PALAKKAD: The O V Vijayan memorial building which is getting its finishing touches as part of the renovation undertaken with the assistance of the Department of Culture of the State Government will be dedicated to the nation by the end of this month. District Collector P Marykutty Isaac visited the ‘Njattupura’ and reviewed the work.
During the writing of the book ‘Khazakinte Ithihasam’, the writer O V Vijayan had resided in the ‘Njattupura’, a building which is more than a hundred years old. It was renovated by retaining the traditional aspects of the structure.
The upper portion of the ‘Njattupura’ had been eaten by termites. The wooden frames of the upper portion was completely dismantled and replaced with new ones. The walls were chipped and retained as such. The wooden pillars were also retained in the same manner. The Collector also visited the Arabikulam mentioned in the book ‘Khazakinte Ithihasam’. The house has been protected with a compound wall. Currently the garden is being paved with interlocking tiles. The Chairman of the O V Vijayan Memorial committee Prof K Shashikumar said that in the 37 cents of land located behind the ‘Njattupura’, a cultural complex comprising of a library and a building will be constructed. The Culture department has sanctioned a sum of `97 lakh towards the construction of this complex.
The renovated O V Vijayan Memorial building will be dedicated to the nation by Culture Minister K C Joseph on March 29. On March 30, the O V Vijayan memorial meet will be held in which M B Rajesh MP, litterateurs V K Sreeraman and Beenamol Mathew will participate.