Kerala   

Honouring a cultural ambassador

N.J. Nair

AUGUST HOUSE: Poet O.N.V. Kurup along with Education Minister M.A Baby, poet Sugathakumari, litterateur Puthussery Ramachandran and singer K.J. Jesudas at a lunch hosted by Swaralaya in his honour in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday. — Photo: S. G opakumar

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It was an august gathering of eminent people from different walks of life that came to felicitate veteran poet O.N.V. Kurup.

Among them were litterateurs, musicians, politicians, bureaucrats and proletarian leaders who have drawn strength from O.N.V.'s verses such as Nammal koyyum vayalellam nammudethakum paingiliye.

The function was organised on Friday by Swaralaya to honour the poet.

Popularly described as the cultural ambassador of the progressive movement in the State, O.N.V. has endeared himself to the people of Kerala through his poetry and songs.

The poet looked lost in thought amidst the crowd of admirers and youngsters who vied with one another to seek his blessings. Be it to extol nature's beauty and visualise her charms in a glistening raindrop, or write an epitaph for mother earth in protest against the mindless vandalisation of her wealth, O.N.V. expressed it in his inimitable style rich in imagery.

The host, Swaralaya, organised the function in a meticulous fashion. The golden melodies of the poet over five decades filled the air. The songs Illi mulam kaadukalil, Cheppukilukkana chengathi and Odakuzhalumai vannavan innale... reminded one of the valiant struggles of a generation to liberate society from the clutches of exploitation. The creative genius of O.N.V. and Devarajan blended both music and poetry to invoke a sense of pride and also romanticism in the minds of the millions who were destined to lead a nondescript life.

When Jesudas who holds the record of singing the maximum number of songs set by the duo walked in, the music turned more vibrant and the signature song of Swaralaya, Swaram swaralayam... , another composition of O.N.V and Devarajan, was played. Musicians, including Ramesh Narayan and Perumbavur Ravindranath, playback singer Vani Jayaram, Soorya chairman Nataraja Krishnamoorthy, KPCC president Ramesh Chennithala, RSP leader T.J.Chandrachoodan and CPI(M) leader Vaikom Viswan also attended the function.

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