KOZHIKODE: When the Department of Malayalam at the Government College, Madappally, near Vatakara, organised a literary seminar in early 2014, the organisers did not anticipate the big crowd that turned up. Maybe, they should have, since the two-day seminar was on Punathil Kunjabdulla.
The audience was made up not just of literary enthusiasts or admirers of the author, but some of his childhood friends. Punathil grew up in a village not far from the premises of the college.
Poet Veerankutty, an Associate Professor of Malayalam at the college, had organised the seminar. “It was probably the first seminar devoted exclusively to Punathil,” he said. “We discussed his work at length over two days. There were several papers presented on him, by academics and authors, including Kalpetta Narayanan. Among the main speakers was M.N. Karassery.”
Prof. Veerankutty said that Punathil was pleased with the seminar. “He enjoyed it so much so that he came for the second day too,” he recalled. “His presence wasn’t scheduled for that day but he came on his own, from his residence in Kozhikode.”
