Poet G. Sankara Kurup foresaw the progress and cultural development that Kerala would achieve in his poems, said Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Speaking after inaugurating the memorial that the Kochi Corporation set up for the poet, the Chief Minister said the progress that the State had achieved in public health and education had won worldwide acclaim. The way the State handled the COVID-19 outbreak and overcame the impacts of the 2018 floods had won wide international appreciation. The world is curious to learn how Kerala created a modern society and a knowledge-based economy. The prophetic lines penned by Kurup that a day would dawn when the world would listen to what Kerala speaks have become a reality, Mr. Vijayan said.
Kerala has outgrown its limitations as a small State and achieved a global stature. Malayalam too has grown into a global language. The Loka Kerala Sabha organised by the State government is a major step in that direction. The factors that set Kerala apart from other States, glory and the progress it has achieved have made the State the centre of global attraction. The poet might have foreseen the achievements the State would make when he wrote the famed lines, the Chief Minister said.
Sankara Kurup was the first recipient of the Jhanpith Award. “When a writer from Kerala wins a national prize for literature, it is Malayalam literature and its culture that are getting honoured and established at the national level. The recognition that Malayalam receives at the national level is the apt reply against the campaign, ‘one nation one language’ which is being propagated by some quarters. The poet has also made significant contributions to the language and culture during his stint as a member of the Rajya Sabha,” he added.
The memorial thus salutes the poet and the Malayalam language, Mr. Vijayan said.
Mayor M. Anilkumar presided over the function. Law Minister P. Rajeeve, Hibi Eden, MP, T.J. Vinod, MLA, critic M.K. Sanoo, former Mayor C.M. Dinesh Mani, and former Deputy Mayor B. Bhadra, who is also the granddaughter of the poet, Development Standing Committee chairperson P.R. Renish and Cochin Smart Mission Limited chief executive officer Shaji V. Nair attended.
