A photo exhibition on S.K Pottekkatt currently on at the State Central Library here to mark his birth centenary is a rediscovery of some of the priceless moments of the writer’s life captured by camera.
The exhibition, the result of an year-long research and hard work, has sparked keen interest in the life and work of the fondly remembered travel writer and novelist.
The exhibition, which has rare photographs of ‘SK’ with his contemporaries such as Vaikom Mohammed Basheer, P. Bhaskaran, Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, Sukumar Azhikode, and P. Kesavadev, tells a tale of friendship, landmark achievements, and endless spirit of exploration.
“Collecting the photographs was a daunting task. An old photographer from Kozhikode provided four photographs and we collected three photographs from Sumithra Jayaprakash, S.K. Pottekkatt’s daughter. Other photos were collected from newspapers and magazines,” said Asokan Puthuppadi, senior librarian, who worked towards putting up this exhibition.
Bad condition
Most of the photographs were in a bad condition, and reproducing them was a herculean task.
“There is a very rare photo of ‘SK’ with the late Siddhartha Shankar Ray. The photo which shows him with Vaikom Mohammed Basheer and P. Bhaskaran has received a lot admiration from those who have visited the library,” he said.
Voracious reader
“S.K Pottekkatt was a voracious reader; he used to cut out portions of interesting news items that came in newspapers, highlight the name of the newspaper and date in separate inks, and maintain a ‘writer’s diary.’ He used to create plots based on such news items and later develop these into stories,” Mr. Puthuppadi said.
These photographs are displayed in the open and this has helped capture visitors’ attention.
The exhibition is on till May 31.
