Bonhomie marks the release of C.T. Thankachan’s book, Veenju

In his late fifties, C.T. Thankachan has done several odd jobs to earn a living. After failing in Class 10, he worked as a coolie, was a tuition teacher representative, sold green grocery, was a project manager, a lodge manager, contract labourer at the Cochin Shipyard and also a freelance journalist.

He pioneered local television news reporting in rural Kochi and eventually became a local cable channel’s news editor. Then he ran a small restaurant offering ‘homely meals’ before becoming a support staffer of former Union minister K.V. Thomas. From the late-1980s, small jottings of his began to appear in journals and lately, in online journals.

On Sunday, a fairly large crowd of his friends gathered at a nature-friendly restaurant near Valanjambalam to release Mr. Thankachan’s first book, Veenju(Wine), which he says captures the spirit of friendship of the 1980s. As was characteristic of the get-togethers of that decade, there was instrumental music, singing, and live sketching to liven up the informal session. In his preface to the book, Mr. Thankachan says he isn’t a writer.

He is a narrator who recalls his association with stalwart writers, intellectuals, painters and film-makers of that period.

The recollections start with an essay on the maverick intellectual M. Govindan, ending it with an assertion that even the most rebellious of intellectuals are forced into silence when confronted by their own children.

Mr. Thankachan’s world view took a turn for good and expanded after his chance arrival at the erstwhile Kalapeetom on Karikkamuri crossroads. That triggered in him a quest to read and understand the greatest of writers and artists. From the precincts of Kalapeetom, he ventured out with friends to strike a chord of friendship with the towering M.V. Devan, Madhavikkuty aka Kamala Surayya, G. Aravindan, John Abraham, Molly Kannamaly, Umbayi, Chintha Ravi, TR and the like.

A native of Palluruthy, Mr. Thankachan, as George Joseph K. says in his introduction to the book, fills the world with positivity and optimism. He stood in solidarity with the nuns who took to the streets against rape accused bishop Franco. There’s a mention in the book of the efforts taken by a group of friends, including him, to meet the treatment expenses of paralysed writer Thomas Joseph. He was also there to mobilise funds to construct a home for the family of the deceased artist Asanthan ‘Mahesh’.

Brought out by Vayanappura Publications, the book is priced at ₹110.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Kochi / by Special Correspondent / Kochi – February 04th, 2019