The apartment number 1-B at Royal Stadium Mansion, Gandhinagar, was once again filled with the familiar sound of camera flashes on Friday, as it used to be when its owner lived there.
Everything looked the same, except for the absence of Kamala Suraiyya, whose beaming photograph adorned the wall. And that made all the difference for those who had been there before. Mediapersons returned to that apartment as her son M.D. Nalappatt decided to hand over some furniture used by her and some of the awards she had won to the custody of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi.
“Furniture that was used by Amma to write is being given to the Akademi. The chair that she used to sit, her walking stick and books will be preserved by the family,” said Mr. Nalappatt. The awards handed over to the Akademi were statuettes of N.V. Sahitya Puraskaram, Vayalar Award, Ezhuthachan Award and Muttathu Varkey Award and the citation for the C.V. Kunjuraman Foundation award.
Accepting these from Mr. Nalappatt, Akademi president and writer M. Mukundan said that these would be treasured at the new cultural complex being planned at the Appan Thampuran Memorial, Ayyanthole.
In a symbolic gesture, Mr. Nalappatt handed over the pen used by the writer and her letter pad to Mr. Mukundan.
District Collector M. Beena; Akademi secretary Purushan Kadalundy; Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Chairman C.N. Karunakaran; Akademi executive committee member Ravunni; poet and actor Balachandran Chullikad; Kamala Suraiyya Trust secretary K.B. Sukumaran; and Babu John, private secretary to M.A. Baby, Minister for Culture, were present.
“When our dear ones depart, they leave behind memories. Tokens like these will help to preserve those memories forever. As for Kamala Suraiyya’s oeuvre, while her contemporaries used many languages to express their art, she knew only one language – that of love. She used only that till she left,” said Mr. Mukundan.
A modern cultural complex is also being planned at Punnayurkulam, the ancestral place of the Nalappat family. “The complex will be so designed as not to disturb the sacred grove (sarpakkavu) and pond, which are symbols of the Nalappatt family. We are also planning to light a lamp there,” said Mr. Mukundan. The Kamala Suraiyya Trust handed over nearly 30 cents to the Akademi recently.
Struggling to hold back her sobs, Ammu, who had been with Kamala Suraiyya for 18 years, said, “Amma always wanted these to be preserved and exhibited. She wanted to have a proper memorial for Balamaniamma and herself.”
The Kamala Suraiyya Trust has decided to institute awards for short story and poetry as well as to organise competitions for young writers, said Mr. Chullikad, one of the trust members.
For a writer who treaded unexplored realms of creative writing, Kamala Surraiya does not need any other memorials than her works. But at times, society does need concrete symbols – to remember and to remind.
