MALAYALAM
Multifaceted personality
B. R. P. Bhaskar
K. BALAKRISHNAN — Malayalathinte Genius: T. J. Chandrachoodan — Editor; DC Books, DC Kizhakemuri Edam, Good Shepherd Street, Kottayam-686001 in association with K. Balakrishnan Smaraka Samithi. Rs. 110.
K. BALAKRISHNAN (1924-84) burst upon the scene as a fiery student leader in the 1940s. A powerful speaker, he could hold any audience spellbound. As an editor he commanded the loyalty of a generation of readers. He made his mark as a writer, a trade union leader and a legislator.
But when he passed away at the age of 60 the early promise was largely unfulfilled. It was as though the world went past him, and he quietly fell behind.
The volume under review is a compilation of recollections by his friends and admirers, edited by T. J. Chandrachoodan, who had come under his spell as a young man. Some of the contributors were closely associated with Balakrishnan. Some others had only known him from a distance. All, however, had felt the impact of his personality. As they think of him, one word comes up repeatedly — `genius'.
The contributors include Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, Vaikom Mohammad Basheer and C. Achutha Menon, who are no longer with us. Some writers remember him as an editor who had helped them early in their career.
Four noted poets pay their tribute in verse. Some of his writings are also reproduced in the volume.
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