Friday, June 18, 2010

Reading day - PN Panicker's Remembrance Day

Tomorrow is my Muthachan's (maternal grandfather) remembrance day and back in Kerala, it's going to be the 'Reading day'. Every year, on this day, a special morning assembly is called in all the schools of the state and children are made to repeat the excerpts from books of value, which will be read out to them by leading luminaries drawn from every conceivable walk of life. By doing so, it's symbolically put across to the present generation that reading and educating oneself is an important aspect of one's personal growth. And they'd also be enlightened about the legendary efforts that PN Panicker had put in to make Kerala literate, through a well networked library organisation( a conglomeration of 5,280 libraries set up in every nook and corner of the state by his own efforts) and focussed thrust on functional literacy.

Muthachan, during his lifetime, had stressed upon the importance of reading and had coined, the by now, famous slogan, "Vaayichu valaruka"(Read and grow). The activities that are, thus, set in motion will continue for the entire week following 19 Jun and the week would be called the 'Vaayana vaaram'. This has been a governmental initiative started a year after 19 Jun 1995, the day Mr. PN Panicker passed into eternity.

On a personal level, I shall spend some time in front of his portrait, as is my regular habit every morning and concentrate on the man who'd showered his unrestrained love upon me. And I shall also say a small prayer for his soul at 1923h, the actual time that he'd passed away from this world to eternity.

1 comment:

  1. You are fortunate to born as the grandson of the great grand father!

    ReplyDelete