trichur (1941) Member, Malayalam Text book committee of the Travancore-Cochin State (1943). Member, Board of Examiners in Malayalam, Universities of Madras, Travancore, Kerala and Calicut. Member, Board of studies in Malayalam of the Universities of Madras, Mysore and Kerala. Member, Board of studies in Sanskrit, of the Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam. Member, Editorial Board of All Kerala Sahitya Parishad magazine (1946). Member, Academic Council, University of Madras (1947). President, Conference of Kerala Kala Parishad held at Tellisseri and Trichur. Member, Advisory Board of Malayalam Encyclopedia of the Govt. of Kerala. Member, Advisory Board of the Dept. of Cultural Publications, Govt. of Kerala. Delegate to the Fifth World Sanskrit Conference held at Varanasi in 1981, where he presented a paper in Sanskrit on "Sanskrit Epics written by Keralites". Chairman, Bhasa Mahotsava Committee, Trivandrum (1994). Literary activities One