Summary
The two online lectures were titled ‘Malayalam: Saga of a Language over Centuries’ and ‘Remembering Three Departed Poets’
Bhaskaramenon Krishnakumar has published two volumes of poems and four volumes of literary criticism in Malayalam
Author and poet Bhaskaramenon Krishnakumar delivered two online lectures as part of the sixth edition of the Introduction to Indian Knowledge Systems elective course, IKS 2022, conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar.
The theme of IKS 2022 was ‘Precolonial India’s Treasure House of Literatures’. The course is open to students and anyone interested in India’s knowledge systems and cultural heritage.
Krishnakumar spoke on ‘Malayalam: Saga of a Language over Centuries’ and ‘Remembering Three Departed Poets’.
The first lecture touched upon essential aspects of Kerala and Malayalam literature such as its great diversity of themes, iconic works, and eminent authors. Krishnakumar also discussed the uniqueness of the Malayalam language and its similarity with other Indian languages, alongside the variety and mellifluousness of its meters. T
The talk highlighted how the literature of a small piece of land spoken by a few thousand people flourished over centuries and achieved a preeminent position. Tracing Kerala’s rich geography soaked in mythology, it elaborated on Malayalam’s interesting foreign influences, folk songs, and significant works such as the Parasurama legend and the festival of Onam involving the story of King Mahabali. According to most scholars, the earliest literary work in Malayalam is Ramacharitam, believed to be composed in the 12th century CE. The poem is a collection of over 1,800 verses describing the war between Rama and Ravana.
Krishnakumar talked about boats being the primary form of conveyance in Kerala, land of rivers. The boat songs may have originated from the humming of the rowers. Over the years, these tunes and rocking rhythms likely became standardised as meters. He also recited various poetry passages to emphasise the linkages between Malayalam’s glorious history and its egalitarian present as people know it.
“Eminent poets like Akkitham and Vishnu Narayanan Namboodiri were never ‘elite’ as the common critique wrongly goes; concern for the downtrodden was central to their poetry; they were ever modern, yet ever old,” Krishnakumar said.
Malayalam is perhaps the first Indian language with a translation of Kautilya’s Arthashastra.
The second talk by Krishnakumar threw light on the life and literary works of three Malayalam poets — Akkitham Achyuthan Namboodiri (1926- 2020), Sugatha Kumari (1934 – 2020), and Vishnu Narayanan Namboodiri (1939- 2021), all three recipients of Sahitya Akademi awards.
He discussed how Akkitham’s creations imbibe abundance, variety, subtlety, limitless compassion for children, the disabled, and the underprivileged. Speaking about Sugatha, Krishnakumar emphasised that several of her works are themed on inconsolable sorrow, empathising with humanity at large, particularly with victimised children and mentally challenged women.
He also read out and explained several parts of these poets’ works. The two sessions concluded with lively interactive A sessions.
Krishnakumar has published two volumes of poems and four volumes of literary criticism in Malayalam. He has also edited the collected works and English translations of eminent Malayalam poets. His latest book Akkitham: A Pictorial Autobiography (2020) has been brought out by Rupa Publications.
Last updated on 07 Feb 2022
