THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Poet Sugathakumari celebrated her 86th birthday beneath the caper tree at Manaveeyam Veedhi. Pavizhamalli, a woman writer’s group, organised the special celebration. “She has been unwell for some time now and had not been getting out much. We wanted to change that and thus organised the event bringing her to Manaveeyam Veedhi. Like any regular birthday celebration, we even made payasam,” said Beena K A of Pavizhamalli. Celebrating beneath the caper tree planted in memory of poet-writer Madhavikutty was a bonus.
The evening hours were spent in reciting Sugathakumari’s poems. “Some spoke about her in between the recitals. We think we managed to bring the excitement of the birthday to her,” added Beena. Traditional earthen lamps were lit around the tree and marigold, both yellow and orange hung loosely from its branches, bringing in the traditional birthday vibes.