A former bureaucrat, K Jayakumar is a poet, lyricist, screenwriter and painter. He has written over 350 songs for nearly 120 Malayalam films and large number of songs for albums, television and radio. He has also written and directed a children’s film. As an artist, he has held 17 solo exhibitions in India and abroad. He has authored 39 books in Malayalam, and eight in English. His translations of Tagore (Gitanjali), Kahlil Gibran and Rumi into Malayalam are well acclaimed. In 2021, he received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Overall Contributions, and Asian Poetry Prize besides several other awards for his song lyrics, translation works, poems and public service/service for language. As an artist, he has held nearly 20 solo exhibitions in India and abroad.
A former Chief Secretary of Kerala, he has also served as the founding Vice-Chancellor of Malayalam University, Tirur, Kerala (2012-2017). He is currently Director, Institute of Management in Government, Kerala.