KOZHIKODE: Short story writer and novelist Akbar Kakkattil, 62, passed away at a private hospital in Kozhikode on Wednesday. Kakkattil, who has been undergoing treatment for cancer for the past few months, was admitted to the hospital due to a lung-related ailment last week. His health condition deteriorated with pneumonia and he died around 5 am. He is survived by wife V Jameela and two children - Suhaana and Sithara.
A two-time winner of the prestigious Kerala Sahitya Akademi award, Kakkattil was the vice-president of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi and member of the Malayalam Advisory Panel of the National Book Trust and Malayalam Advisory Board of the state government.
Thousands from different walks of life turned up to pay homage to the departed writer at Town Hall in the city and later at Vadakara Town Hall, Kakkattil Community Hall and Vattoli National Higher Secondary School. He was laid to rest with state honours at Kandothu Kuni Juma Masjid in Kakkattil.
Akbar Kakkatil’s works always reflected the space and time he lived. Whether it was ‘Nadapuram’ or ‘Adhyapaka Kathakal’, he narrated the world around him from a common man’s point of view. Humour was his forte. His works ‘School Diary’ and ‘Vadakku Ninnoru Kudumbavruthantham’ were rife with people from Malabar. For Kakkattil, writing was one of the purest forms of self-expression touching upon the quintessence of lives of people around him.
“Akbar never borrowed a style of diction. He used the local dialect in all his writings. After Punathil Kunjabdulla and U A Khader, Kakkattil was the only writer who successfully used Malabar dialect in his works,” said writer P K Parakkadavu. Parakkadu drew parallels between Kakkattil’s works and works of Sanjayan and Kunjan Nambiar in their use of humour. “It was Kakkattil who showed us that humour had its take in Malayalam literature after the likes of Sanjayan and Kunjan Nambiar,” he said. If his short story collections like ‘Adhyapaka Kathakal’ and ‘Shameela Fahmi’ threw light on the role of a school teacher and the bonding with the students, his work ‘Sarga Sameeksha’ was hailed as a masterpiece.
For a few, his works like ‘Nadapuram’ had a bold outlook. “Kakkatil was perturbed by political violence and communal clashes. ‘Nadapuram’ is a testimony to his stance against political violence,” Writer M N Karasseri said.