Kozhikode :

Those cries reverberating in the back of his mind have resulted in several sleepless nights for artist V. Mohanan. The cries of little girls who were raped by their near and dear ones; cries of farmers who lost everything to nature; cries of the elderly who were abandoned by their children; cries of families who lost their loved ones to the faulty system…. The cries never sleep.

‘Urangatha Nilavilikal’, an exhibition of paintings by V. Mohanan that began at the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery in Kozhikode on October 25, is a reflection of feelings of despair and helplessness faced by the artist at various stages of life as he came across griefs.

There are around 100 paintings that look colourful but with an underlying layer of darkness. “Despite the despair, there is always hope for a better tomorrow, and that is exactly what I intend to show,” said the artist.

It is hard to call Mr. Mohanan’s works paintings. They are mostly graphic art with a touch of the brush above the canvass. “There is no point in spending a lot of time and energy on these images when I can present the basic idea through graphic. Then I find something missing in the graphic, and I add it,” he said, adding that graphic was equally satisfying.

The exhibition is accompanied by a series of programmes including a music concert, discussions on topics like ‘art and politics’ and ‘art in the 70s’ and documentary screenings. The exhibition will conclude on Sunday.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> City> Kozhikode / Staff Reporter / October 28th, 2017

Punathil Kunjabdulla was a maverick. Both as a writer and as a man.

He is often bracketed among the writers of modernism in Malayalam. But, his writing isn’t exactly modern.

I think he rather followed in the footsteps of masters such as Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai and S.K. Pottekkatt. His writing appealed not just to the intellectuals, but to the lay reader as well. He had exceptional craft as a writer.

His writing, in fact, was magical, often. It is most evident in Smarakashilakal, which, to my mind, is undoubtedly one of the greatest novels ever in Malayalam.

But it wasn’t as celebrated as it ought to have been, especially at the time of its publication. I remember reading it with great admiration.

I had met him for the first time at a literary function in Kasaragod in 1974. I had only begun to write at that time, but he was already an established author. His speech there had created a controversy, I recall.

On his parents

He had said that he owed nothing to his parents; they had not even planned his birth, he had said. That speech was later published. But, I remember people close to him telling me that he might not have meant what he said and that he was fond of his parents.

We became good friends and travelled often together. He had a great sense of humour and reminded one of Vaikom Mohammad Basheer. Besides Smarakashilakal, I also admire his Marunnu and Kanyavanangal. Among his short stories my favourites include Joothanmarude Shmashanam and Malamukalile Abdulla. I was fascinated by his style, which sometimes reminded me of P. Padmarajan.

I admired him as a human being too. He was unpretentious. And he happily crossed the boundaries created by his religion and his family.

He celebrated life, the way very few people I know of have.

(As told to P.K. Ajith Kumar)

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> States> Kerala / b y C.C.Balakrishnan / October 27th, 2017