Thaskaran: Maniyan Pillayude Athmakatha is the autobiography of Maniyan Pilla, prepared by GR Indugopan. Maniyan Pilla had a difficult childhood after his father's death, and had to see their ancestral properties being taken away by their wealthy and powerful relatives. By the age of 20, Maniyan establishes himself as a thief, and becomes well known in his profession by the late 70s. In late 1978, Maniyan absconds to Mysore with his wife and baby, carrying the earnings from his latest adventure. He lives as Salim Pasha at a village near Mysore for a few years, during which he steadily grows into a successful and rich plantation owner. When he is about to file his nomination for the 1983 Karnataka State elections as a Janata Party candidate, his fate takes a turn again; He is caught by Kerala Police, and is sent to jail. He escapes during parole after a few years, and tries to establish a living at a remote place in Tamil Nadu, but is caught again and is sentenced. Today, Maniyan is a man in his sixties, who looks back at the ups and downs of his eventful life with a philosophical mindset.