Immortalising Uroob
R. MADHAVAN NAIR
|
Uroob National Literary Museum and Research Centre throws light on the life of the writer and the man.
|
MEMORABILIA: Some of the articles that belonged to Uroob on display. Photo: S. Ramesh Kurup
An author is immortalised by his books. But admirers of Uroob (P.C. Kuttikrishnan) felt that to understand the man behind the author, something more than his books was needed. Responding to the demand for a literary museum that throws light on the author's life, the State Library Council has come forward to set up an Uroob museum.
The Uroob National Literary Museum and Research Centre was inaugurated by litterateur M.T. Vasudevan Nair on May 25. The museum is now housed in a portion of an old building on Wayanad Road. The Central Library also functions from there. The Uroob Smaraka Samiti spokespersons K. Chandran and K.P. Vijaya Kumar are confident that the State Library Council will keep its word on completing a separate building that will house the Uroob museum within two years.
Vijayakumar, a freelance journalist, is shocked that the land the government allotted for the Uroob memorial in the author's native town of Ponnani in Malappuram district had already been used to construct a building of a government department.
Literary collection
The Uroob literary museum now has a collection of Uroob's novels, their translations, copies of periodicals in which they were published, manuscripts, essays, poems, skits, letter, rare photographs, and a recently made telefilm `Uroob kalam thanne aanu' by C.P. Rajasekharan, director, All India Radio, Kozhikode. The exhibits include cassettes with Uroob's voice, the various awards, including the Kendra Sahithya Akademi award, that he won, 25 paintings inspired by Uroob's literary characters, among them a painting by a French artist, Uroob's walking stick, pipe, reading glasses, pen and watch.
Native of Ponnani
Although a native of Ponnani, Uroob had spent the best years of his creative life in Kozhikode. But his memories are fading fast from public life. The former Kozhikode Mayor A. Sankaran says there is no memorial for Uroob in Kozhikode city because the author had only a small circle of friends. Uroob's son Sudhakaran and many others disagree. Sudhakaran says, "My father had a large circle of friends. But it is true that the public did not get much opportunity to see him towards the later period of his life. This was because he was a workaholic who got tied down to his work in All India Radio, Kozhikode. He was always racing against time to meet deadlines.
"Later, he went to Thiruvanathapuram as editor of Kunkumam magazine and from there to Kottayam to work as editor of Bhashaposhini published by Malayala Manorama group.
It was in Kottayam that he died of a massive heart attack. People in Kozhikode saw very little of him in his last few years."
But Uroob, the author has always been of interest to students of Malayalam literature. M.M. Basheer, literary critic, says at least two doctorates have been awarded for research on Uroob's works. A bust of Uroob is being crafted by N. Manoj Kumar in Kannur. Writer V.R. Sudheesh is engaged in publishing a book of Uroob's letters.
"The public can pay tributes in the form of museums and statues. But to perpetuate Uroob's memory, it is also necessary to make his books readily available in market," says Dr Basheer.
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Entertainment
Bangalore
Chennai and Tamil Nadu
Delhi
Hyderabad
Thiruvananthapuram
