Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Bonded by love for Malayalam

A passion shared:Poet Sugathakumari addresses a get-together of the members of Koottam, a social networking site in Malayalam, in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: When members of Koottam, a social networking site in Malayalam, gathered at the Vyloppilly Samskrithi Bhavan on Sunday, it was as though they were the many expressions of an abiding love for Malayalam language and literature.

Koottam was set up in 2008 by two friends, Jyothikumar and Jayamohan. Till date, more than two lakh people have become part of this online fraternity.

The diversity of Kottam's membership was evident from those who had gathered at the venue – non-resident Indians who reached the capital city just to see their friends, budding poets and writers, famous personalities from different walks of life…

In her inaugural address at the ‘Kerala Sangamam,' poet Sugathakumari warned that Malayalam was in danger of becoming extinct. It was gratifying to note that Koottam facilitated typing and blogging in Malayalam, that there was a group of people who had not lost the love for the language and in whom human qualities had not faded away.

She also recited Snehathinenthe niram… a poem which, as the name suggests, speaks of the colour of love.

Poet Kureepuzha Sreekumar, an active member of Koottam, too recited poems. Mr. Sreekumar said he received hundreds of comments and replies on the poems he posted on Koottam. There were people who criticised and who admired his works. This proved that the readership of the ‘post' on the site was much more than that of a magazine or a newspaper. This, he said, was a specialty of Koottam; it was a coming together of quality readers.

“People of my age usually feel lonely, being parted from our children, spending time alone…it will naturally make us find a refuge somewhere. When we meet people of the same wavelength, those who love language and literature, people who lament the loss of human qualities in the present day generation, we feel this is where we belong,” Mymoon Aseez, a poet, said.

In addition to its linguistic efforts, Koottam also lends a helping hand to the poor and the needy.

The fraternity had recently stepped in to help Remya Antony, a young poet, in her fight against cancer.

The meeting also paid homage to two Koottam members, Sreeju and Romeo, who died recently in accidents.

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