They pay a rich tribute to their beloved poet

Thiruvananthapuram: Art and poetry aficionados in the capital were in for a visual treat at Bharath Bhavan where various cultural programmes were organized to celebrate the 80th birthday of

poet

Vishnu Narayanan Namboothiri on Monday.

Artists, disciples and family members of the maestro came together to organize cultural events such as recitation, Kathakali, group discussions in a day-long event titled ‘Asheethi: Celebration of poet Vishnu Narayanan Namboothiri’. A galaxy of dignitaries including novelist George Onakkoor, poet Prabha Varma, poet and activist Sugatha Kumari, Kathakali maestro Nelliyodu Vasudevan Namboothiri, writer Sreedevi Kakkad and poet V Madhusoodanan Nair were also present at the venue.

Namboothiri, whose works are known for its amalgam of tradition and modernism, is a recipient of top honours including Padma Shri, Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award and Odakkuzhal Award.

“He is an excellent poet, a great adviser, a nature lover, cultural leader, a humble human being, moreover an elder brother to me. He is a Vedic scholar, who has knowledge in Indian and Western classics. Although he has memory loss and is leading a retired life, he recognized me when I visited him recently, which I consider as a blessing,” says Onakkoor.

Sreedevi Kakkad, who was his colleague, said, “In celebrating his accomplishments and life, we are celebrating the human spirit of overcoming adversities and challenges. He is an inspiration and role model to many of his students and disciples because of his way of writing, thinking and speaking. We all pray and wait for his comeback”.

As a part of the event, a book titled ‘Chithrakethu Vijayam’, an ‘attakatha’ written by Sheeravalli V Narayanan Namboothiri (Vishnu Narayanan’s grandfather) was released by Madhusoodanan Nair by presenting the book to K Narayanan Namboothiri. Another book about Vishnu Narayanan’s life, written by his elder daughter Adithi titled ‘Vaikiyo Njan’ was released by Prabha Varma by handing over the first copy to Pramod Payyannur, secretary of Bharath Bhavan.

The day began with musician K Omanakutty lighting the lamp, followed by a recital of ‘Sribadari suprabhatham’ by Bhavana Radhakrishnan.

While offering felicitation to the poet, who was also an acclaimed English professor, Prabha Varma said that honouring the poet was equivalent to honouring our culture, heritage and literature. Sridevi Nair, one of his students and a retired teacher herself said that her teaching career was inspired by the values she imbibed from her teacher.