THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: ‘Aksharavandanam’, a felicitation event in honour of poet, translator and linguist Puthussery Ramachandran, who turned 84 on Monday, will be organised at the Vyloppilli Samskrithi Bhavan on Friday.The programme will include a ‘Shishya sangamam’- a get-together of the students of the veteran teacher, honouring of Puthusserry by his students, a public meeting and the release of new editions of books penned by him. An influential presence in the cultural milieu of Kerala, Puthussery Ramachandran has made a mark as the voice of the most tumultuous periods in modern history. His verses were inspired by his active involvement in the freedom movement and later the revolutionary ideals of Communism that flavoured the 1950s. The shaping years of the poet were chequered with activism and imprisonment in the Kollam Kasba police station. Together with O N V Kurup, Thirunalloor Karunakaran and Punalur Balan, Puthusserry represented the zeal of what is often referred to as the ‘Red Decade of Kerala’. He secured his PhD in 1957 for the linguistic study of ‘Kannassa Ramayana’, a pioneering work of literature in modern Malayalam by the ‘Niranam’ poets. The teaching career that spanned more than three decades began with lectureship at NSS College, Varkala, and Kollam. He was appointed as lecturer in the Malayalam Department of University of Kerala in 1969 and retired while serving as professor, Oriental Faculty dean and director of International Centre for Kerala Studies. Puthussery has also served as visiting professor in the Texas University. His contributions as the founder of the Place Name Society of Kerala (PLANS) are laudable. He was also instrumental in holding the World Malayalam Conference in 1977 in which the famous linguist R E Asher had participated. Vilakkudy Rajendran, former Director of State Language Institute, who took his PhD under Puthussery, remembers him as the epitome of humaneness - both as an individual and as a teacher. “He is a teacher who is gratified to watch his students scale heights in life. A humane touch characterises his relationships and attitude to people,” says Rajendran, a member of the organising committee of the ‘Aksharavandanam’ programme. “Apart from O N V Kurup, he is the only other living poet among those who had shaped the literary scene of the 1950s. And yet, he remains largely unsung as an author. His translations played a very important role in popularising Russian literature in Kerala. His home has one of the largest collections of ancient palm leaf documents,” he says. ‘Aksharavandanam’ will witness the release of the new edition of ‘Kerala Charitrathinte Adisthana Rekhakal’, a landmark compilation by Puthussery of ancient documents on Kerala history. Other books published by SPCS and Sahitya Akademi will also be released. The event will begin at 3 pm.
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