KC November 2012 FINAL

KIRAN RAM & BINU B
10 KERALA CALLING November 2012
10 KERALA CALLING
COVERSTORY
The President of
India, Mr. Pranab
Mukherjee
inaugurated the
Viswa Malayala
Mahotsavam on the
30th of October
2012. The event
concluded on 1st
November, the day
Kerala state was
born and celebrated
as Malayalam day.
Celebrating
The Viswa Malayala Mahotsavam was
literally a celebration of Malayalam in all its
aspects. The three day event, inaugurated by
none other than the President of India, Mr.
Pranab Mukherjee on the 30th of October
2012, concluded on 1st November, the day
Kerala state was born and celebrated as
Malayalam day. The much awaited
Malayalam University also came into being
on 1st November at Thunchan Paramb with
a host of promises and projects for the
Malayalam language.
Participated by littérateurs of Malayalam

Malayalam
and other languages from within the country and abroad like
the Booker Prize Winner Ben Okri, veteran Tamil poets
I. Parthasarathy, Sirpi Balasubrahmaiam, Bengali writer Sharmila
Ray, veteran journalist and writer Anita Nair, Malayalam literature
veterans such as Jnanpith laureates ONV Kurup, M T Vasudevan
Nair, film maker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, noted critic Zachariah,
T Padmanabhan, Sugathakumari, Dr. Puthussery
Ramachandran, Sethu, Benyamin, noted playwright Kavalam
Narayan Panikkar etc. drew the attention of the literary world
of Malayalam.
Eminent literary, art and cultural personalities who made
great contributions to Malyalam such as ONV Kurup, M T
Vasudevan Nair, T Padmanabhan, Sugathakumari,
Dr. Puthussery Ramachandran, Adoor Gopalakrishnan,
Kavalam Narayana Panicker and P Govinda Pillai were
honoured in the function named ‘Aadhara Sandhya.’
The discussions, seminars, open forums with Indian as
well as foreign writers, cultural programmes and book
exhibitions could bring in focus to the event and its feedback,
revealing the ideas behind their writings, their ideologies etc.
Opinion of the participants including the common man could
be elicited at the end of the Mahotsavam.
Preparations were on days before announcing the
Mahotsavam. The Vilambara Sandhya and Kelikottu could
convey the message of the Mahotsavam and the importance
of Malayalam.
An elaborate working committee functioned actively
in which Minister for Cultural K C Joseph was the Chairman,
Palod Ravi MLA, the Vice Chairman and Kerala Sahitya Academy
President Perumbadavam Sreedharan was the Working
Chairman. The event, which was jointly oraganised by the
Department of Culture and Kerala Sahitya Academy, could
make a hallmark in the history of Malayalam.
November 2012 KERALA CALLING
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Indira Parthasarathy
Tamil Writer
“How do you decide the criteria for
giving classical status to a language?
Sanskrit or Latin or Greek have not been
given this status by any organisation. If
the status has to be given at all, why
does not Malayalam qualify? asked
Indira Parthasarathy, veteran Tamil writer
to have won both the Sangeeth Natak
and Sahitya Academy Award. When the Sahitya Akademi said
that 1,000 years of continuous existence would be deemed as
a criteria, Tamilians were unhappy. Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu
and Kannada are all part of Dravidian language added the
writer.
Sharmila Ray
Bengali writer
“Kerala is like a poem for me” said poet Sharmila Ray, who
is also an associate professor and head of the Department of
History at City College, Kolkata. She spoke on the import of
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Malayalam should have classical
language status’: Indian Writers
gender on poetic language and said
she saw herself as a writer and much
less as a woman writer. “Writing is my
response to the outer world. For me,
smell and colour and music and such
elements make up a huge painting.
Words are one tool that I pick to express
this image in my mind. I believe if I take
out the ‘she’ who is the narrator in my
poems, they might as well be about
anyone else,” she said.
To a reply about her medium of language she said, “I was
born and brought up in an English speaking atmosphere.
When grew up, I embraced Bengali books and selected my
medium of writing as Bengali. Now I used to write all my works,
except poetry in Bengali. I didn’t have enough Bengali words
to express poetry.” Sharmila said.
Anita Nair
Indo- Anglian Malayali Writer
English is capable of reflecting local culture, said Indo-

Anglian Malayali writer Anita Nair.
The life portrayed in her novels has
reflected the rural life in Palakkad. She
was answering a in the open forum.
No language in the world has been
colonized... It is the attitude that
decides the future of a language. It is
the theme that is more important. The
language is only a medium to convey
the ideas. English overcomes mother
tongue only when we allow it. We
should take our mother tongue
home. Let the children learn it deeply through reading and
writing. Let it develop through them. Malayalam has influenced
her very much. The metaphors in Malayalam have attracted
her. Malayali writers have touched different aspects of life; she
pointed out these a unique nature.
The language used in sending SMS and e-mail should not
be taken as real language. it is necessary only to convey
messages and if it is to be come the language it is terrible she
added.
Dr. Sirpi Balasubramaniam
Tamil Writer
Dr. Sirpi Balasubramaniam,
eminent Tamil writer and the founder
member of Vanambadi Literary
Movement has declared that
Malayalam have writings old enough
to grant classical status. Getting
classical status to Malayalam is the
wish of every Tamilian, he added.
Poems find it difficult to get sold
nowadays. But Kerala is different
were we could see poetry books in
book shops... Lyrics of cinema are being mistaken as poetry
by the new generation. These lyrics live only up to three months
he said. Born with laptops on lap, the new generation is like
fishes taken from ponds to new pots. They think that this is the
best place. They live like slaves of a foreign culture, dreaming
of placements in global market... Being separated from the
culture and relationships they lose the energy of youth. Later
he recited his own poem written about a Belgium mirror. The
poem which describes mothers affection and respect towards
father filled the audience with emotion.
Dr. Sidhalinga pattanshetty &
Dr. Hema Pattanshetty
Kannada writers
The presence of eminent Kannada writer and Hindi
professor Dr. Sidhalinga pattanshetty and his wife Dr. Hema
Pattanshetty, a
Psycology
professor was an
attraction of the
Malayalam
Maholsavam.
English cannot
reflect the local
culture said Dr.
Sidhalinga
pattanshetty.
Translations do
not carry the real soul of writings, it cannot be a true copy, but
it is only a second version. When a poet writes a poem, he
simply lays the foundation. The rest is built by the readers, he
said. The readers take a poem in different aspects. That is why
even if the poet dies the poems remain eternal said the writer
of more than one hundred works.
Dr. Hema pattanshetty writer of 27 books recited two of her
poems Confidence and Determination from kannada and its
translations in English. Later she also joined with other writers
in the open forum.
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KERALA CALLING

D. Babu Paul
We should take pride and love
towards our language instead of doing
blind imitation while taking words from
other languages, said Dr. D. Babu Paul,
former Addl. Chief Secretary. He was
inaugurating the seminar on ‘Malyalam
Language Day Celebration’. Malayalam
language has its own
identity. Hence there is
no need to find exact
Malayalam words
always while translating.
We should develop the
skill to use our language
beautifully and free of
errors and develop a pride towards it.
Kavalam Narayana Panicker
No talk about drama is possible
without taking our heritage into account,
said noted dramatist, Kavalam Narayana
Panicker while speaking at the seminar
on Drama held in association with Viswa
Malayala Mahotsavam. We are usually
claiming 100 years’ of tradition to
Malayalam drama. But the old heritage
forms like Theyyam, Mudiyettu etc. have
symbols of drama.
Hence we can say that
Mayalayam drama
evolved with
Malayalam. Kerala is in
need of a specific
dramatic theatre which
gives prominence to body language and
gestures.
Dr. M R Thampan
Malayalam language should be
equiped in tune with the development
in the field of Science and Technology,
said Dr. M R Thampan, Director, Kerala
Bhasha Institute. He was speaking at the
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Seminars
seminar on ‘Language Computing’. The
development of
language should not
affect its beauty and
purity. In case of the
developed language,
there is a permanent
method for revival.
Unfortunately, our
language does not have any such
methods.
Achyut Sankar
It is the attitude, not the problems
related with technicality that determines
the future of Malayalam language, said
Achyut Sankar, Head, Bio Informatics,
Kerala University by presenting a paper
on ‘Malayalam -
yesterday, today and
tomorrow’. Malayalam is
beyond all our
indifferences... There is
a need of unity for the
development of
Malayalam language. Malyali’s second
choice is Sanskrit after English... There is
a wrong tendency of comparing
Malayalam with English and this should
be avoided, he said.
ONV Kurup
The language pride of Malayali is far
behind when compared to other
language speaking people, said Jnanpith
laureate ONV Kurup. He was speaking at

the seminar ‘Malyalathinte
Kavithakalangal’. Our language has to be
cleansed like we are cleaning our dress
and environment. Malayalam is eligible
for classical status. But status is not the
only thing that matters.
Those with vested interests are
hindering the process of making
Malayalam as the first language, There is
a decaying fallacy among the Malayalees
against making ours as the first language.
Our people have no pride for our
language – ONV said.
Zachariah
Writers should not cheat their readers,
said noted critic
Zachairah. He was
speaking at the session
on ‘Chemisty of Story
telling.’ It is the duty of
the writer to strengthen
not only his readers but
also the society. He should also
strengthen the values of democracy,
humanity, secularism, and humaneness.
The duty of a literateur is extremely
different from his tradition. They should
build a chemistry related to humaneness
rather than creating hate and hatred –
Zachariah said.
Adoor Gopalakrishnan
New generation
films are spoiling
Malayalam language by
giving prominence to
female villian roles who
are mouthing abusive
words. The young
generations are getting
excited by hearing these words. Time is
not farther when female villians roles will
be the dominant presence of Malayalam
cinema. He was inaugurating the Seminar
on ‘We, our Cinema’conducted as part
of Viswa Malayala Mahotsavam.
There is a trend that Malayalam films
will be like Tamil or Hindi. Media is also
encouraging this added Adoor.
November 2012
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KERALA CALLING

It is not English,
But people
Killing Regional Languages
16 KERALA CALLING November 2012
COVERSTORY
People had
misconceptions
about Africa. There
was famine and
distress but there
was also humour,
family, happiness,
richness of culture,
and literature and
there are the
beautiful things
that are not being
talked about.
“English is not killing regional languages,
but we the people are” said Booker Prizewinner
and Nigerian writer Ben Okri. He was
speaking in an interactive session in
connection with the Viswa Malayala
Mahotsavam. We need to keep our languages
alive by helping them evolve constantly.
Teach our children to be tri- or bi-lingual
.We have to accept the history that has
happened to us and adapt to new ways
to keep our languages alive,” said Okri. It
was Union Minister of State for Human
Resource Development Shashi Tharoor,
who, through a set of well-prepared
questions led the session. At the
beginning of the session the Union
Minister gave a concise account of Okri’s
cosmopolitan background.
The Minister requested the author to
talk about the story-telling tradition he
bequeathed from his mother and how it
influenced his writing. “The stories that
my mother would tell me were so
fascinating that they forced me to
contemplate not just on the story but also
on the point she was making. At the age
of 13 or 14, I had a beautiful girl friend
and I was writing poems about her. One
of my friends suggested that I should try
writing on other things as well. And that
was the point when I discovered that
poetry is not just for expressing big
emotions. One of the things I
started to write on was
‘injustice’. Later, around 1992-
93, I became aware of the
inability of the language of
the colonialists to evoke the
African reality. It will work
in a western setting, but
an African or Indian
setting needed a new
kind of language”
replied Okri.
To another
question as to why
many local writers did

“As a writer you
cannot repeat
anything. If you
can’t go forward,
you can go round,
spiral or go
sideways. The
human eyes and
brain are made in
such a way that
reality constantly
eludes them.
Storytelling can
fortify reality,”
not have an international recognition
despite their well-written books, Okri said
“Writers in places like Africa and India
need to come up with creativity in their
contribution to make their presence felt
around the world.. “Exile is important for
literature. Literature can only come into
existence in a condition where words
are in exile from reality,” while elaborating
on his own perpetual state of exile as an
African writer living and writing in
London.
According to him, he belonged to the
category of writers who ‘tries to bring out
the vision in the text,’ as opposed to those
who impose their thoughts on the texts
and the world. “In the ‘spirit child’ of ‘The
Famished Road’, I found a powerful
metaphor to express African reality. It was
half-human, half-dream and represented
ideas that fascinated me - cyclicity,
reincarnation! It is difficult to use the
language of colonialists to convey the
African emotions and spirit. Hence, one
had to create a unique style, which was
simple, yet deceptive, and could convey
the different dimensions of African life,”
said Okri.
He added that people had
misconceptions about Africa. There was
famine and distress but there was also
humour, family, happiness, richness of
culture, and literature and there are the
beautiful things that were not being
talked about. Calling Kerala his second
home, Mr. Okri engaged the audience
through his eloquent conversation. He
often came up with profound
observations and impromptu theories.
“As a writer you cannot repeat anything.
If you can’t go forward, you can go round,
spiral or sideways,” he commented. “The
human eyes and brain are made in such
a way that reality constantly eludes them.
Storytelling can fortify reality,” he said.
In between, he read from his poem
‘My Mother Sleeps’ and from some of his
essays which were seeped in aphorisms.
Before ending the session, he read a
poem on his father after explaining that
“as an African, I believe in balance.”
November 2012
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KERALA CALLING