Idukki :
For octogenarian Kuttichetan, as he is known in his village Valiya Thovala near Kattappana here, books have always been his companions. Till day, he has not let anything come between them, even the truth that he is a school dropout. He does not need a pair of spectacles even at this age to read them. What makes Kuttichetan different from other book lovers is that he has been sharing his vast collection of books at his home with his villagers to enrich their cultural life.
Kuttichetan, aka Mathew C Mutholy, was dismissed from school when he was in Class IV for participating in a strike against C P Ramaswamy Iyer.
However, that never stopped him from having a tryst with letters. He started writing for children’s literary magazines, the likes of ‘Kuttikalude Deepika’, after dropping out from school. His love for books made him a good friend of yesteryear writers, editors and publishers such as Muttathu Varkey, Veloor Krishnankutty, K M Mathew and DC Kizhakkemuri.
Kuttichetan has a publication of his own, ‘Hill Desh,’ the Malayalam fortnightly which he began to publish from Kottayam in 1972. It is still being brought out at his village and has a circulation of 5,000 copies.
Kuttichetan, who worked as a Merchant Navy seaman for years, has seen almost all the countries except China which was not in good terms with India at that time. He also follows many foreign languages viz Italian, Latin, Japanese and German.
“Through books, I got acquainted with many places where I could not go. I want others also to explore unknown things, places, even feelings with the help of books. I find happiness in sharing my books, the only asset of my life which I can share with all,” says Kuttichettan who has the wholehearted support of his 75-year-old wife Mary and eight children.
Kuttichetan is now trying to set up a library in his own panchayat. With his initiative, four libraries were set up at Elikulam, Meloram, Iratayar and Bathel in 1947, 1954, 1963 and 1969 respectively.
However, he feels youngsters refrain from reading books. “May be because they have other means to gain knowledge,” says Kuttichetan who does not watch TV. The man, who finds happiness in sharing his collection with others, is a tad sad as some never returned his precious books.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Kerala / by Sruthi Paruthikad / June 19th, 2015