KOCHI: “Many people remember my father Ramdas Vaidyar as a satirist or as an ayurveda physician who ran a lodge. But for me, he was a man who knew to make friends,” Dr Manoj Koolor reminisces about his father, a prominent figure in the Kozhikode’s social circles. Vaidyar, a fierce satirist, questioned the existing system with his quirky acts, thereby becoming an popular figure in the city’s literary circles. Eminent writers like VKN, Vayalar, Kakkanadan, Zacharia, Lalithambika Antharjanam, Malayattoor Ramakrishnan and Vaikom Chandrasekharan Nair used to spend time with Vaidyar at his two-storeyed building ‘Neelagiri Lodge’ at Annie Hall Road.
The lodge was the birthplace of some of the greatest literary works in Malayalam. It is said that Vayalar wrote his masterpiece “Neelagiriyude Saghikalee...” at the Neelagiri lodge. He was also the brain behind the ‘Coconut Tree Climbers Training College’ which was inaugurated by the then District Collector U K S Chauhan. Chauhan was so impressed by the concept, which Vaidyar described as ‘first of its kind in the universe’, that the former inaugurated it by climbing the tree himself.
“Encouraged by the ambience, the collector went up climbing. His wife, ultimately, had to convince him to come down,” remembers Velayudhan T who was then working as the deputy director of Public Relation. Vaidyar also went on to appoint a trained person as the college principal!
Vaidyar put forth a point by holding the ‘Viroopa Rani’ (ugly queen) contest when beauty contests became a trend in Kozhikode. He also organised ‘kukkudanna yagnam’ where chicken biriyani was served to people to mock a superstitious ritual. Some of the thought-provoking acts of the satirist including arranging runners who ran in the reverse direction during a marathon and honouring the washing stones at Muthalakkulam for “bearing with the hollow political speeches” held at an adjacent ground.
“Once, a publication wrote a scathing article against Vaidyar. But, the satirist made a copy of the same paper criticising the editor and distributed it to the public,” adds Velayudhan. The man with this immaculate sense of humour passed away in 1998.
Adoor remembers..
“He was a phenomenal human being,” remembers ace director Adoor Gopalakrishnan,
“His Neelagiri Lodge advertisement read, ‘For excellent food and miserable stay!’ The place was a hangout for all intellectuals. It was director Padmarajan who introduced me to him. He has served sumptuous food at his home for me more than once. If I didn’t see him for a long time, a huge piece of Kozhikode Halwa would arrive as a parcel at my home. He expanded the boundaries of honesty, goodness and charity. His absence glares at Kozhikode today,” recalls Adoor.