Some journeys unexpectedly curve, turning you inward; taking you back to the womb, to the very conception of life. In the midst of a hectic study tour in Kannur district in North Kerala, writer K.M Venugopalan, our companion during this journey, took us to Chengal wherein resides Shri. Kallen Pokkudan, lovingly called as Kandal (mangrove) Pokkudan – the man who grew mangrove forests along the Pazhayangadi River. Exhausted as we were in the afternoon, we reached the house of Shri. Pokkudan, the tireless crusader for the restoration of the lost heritage of mangrove forests in the coastal region. What he began with a strong individual conviction in his home district, in Kannur in the 1980s, soon became a mass effort and countless mangroves have been planted in almost all parts of Kerala over the years. Kallen Pokkudan He was struggling with his lunch kept on the table, unable to eat, as sobs choked his throat in remembrance of his life part...
One more Keralappiravi has passed on 1st of Nov, 2008. As the govt. tirade against the Chengara struggle and the apathy of the general public to it continue in Kerala, let us remember Poykayil Appachan (1879-1939), the tireless crusader against casteism within the dominant churches and outside; he not only redefined religion but urged people to convert the dream of liberation into a reality on this earth. For Amarapuram, established under the leadership of Poykayil Appachan in 1910s, so many dalits had shed their sweat and tears and they’re not mere pieces of land, but as the name suggests the symbol of hope, an eternal city of freedom. We rejoice to reach Amarapuram Its beauty is unsurpassed Is it heaven or its peak? Is it luck or its peak! I am not the one to narrate it all! For this and translations of other songs of Poykayil Appachan by Ajay Sekher, see Unknown Subjects: Songs of Poykayil Appachan , edited by V.V Swamy and E.V Anil (Kottayam: Institute of PRDS studies, 2008)
In memoriam: Kamala Surayya Year 2000. When I passed out of JNU, after completing my Ph.D, I wandered about a few years in various places in Delhi in search of a place to stay and a work to support myself. It was difficult to find out a place, if you’re alone and jobless in this city. So, I started telling the landlords that “I am a writer”. And it did click with my landlord in Vasant Kunj who was a school master with whose family I had a long association ever since. He valued education and it didn’t matter to him if I actually authored a book or not as he was contented with the idea itself. For me, there was nothing new in this as I had been living this imaginary world since my childhood where I did all my reading and writing; a samantharalokam , which Kamala Das had talked about, a world parallel to the mundane reality. Kamala Das alias Surayya, one of the most influential writers who wrote in both Malayalam and English, poem and prose, literally inspired every girl to keep a...
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