Thanjavur Paramasiva Kailasam was a playwright and prominent writer of Kannada literature. His contribution to

Kannada theatrical comedy earned him the title Prahasana Prapitamaha, "the father of humorous plays" and later he was also called

"Kannadakke Obbane Kailasam" meaning "One and Only Kailasam for Kannada".Kailasam was born in a Tamil family in southern Karnataka,

India. His father, T. Paramasiva Iyer, was employed as munsif in the Mysore state service and progressed to become the Chief Justice

of the Mysore High Court. His father's brother was the Madras High Court judge, Sir T. Sadasiva Iyer.

Kailasam had a good education and was supported by the Maharaja of Mysore to study geology in London. Kailasam repeated several classes

to have an excuse to extend his stay in England. He spent six years in school there, participating in theatre whenever possible.

Kailasam dictated most of his plays to his friends. they used to be a mix of English and Kannada. Sometimes Telugu, Malayali and Tamil too.

The conversations were coloquial and Kannadigas enjoyed his plays. He made them laugh. Also they were the mirrors of the society and occured

in their daily life. The pains and pleasures, their daily struggles all made people to admire his writings. Successful Plays Written by T. P. Kailasam

Plays written by T. P. Kailasam came to be widely read for the humour if not for the significance of their social criticism. More than

in the construction of plot, the genius of Kailasam is seen in the brilliant wit and humour that shine through his dialogues; but there

is an over-flowing under-current of serious thought that adds to the significance of the play. These characteristics, typical of Kailasam,

could be seen in plays like Ammavra Ganda, that provided parallel pictures of two house-holds, Talikattokkidine, that provided parallel

pictures again, of the ways of a god-fearing traditionalist family with the ways of a dishonest sophisticated family; Bandvalvillada Badayi and Home Rule scathingly parodying artificial town-life: Nam Clubbu, poking fun at high-brow fashions: Nam Brahmanike, exposing the hollowness of the claims of our priesthood and Huttadalli Hutta,

picturing the urban phenomenon of the exploitation of the dull by the clever.