The proposed memorial for Vaikom Muhammad Basheer at Beypore in Kozhikode district will be the first project under the State Government’s Literary Circuit, which promotes places related to well-known writers as tourism destinations.
At a meeting here on Saturday, Minister for Tourism and Public Works P.A. Mohamed Riyas directed the Kozhikode Corporation to ensure that the first phase of the project was over by July 5 to mark the death anniversary of the writer. Mr. Riyas represents the Beypore constituency in the Assembly.
Though the proposal for the memorial was mooted in 2006, it did not take off owing to various reasons. Mr. Riyas said a committee involving the District Collector, Tourism Director, project architect, Corporation Secretary, and Corporation executive engineer would be formed to streamline the project.
Kozhikode Deputy Mayor C.P. Musafar Ahmed said a Corporation Council meeting would be convened soon to grant no-objection certificate to the Tourism Department to start the work. It is going to be a joint venture of the Corporation and the department.
The memorial, titled ‘Akashamittayi’, the name Saramma and Keshavan Nair proposed for their child in Premalekhanam , one of Basheer’s classic works, will come up on a one-acre land on B.C. Road in Beypore. The plan is to have a cultural hall, library, research hall, amphitheatre, park, auditorium and cultural centre along with a ‘Garden of Letters’. A statue of the writer in the front yard, a hall showcasing his works, and information on the history of Beypore may also be highlighted. There will be a walkway to the memorial from the entrance. A reclining chair and a gramophone, things that the writer came to be identified with, may be placed in the front yard. The place could be developed as a platform for writers, artists, and literary enthusiasts to get together and share ideas.
