MALAYALAM POET, JNANPITH AWARD WINNER AKKITHAM DIES
Renowned Malayalam poet and Jnanpith award winner Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri, who is said to have heralded modernism in Malayalam poetry, died at a private hospital here on Thursday. He was 94. A widower, the Mahakavi (great poet), as he was known, leaves two sons and four daughters. Hospital sources said he was admitted for age related ailments a couple of days ago and the end came at 8.10 am.
Popularly known as Akkitham, his ‘Irupatham Noottandinte Ithihasam’ (Epic of the 20th Century) is considered as one of the first truly modernist poems in Malayalam literature.
A popular verse- ‘Velicham dukhamanunni, thamasallo sukhapradam’, which is roughly translated as “light brings sorrow, my child, darkness is bliss” is like a proverb for Keralites.
It is also interpreted as “worldly knowledge is pain my child, ignorance is bliss.” He penned around 45 books, comprising poetry anthologies, plays and short stories including ‘Balidarsanam’ (The Vision of Bali), ‘Arangettam’, ‘Nimisha Kshetram’, ‘Idinju Polinja Lokam’, ‘Amrita Ghatika’, and ‘Kalikkottilil’ and many more.
Akkitham had bagged the Jnanpith award, the highest literary award, in 2019 and is the sixth writer to bring the honour for Malayalam literature. Kerala governor Arif Mohammed Khan and chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressed grief over the death. “He was a poet who wished for unconditional love to be the foundation for the universe and translated that wish into his poetry,” Vijayan said.
AKKITHAM HAD BAGGED THE JNANPITH AWARD, THE HIGHEST LITERARY AWARD, IN 2019 AND IS THE SIXTH WRITER TO BRING THE HONOUR FOR MALAYALAM LITERATURE