THRISSUR: Cultural activists and writers in Kerala are divided on the plan to name the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Hall in Thrissur in memory of legendary Malayalam writer M T Vasudevan Nair. Sheeba Ameer and Thanuja Bhattathirippad, among others, had recently expressed their desire to have the hall named after a woman writer.
The Kerala Sahitya Akademi headquarters at Palace Road, Thrissur, has halls honouring the legacy of poets like Changampuzha and Vailoppilli within the compound. But not a single memorial has been built for women. At the same time, the main hall at the Akademi has remained without any attribution to it.
When the topic came up for discussion during the organising committee meeting for the Kerala Literature Festival, some participants raised the matter of giving a woman writer’s name.
Among the several suggestions put forth, one urged the authorities to name the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Hall after Lalithambika Antharjanam as a tribute to a woman writer who made immense contributions to Malayalam literature and inspired many women to write.
That MT had urged his readers not to build a memorial for him is also a factor in opposing the move to name the hall in his memory.
Responding to the discussion, Kerala Sahitya Akademi secretary Asokan Charuvil said the plan to name the hall after MT was made when he died. The authorities were waiting to announce it after getting permission from MT’s family, he said.
“The debates in this regard are demeaning considering the greatness of a writer like MT. However, it is a reality that female writers were totally ignored when it comes to marking their contribution in history. The Akademi will look into the matter. If the committee allows, the library in the Akademi will be named after Lalithambika Antharjanam,” Asokan said.
As of now, the only memorial for a woman writer is the one for Kamala Surayya at her birthplace, managed by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi itself, while eminent writers like Antharjanam, Balamani Amma and Sugathakumari have been left forgotten.